The Ford Model T (colloquially A colloquialism is a linguistic phrase that is characteristic of or only appropriate for casual, ordinary, familiar, and/or informal written or spoken conversation, rather than for formal speech, standard writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier known as the Tin Lizzie, Flivver, T‑Model Ford, or T) is an automobile An automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the that was produced by Henry Ford Henry Ford was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. He was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents. As owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and's Ford Motor Company The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars in Sweden, and a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK. Ford' from 1908 through 1927.[1] The Model T set 1908 as the historic year that the automobile became popular. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the car that opened travel to the common middle-class American; some of this was because of Ford's innovations, including assembly line An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods. The assembly line developed by Ford Motor Company between 1908 and 1915 made assembly lines famous in the following decade through production instead of individual hand crafting, as well as the concept of paying the workers a wage proportionate to the cost of the car, so they would provide a ready made market.[2] The first production Model T was produced on August 12, 1908[3] and left the factory on September 27, 1908, at the Piquette Plant The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is located at 411 Piquette Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, within the Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District. It was the second home of Ford Motor Company automobile production. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006 in Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded on July 24, 1701, by the Frenchman Antoine de la. The Model T was the first automobile mass produced Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines. The concepts of mass production are applied to various kinds of products, from fluids and particulates handled in bulk (such as food, fuel, chemicals, and mined minerals) to discrete solid parts (such as fasteners) to assemblies on assembly lines with completely interchangeable parts, marketed to the middle class The American middle class is an ambiguously defined social class in the United States. While the concept remains largely ambiguous in popular opinion and common language use, contemporary sociologists have put forward several, more or less congruent, theories on the American middle class. Depending on class model used, the middle class may.[citation needed]

There were several cars produced or prototyped by Henry Ford from the founding of the company in 1903 until the Model T came along. Although he started with the Model A The original Ford Model A was the first car produced by Ford Motor Company, beginning production in 1903. Dr. Ernst Pfenning of Chicago, Illinois became the first owner of a Model A on July 23, 1903. 1,750 cars were made from 1903 through 1904. The Model A was replaced by the Ford Model C during 1904 with some sales overlap, there were not 19 production models (A through T); some were only prototypes. The production model immediately before the Model T was the Model S The Ford Model N was an inexpensive automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company. It was introduced in 1906 as a successor to the Models A, C and F as the company's inexpensive entry-level line,[4] an upgraded version of the company's largest success to that point, the Model N The Ford Model N was an inexpensive automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company. It was introduced in 1906 as a successor to the Models A, C and F as the company's inexpensive entry-level line. The follow-up was the Ford Model A The Ford Model A was the second huge success for the Ford Motor Company, after its predecessor, the Model T. First produced on October 20, 1927, but not sold until December 2, it replaced the venerable Model T, which had been produced for 18 years. This new Model A (a previous model had used the Model A name back in 1903–1904) was designated as and not the Model U. Company publicity said this was because the new car was such a departure from the old that Henry wanted to start all over again with the letter A. As it happens, the first Plymouth Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, marketed by the Chrysler Corporation and DaimlerChrysler car (1928), built by competitor Chrysler Corporation Chrysler Group LLC is a U.S. automobile manufacturer headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. From 1998 to 2007, Chrysler and its subsidiaries were part of the German based DaimlerChrysler AG . Prior to 1998, Chrysler Corporation traded under the "C", was named Model U.

The Ford Model T was named the world's most influential car of the twentieth century The Car of the Century was an international award given to the world's most influential car of the twentieth century. The election process was overseen by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation. The winner, the Ford Model T, was announced at an awards gala on December 18, 1999 in Las Vegas, Nevada in an international poll.[5] Henry Ford said of the vehicle:

"I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one—and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces."[6][7][8]

Contents

Characteristics

1908 Ford Model T advertisement

The Ford Model T car was designed by Childe Harold Wills Childe Harold Wills , also known as C. Harold Wills, was an early associate of Henry Ford, one of the first employees of the Ford Motor Company, and a contributor to the design of the Model T. After leaving Ford, he began his own ultimately unsuccessful automobile company and two Hungarian immigrants, Joseph A. Galamb József Galamb (English: Joseph A. Galamb) mechanical engineer was born in Makó, Hungary and Eugene Farkas.[9] Harry Love, C. J. Smith, Gus Degner and Peter E. Martin Peter Edmund Martin (born Wallaceburg, Ontario 1888, died Detroit, Michigan, 1944) was a leading early production executive of the Ford Motor Company were also part of the team.[10] While production of the Model T began in the autumn of 1908,[11] model years range from 1909 to 1927.

Engine and means of starting

Main article: Ford Model T engine The Ford Model T used a 177 cu in 4 cylinder engine producing 20 hp (15 kW) for a top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h). The engine had side valves and 3 main bearings and was built in-unit with the Model T's novel transmission, sharing the same lubricating oil. Engine bore was 3¾ inches (95.2 mm) and stroke was 4 inches even (101.6 mm) for a total

The Model T had a 177 in3 (2.9 L) front mounted inline four-cylinder The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft. Where it is inclined, it is sometimes en bloc engine (that is, all four in one block, as common now, rather than in individual castings, as common then) producing 20 hp (15 kW) for a top speed of 40-45 mph (64–72 km/h). The Model T four cylinder sidevalve engine was first in the world with a detachable head, making service like valve jobs easier. According to Ford Motor, the Model T had fuel economy on the order of 13 to 21 mpg (5 to 9 kilometres per litre or 11.1 to 18.7 litres per 100 km).[12] The engine was capable of running on gasoline, kerosene, or ethanol Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a powerful psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. It is best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages and thermometers. In common usage, it is often referred to simply as,[13][14] though the decreasing cost of gasoline and the later introduction of Prohibition In the history of the United States, Prohibition, also known as The Noble Experiment, was the period from 1920 to 1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally as mandated in the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution made ethanol an impractical fuel.

1926 engine

A flywheel magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce alternating current. Hand-cranked magneto generators were used to provide ringing current in early telephone systems. Magnetos adapted to produce pulses of high voltage are used in the ignition systems of some gasoline-powered internal combustion engines to provide power (broadly equivalent to a modern alternator An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to alternating current electrical energy. Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used. In principle, any AC electrical generator can be called an alternator, but usually the word refers to small rotating machines driven by) produced low voltage alternating current In alternating current the movement (or flow) of electric charge periodically reverses direction. An electric charge would for instance move forward, then backward, then forward, then backward, over and over again. In direct current (DC), the movement (or flow) of electric charge is only in one direction. The low voltage was distributed by the timer (analogous to a distributor A distributor is a device in the engine block of an internal combustion engine that routes low voltage from the engine block to the spark plugs in the correct firing order. The first reliable battery operated ignition was developed by Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. and introduced in the 1910 Cadillac. This ignition was developed by Charles in a modern vehicle) to one of the four trembler coils, one for each cylinder. The coil created a high voltage current, directly connected to the spark plug in the firing cylinder. Ignition timing was adjusted manually by using the spark advance lever mounted on the steering column which rotated the timer. A battery could be used for starting current: at hand-cranking speed, the magneto did not always produce sufficient current (but a starting battery was not standard equipment until sometime in 1926, though all T's had a bat position on the coil box switch). A certain amount of skill and experience was required to find the optimal timing for any speed and load. When electric headlights were introduced in 1915, the magneto was upgraded to supply power for the lights and horn. In keeping with the goal of ultimate reliability and simplicity, the trembler coil and magneto ignition system was retained even after the car became equipped with a generator[15] and battery for electric starting and lighting. Most cars sold after 1919 were equipped with electric starting, which was engaged by a small round button on the floor in front of the driver's seat.

1910 Model T, photographed in Salt Lake City Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With an estimated population of 183,171, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total estimated population of 1,130,293. Salt Lake City is further situated in a larger urban

Before starting a Model T with the hand crank A crank is an arm attached at right angles to a rotating shaft by which reciprocating motion is imparted to or received from the shaft. It is used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion. The arm may be a bent portion of the shaft, or a separate arm attached to it. Attached to the end of the crank by a, the spark had to be manually retarded or the engine might "kick back". The crank handle was cupped in the palm, rather than grabbed with the thumb under the top of the handle, so that if the engine did kick back, the rapid reverse motion of the crank would throw the hand away from the handle, rather than violently twisting the wrist or breaking the thumb. Most Model T Fords had the choke operated by a wire emerging from the bottom of the radiator where it could be operated with the left hand. This was used to prime the engine while cranking the engine slowly then starting the engine with the left hand with a rapid pull of the crank handle.

The car's 10 gallon (38 litre) fuel tank was mounted to the frame beneath the front seat; one variant had the carburetor A carburetor or carburettor (Commonwealth spelling) is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It was invented by Karl Benz before 1885 and patented in 1886. It is colloquially called a carb (in North America and the United Kingdom) (a Holley Model G) modified to run on ethyl alcohol Ethanol fuel is ethanol , the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It can be used as a transport fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. World ethanol production for transport fuel tripled between 2000 and 2007 from 17 billion to more than 52 billion litres. From 2007 to 2008, the share of ethanol in global gasoline type, to be made at home by the self-reliant farmer. Because Ford relied on gravity to feed fuel to the carburetor, rather than a fuel pump, a Model T could not climb a steep hill when the fuel level was low. The immediate solution was often to drive up steep hills in reverse. In 1926, the fuel tank was moved forward to under the cowl on most models.[16]

Early on, the engine blocks were to be produced by the Lakeside Foundry The Lakeside Foundry was based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It still stands, although is no longer in business. It is on Newcastle St. South of Jefferson between Jefferson and Freud between St. Jean and Clairpointe. It opened in the late 19th century and was owned and operated by Alexander Russel Keys Sr on St. Jean in Detroit. Ford cancelled the deal before many were produced.

The first few hundred Model Ts had a water pump, but it was eliminated early in production. Ford opted for a cheaper and more reliable thermo-syphon system. Hot water, being less dense, would rise to the top of the engine and up into the top of the radiator, descending to the bottom as it cooled, and back into the engine. This was the direction of water flow in most cars which did have water pumps, until the introduction of crossflow radiator Radiators are used for cooling internal combustion engines, chiefly in automobiles but also in piston-engined aircraft, railway locomotives, motorcycles, stationary generating plant or any similar use of such an engine designs. Many types of water pumps were available as aftermarket accessories.

Transmission and drivetrain

1925 Ford "New Model" T Tudor Sedan

The Model T was a rear-wheel drive In automotive design the automobile layout describes where on the vehicle the engine and drive wheels are found. Many different combinations of engine location and driven wheels are found in practice, and the location of each is dependent on the application the vehicle will be used for. Factors influencing the design choice include cost, vehicle. Its transmission was a planetary gear Epicyclic gearing or planetary gearing is a gear system that consists of one or more outer gears, or planet gears, revolving about a central, or sun gear. Typically, the planet gears are mounted on a movable arm or carrier which itself may rotate relative to the sun gear. Epicyclic gearing systems may also incorporate the use of an outer ring gear type billed as "three speed". In today's terms it would be considered a two speed, because one of the three speeds was actually reverse.

The Model T's transmission was controlled with three foot pedals and a lever that was mounted to the road side of the driver's seat. The throttle was controlled with a lever on the steering wheel. The left pedal was used to engage the gear. With the handbrake in either the mid position or fully forward and the pedal pressed and held forward the car entered low gear. When held in an intermediate position the car was in neutral, a state that could also be achieved by pulling the floor-mounted lever to an upright position. If the lever was pushed forward and the driver took his foot off the left pedal, the Model T entered high gear, but only when the handbrake lever was fully forward. The car could thus cruise without the driver having to press any of the pedals. There was no separate clutch pedal.

The middle pedal was used to engage reverse gear, and the right pedal operated the engine brake. The floor lever also controlled the parking brake, which was activated by pulling the lever all the way back. This doubled as an emergency brake.

Although it was extremely uncommon, the drive bands could fall out of adjustment, allowing the car to creep, particularly when cold, adding another hazard to attempting to start the car: a person cranking the engine could be forced backward while still holding the crank as the car crept forward even though it was nominally in neutral. As the car utilised a wet clutch A clutch is a mechanical device which provides driving force to another mechanism, typically by connecting the driven mechanism to the driving mechanism. Its opposite component is a brake, which inhibits motion, this condition can also occur in cold weather where the thickened cold oil acts somewhat like an adhesive and prevents the clutch discs from slipping freely. Power reached the differential A differential is a device, usually but not necessarily employing gears, capable of transmitting torque and rotation through three shafts, almost always used in one of two ways: in one way, it receives one input and provides two outputs--this is found in most automobiles--and in the other way, it combines two inputs to create an output that is the through a single universal joint A universal joint, U joint, Cardan joint, Hardy-Spicer joint, or Hooke's joint is a joint in a rigid rod that allows the rod to 'bend' in any direction, and is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges located close together, oriented at 90° to each other, connected by a cross shaft attached to a torque tube A torque tube system is an automobile driveshaft technology, used in cars with a front engine and rear drive. It is not as widespread as the Hotchkiss drive, but is still occasionally used to this day which drove the rear axle; some models (typically trucks, but available for cars as well) could be equipped with an optional two speed Ruckstell rear axle shifted by a floor mounted lever which provided an underdrive gear for easier hill climbing. All gears were vanadium steel Vanadium is the chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a soft, silvery gray, ductile transition metal. The formation of an oxide layer stabilizes the metal against oxidation. Andrés Manuel del Río discovered vanadium in 1801 by analyzing the mineral vanadinite, and named it erythronium. Four years later, however, he was running in an oil bath.

Alternate uses of engine power

Reflecting the practical-mindedness of people in "make do" days, the purchase costs of the car were made up for by adding duties. Some were put to work as farm vehicles: one of the rear wheels could be jacked up and used to power the then commonly available belt-driven agricultural equipment. A pre-1940s example has a wide belt, powered from the rear hub, used to convey hay from the ground to the hayloft in the barn. The engines were sometimes removed to provide the power for other types of machinery, such as saws.[17]

Suspension and wheels

The suspension components of a Ford Model T. The coil-spring device is an aftermarket accessory, the "Hassler shock absorber."

Model T suspension employed a transversely mounted semi-elliptical spring for each of the front and rear axles, which was a solid beam axle, not an independent suspension Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked - movement on one side affects the wheel on the other side. Note that “independentâ€, which still allowed a great deal of wheel movement to cope with the dirt roads of the time.

The front axle was drop forged Forging is the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it is performed: '"cold," "warm," or "hot" forging. Forged parts can range in weight from less than a kilogram to 170 metric tons. Forged parts usually require further processing to as a single piece of vanadium steel. Ford twisted many axles eight times and sent them to dealers to be put on display to demonstrate its superiority. The Model T did not have a modern service brake. The right foot pedal applied a band around a drum in the transmission, thus stopping the rear wheels from turning. The previously mentioned parking brake lever operated band brakes on the outside of the rear brake drums.

Wheels were wooden artillery wheels The artillery wheel was developed for use on gun carriages when it was found that the lateral forces involved in horse artillery manoeuvres caused normally-constructed cart wheels to collapse. Rather than having its spokes mortised into a wooden nave , it has them fitted together (mitred) then bolted into a metal nave. Its tyre is shrunk onto the, with steel welded-spoke wheels available in 1926 and 1927.

Tires were pneumatic A tire is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground. The word itself is derived from the word "tie", referring to the outer steel ring part of a wooden cart wheel that ties clincher type, 30 in (76 cm) in diameter, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide in the rear, 3 in (7.5 cm) wide in the front. Clinchers needed much higher pressure than today's tires, typically 60 psi (4.1 bar), to prevent them from leaving the rim at speed. Horseshoe nails on the roads, together with the high pressure, made flat tires a common problem.

Balloon tires became available in 1925. They were 21x4.5 in (53x11.4 cm) all around. Balloon tires were closer in design to today's tires, with steel wires reinforcing the tire bead, making lower pressure possible - typically 35 psi (2.4 bar) - giving a softer ride. The old nomenclature for tire size changed from measuring the outer diameter to measuring the rim diameter so 21" (rim diameter) × 4.50 (tire width) wheels has about the same outer diameter as 30 in (76 cm) clincher tires. All tires in this time period used an inner tube A tire is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground. The word itself is derived from the word "attire", referring to the dressing of the wheel to hold the pressurized air; "tubeless" tires were not generally in use until much later.

Wheelbase In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel, and the center of the rear wheel. At equilibrium, the total torque of the forces acting on the car is zero, and thus the wheelbase is related to the weight on each tire by the following formula: was 99 inches (250 cm); while standard tread width was 56 in (142 cm), 60 in (152 cm) tread could be obtained on special order, "for Southern roads".

Design changes

Early Ts had a brass radiator and headlights. The horn and numerous small parts were also brass. Many of the early cars were open-bodied touring cars A touring car was a popular car body style in the early 20th century, being a larger alternative to the runabout and the roadster. They were open cars, often fitted with convertible tops. Most early touring cars had a tonneau at the rear giving seating for four or more. Engines on early models were either in the front, or in a mid-body position and runabouts, these being cheaper to make than closed cars. Prior to the 1911 model year (when front doors were added to the touring model), U.S.-made open cars did not have an opening door for the driver. Later models included closed cars (introduced in 1915),[18] sedans, coupes and trucks. The chassis was available so trucks could be built to suit. Ford also developed some truck bodies for this chassis, designated the Model TT The Ford Model TT truck was rated at one ton. It was based on the Ford Model T, but with a heavier frame and rear axle. It was often equipped with a 'ruckstell axle' or some other accessory gearbox which allowed the truck to have an intermediate gear between low and high, which was useful for hill climbing. It was often sold as a chassis with the. The headlights were originally acetylene Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula HC2H. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colourless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution lamps made of brass (commonly using Prest-O-Lite tanks),[11] but eventually the car gained electric lights, initially powered from the magneto until the electrical system was upgraded to a battery, generator and starter motor, when lighting power was switched to the battery source.

The Model T production system, the epitome of Fordism Fordism, named after Henry Ford, refers to various social theories about production and related socio-economic phenomena. It has varying but related meanings in different fields, as well as for Marxist and non-Marxist scholars. The essential meaning is that the worker must be paid higher wages in order to afford the products that the industrialist, is famous for representing the rigidity of early mass production systems that were wildly successful at achieving efficiency but that could accommodate changes in product design only with great difficulty and resistance. The story is more complicated;[19] there were few major, publicly visible changes throughout the life of the model, but there were many smaller changes. Most were driven by DFM considerations, but styling and new features also played more of a role than commonly realized. In fact, one of the problems for the company regarding design changes was that the T's reputation for not changing and being "already correct", which Henry Ford enjoyed and which was a selling point for many customers, made it risky to admit any changes actually were happening.[20] (The idea of simply refining a design without making radical visible changes would resurface, and score even greater production success, with the VW Type 1.)[21]

Colors

By 1918, half of all cars in the US were Model Ts. However, it was a monolithic bloc; as Ford wrote in his autobiography, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black".[22] Model T production was black only from 1915 to 1925. Model Ts in different colors were produced from 1908 to 1914, and then again from 1926 to 1927. It is often stated that Ford chose black because the paint dried faster than other colored paints available at the time, and a faster drying paint would allow him to build cars faster since he would not have to wait as long for the paint to dry. Ford engineering documents suggest black was chosen because it was cheap and durable. Over thirty different types of black paint were used on various parts of the Model T.[23] These were formulated to satisfy the different means of applying the paint to the various parts, and had distinct drying times, depending on the part, paint, and method of drying.

Production

Mass production

An "exploded" Model T from the Highland Park Plant now at The Henry Ford Museum. Model T parked outside Geelong Library at its launch in Australia in 1915

The knowledge and skills needed by a factory worker were reduced to 84 areas. When introduced, the T used the building methods typical at the time, assembly by hand, and production was small. Ford's Piquette plant could not keep up with demand for the Model T, and only 11 cars were built there during the first full month of production. More and more machines were used to reduce the complexity within the 84 defined areas. In 1910, after assembling nearly 12,000 Model Ts, Henry Ford moved the company to the new Highland Park complex.

As a result, Ford's cars came off the line in three minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, reducing production time by a factor of eight (requiring 12.5 hours before, 93 minutes afterwards), while using less manpower.[24] By 1914, the assembly process for the Model T had been so streamlined it took only 93 minutes to assemble a car. That year Ford produced more cars than all other automakers combined. The Model T was a great commercial success, and by the time Henry made his 10 millionth car, 10 percent of all cars in the entire world were Fords. In fact, it was so successful that Ford did not purchase any advertising between 1917 and 1923; in total, more than 15 million Model Ts were manufactured, reaching a rate of 9,000 to 10,000 cars a day in 1925, or 2 million annually[25][26][27], more than any other model of its day, at a price of just $240 (equivalent to $2,696 today). Model T production was finally surpassed by the Volkswagen Beetle on February 17, 1972.

Henry Ford's ideological approach to Model T design was one of getting it right and then keeping it the same; he believed the Model T was all the car a person would, or could, ever need. As other companies offered comfort and styling advantages, at competitive prices, the Model T lost market share. Design changes were not as few as the public perceived, but the idea of an unchanging model was kept intact. Eventually, on May 26, 1927, Ford Motor Company ceased production and began the changeovers required to produce the Model A.[28]

Model T engines continued to be produced until August 4, 1941. Almost 170,000 engines were built after car production stopped. Replacement engines were required to continue to service already produced vehicles. Racers and enthusiasts, forerunners of modern hot rodders, used the Model T's block to build popular and cheap racing engines, including Cragar, Navarro, and famously the Frontenacs ("Fronty Fords") of the Chevrolet brothers, among many others.

The Model T originally employed some advanced technology, for example, its use of vanadium steel (an alloy). Its durability was phenomenal, and many Model Ts and their parts were still in running order nearly a century later. Although Henry Ford resisted some kinds of change, he always championed the advancement of materials engineering, and often mechanical engineering and industrial engineering.

In 2002, Ford built a final batch of 6 Model Ts as part of their 2003 centenary celebrations. These cars were assembled from remaining new components and other parts produced from the original drawings. The last of these 6 was used for publicity purposes in the UK.

Price

The standard 4-seat open tourer of 1909 cost $850[29] (equivalent to $20,513 today), when competing cars often cost $2,000-$3,000 (equivalent to $48,267-$72,400 today);[citation needed] in 1913, the price dropped to $550 (equivalent to $12,067 today), and $440 in 1915 (equivalent to $9,431 today). Sales were 69,762 in 1911; 170,211 in 1912; 202,667 in 1913; 308,162 in 1914; and 501,462 in 1915.[24] In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay.[24]

By the 1920s, the price had fallen to $290 (equivalent to $3,258 today) because of increasing efficiencies of assembly line technique and volume. Henry employed vertical integration of the industries needed to create his cars.

Recycling

Henry Ford used wood scraps from the production of Model T's to create charcoal. Originally named Ford Charcoal the name was changed to Kingsford Charcoal after Ford's relative E. G. Kingsford brokered the selection of the new charcoal plant site.[30]

First global car

The Ford Model T was the first automobile built by various countries simultaneously since they were being produced in Walkerville, Canada and in Trafford Park, Greater Manchester, England starting in 1911 and were later assembled in Germany, Argentina,[31] France, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan.[32]

Advertising, marketing, and packaging

Ford created a massive publicity machine in Detroit to ensure every newspaper carried stories and ads about the new product. Ford's network of local dealers made the car ubiquitous in virtually every city in North America. As independent dealers, the franchises grew rich and publicized not just the Ford but the very concept of automobiling; local motor clubs sprang up to help new drivers and to explore the countryside. Ford was always eager to sell to farmers, who looked on the vehicle as a commercial device to help their business. Sales skyrocketed—several years posted 100% gains on the previous year.

Ford assembly line, 1913

Sales passed 250,000 in 1914. By 1916, as the price dropped to $360 for the basic touring car, sales reached 472,000.[33]

Car clubs

An Australian Model T Ford

Cars built before 1919 are classed as veteran cars and later models as vintage cars. Today, three main clubs exist to support the preservation and restoration of these cars: The Model T Ford Club International, the Model T Ford Club of America and the combined clubs of Australia. With many chapters of clubs around the world, the Model T Ford Club of Victoria has a membership with a considerable number of uniquely Australian cars. (Australia produced its own car bodies and therefore many differences occurred between the Australian bodied tourers and the US/Canadian cars). Many steel Model T parts are still manufactured today, and even fiberglass replicas of their distinctive bodies are produced, which are popular for T-bucket style hot rods (as immortalized in the Jan and Dean surf music song "Bucket T," which was later recorded by The Who).

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ford Model T

Notes

  1. ^ John Steele Gordon "10 Moments That Made American Business," American Heritage, February/March 2007.
  2. ^ Ford also attempted a buy on time program to aid sales, resembling that of the German Kdf-Wagen (forerunner of the Volkswagen Type 1). Ford's plan was not a success, either.
  3. ^ http://library.thinkquest.org/27629/chronicle/1908.html
  4. ^ Early Ford - models from the years 1903-1908; p. 5.
  5. ^ Joyrides: Car of the Century? Ford's Model T, of course.
  6. ^ Ford 1922, p. 73.
  7. ^ Lacey 1986.
  8. ^ Reynolds 2009.
  9. ^ "History Lesson: Hungary Celebrates the Ford Model T". Edmunds.com. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109442. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  10. ^ Wik 1972.
  11. ^ a b Clymer 1950, p. 100.
  12. ^ media.ford.com Model T Facts
  13. ^ English, Andrew (2008-07-25). "Ford Model T reaches 100". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2008/07/25/mnmodel125.xml. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  14. ^ "Ethanol: Introduction". Journey to Forever. http://journeytoforever.org/ethanol.html#ethintro. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  15. ^ "Model T Ford Electrical System". modeltcentral.com. http://www.modeltcentral.com/Model-T-Ford-Electrical-Specifications.html. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  16. ^ 1926 - Model T Ford Club of America.
  17. ^ "1926 Ford Model T Ice Saw". http://www.ohtm.org/eng_ticesaw.html. Used for harvesting winter ice from ponds in Maine.
  18. ^ Clymer 1950, p. 37.
  19. ^ Hounshell 1984, pp. 273–278.
  20. ^ Hounshell 1984, p. 275.
  21. ^ It would also apply to the Porsche 911.
  22. ^ Ford 1922, p. 72.
  23. ^ McCalley 1994
  24. ^ a b c Georgano 1985.
  25. ^ Martin W. Sandler, Driving Around the USA: Automobiles in American Life, Oxford University Press, 2003, p.21
  26. ^ Douglas Brinkley, Wheels for the world: Henry Ford, his company, and a century of progress, 1903-2003, Viking, 2003, p.475
  27. ^ My forty years with Ford, Charles E. Sorensen, David Lanier Lewis, Samuel T. Williamson, Wayne State University Press, p.4
  28. ^ detnews.com - Michigan History.
  29. ^ Ward 1974, p. 1562.
  30. ^ History Page Kingsford products
  31. ^ www.auto-historia.com History of Ford Motors Argentina - Retrieved on 19 November 2008.
  32. ^ Celebrating the Ford Model T, only 100 years young!, (in Spanish) accessed 22 September 2008.
  33. ^ Lewis 1976, pp. 41–59.

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How do you find out what model a Blackberry is?
Q. Hey, My sister has a BlackBerry and I wanted to help her use it but I can't find out what model it is!!! The craziest thing I've ever seen, no model info on it anywhere. It might not be the newest (thus no pix on the website match). How can I determine what model it is so I can find help info on the web for it?
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A. Take out the back cover and the battery. There should be a sticker there that tells you what model it is.
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