24 September 2002: The five-millionth Ford Explorer produced has rolled off the assembly line in the US - driven by Ford Motor Company Chief Operating Officer and President Nick Scheele (above).

Scheele then presented the keys to Patrick Berry of Louisville (below). The five-millionth Explorer is the fourth Berry has owned.

The first Ford Explorer rolled off the line in Louisville on Valentine’s Day in 1990. Since then, the American love affair with this best-selling SUV has continued to grow and mature. In 1991, Explorer’s first full year of availability, sales jumped 38 percent to more than a quarter-million units, and Explorer became the first sport utility vehicle to join the ranks of the top 10-selling vehicles, holding the seventh spot.

In 2001, Explorer marked its 11th straight year as America’s best-selling SUV with sales of 415,921. Explorers are built at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant as well as the St Louis Assembly Plant in Missouri.