Genk (Belgium)

Brand-new in the early 1960s, when it started building front-wheel-drive Ford Taunus 12Ms, Genk became one of Ford of Europe’s largest plants, building millions of models including Sierras, Transits, Mondeos and other derivatives. The Sierra was a mainstay model in the 1980s, and eventually built all the RS Cosworth types, including the Sapphire, the Cosworth 4x4, and of course the cars which eventually became RS500 Cosworths in the UK. ST-type Mondeos were also built there in the 1990s. The factory closed down completely in 2014.