The Ford Motor Company was opened in Trafford Park in October 1911 to assemble Model T cars and trucks and was the first outside America and Canada; over 300,000 vehicles were built before operations were transferred to Dagenham Essex in 1931. The Second World War (1939-1945) resulted in Ford returning to Trafford Park to produce the Rolls Royce Merlin aero-engine under licence which was used in the Spitfire and the Lancaster. The new factory on Barton Dock Road was located close to the original Ford site and on completion the factory buildings spanned over 44 acres. By June 1941 the company was producing 400 engines a month; by 1943 the figure had risen to 900. The Merlin engine was described by the Royal Air Force as a "Wizard' engine.