A First for Ford

This Day in History: October 7, 1913

Nostalgia and old cars go together like BBQ & beans, rosemary & thyme, apple pie & ice cream, and of course, as depicted in Forest Gump, the all time favorite peas & carrots! The flair, design, simplicity, reliability, sentimentality make for super nostalgic appeal. After all, history earmarks the Model T Ford as "putting America on wheels."

The 1908 Model T. Two forward
gears, a 20 horsepower engine
and no driver doors.
They sold like hot cakes

Production of the Model T actually began in 1908 at which time Henry Ford realized his dream of producing a simple, affordable car. This came five years after he manufactured his first car, the Model A and two years after the Model N. With production already in the making what could possibly be the history behind today's date since over 10,000 cars had entered the market in the first year alone?

End of the Line. The Model T's body is joined
to its chassis at the Highland Park plant

Have I piqued your curiosity? What happened on this date allowed Ford to cut the man-hours required to complete one Model T from 12 1/2 hours to less than 6 hours. Within a year, improvements reduced the time required to 93 man-minutes. Incredible! Have you guessed it? ...a continuously moving assembly line. As a result of this ingenious idea, 15,000,000 (15 million) Model Ts were built before its discontinuance in 1927. This accounted for nearly half of all the automobiles sold in the world to that date.

Important side note: Beginning in 1913, the words 'Made in the U.S.A.' appeared on the car's radiator, before the Ford logo. Impressive!

Image Credit: © Conceptcarz.com

 

Image Credit: © Conceptcarz.com

Image Credit: © Conceptcarz.com

Image Credit: © Conceptcarz.com

Image Credit: © Conceptcarz.com

Image Credit: © Conceptcarz.com

   Do you sense a bit of nostalgia upon viewing the graceful Model T?

Source: "Henry Ford Changes the World, 1908," EyeWitness to History www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2005).