Images like this 1963 Shelby Roadsters Display in Venice, CA are now available at www.fordimages.com.

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 4, 2011 – The Ford archives are being opened up as thousands of images, some dating to the earliest days of Ford Motor Company, are being made available for licensing and sale for the first time.

FordImages.com, launched in January, contains 5,000+ images for sale including limited-edition and commemorative prints, vintage signs and advertisements; with additional images being added weekly by the hundreds, another 5,000 will be available by the end of 2011, according to Ford Global Brand Licensing’s marketing manager, Betsy McKelvey.

Ford hopes to create brand awareness and preserve their legacy by using the millions of existing images in the archives.

“The entire world of Ford culture is here,” said Dean Weber, manager, Ford Archives. “These images represent the very special place Ford has in not only American history but world history.”

McKelvey noted the new website receives about 500 visitors daily, with car enthusiasts and dealers being some of the biggest customers early on.

“The Ford brand is one that almost everyone can identify with in some way,” said McKelvey. “This website gives people a way to strengthen that identification.”

FordImages.com is managed by Rick Weedn, an official Ford licensee, whose company licenses and sells archival images for other companies as well, including Harley-Davidson Inc. and The Henry Ford.