The Model T Ford

"You can paint it any color, so long as it's black".

The first production Model T Ford

The first production Model T Ford was assembled at the Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit on October 1, 1908. Prior to this, new technology such as the electric light bulb, the telephone, the airplane, movie theatres, and automobiles offset those things that were considered less desirable - child labor in factories and mines, city slums with poor sanitation, and factory owners who didn't pay workers a fair wage for operating  in places that were often quite dangerous.

As a youngster, Henry Ford was a bright boy, but only had a sixth grade education. He was born and raised on a farm near Dearborn, Michigan. Later he moved to Detroit where he worked for the Edison Illuminating Company. Before long, he became well known when newspapers covered his involvement in car racing.

Henry Ford was the founder of a great American automobile company, and the mastermind behind the Model T Ford. He was the man who made it all happen by using the 'push assembly-line'. Auto manufacturers were selling their cars for $5000, and only the wealthy could afford them. Using a 'push' moving assembly line and interchangeable parts, Henry Ford was able to mass-produce his Model T car for just $850. This was less than the cost of a wagon and team of horses.

In 1913, Henry Ford replaced his 'push' moving assembly line with a conveyor-belt assembly line. Production was now eight times faster because the Model T mechanically moved through each station instead of by hand. By 1925, the Ford Company was able to complete a new car every ten seconds. That same year, the price had dropped to $360.00, and  everyone making a decent wage was able to buy a car.

Ford was fair to his factory workers and paid them five dollars a day - almost double the going wage. Newspapers said Ford "had a heart", and he would rather make 20,000 "prosperous and contented" than seven millionaires. He also provided an English School so that his foreign-born employees could learn to read, write, and speak English. This made Henry Ford one of the most respected people in America and, by paying workers fair wages, the standard of living was increased. This, in turn, decreased the incidence of child labor because families had more money to support themselves.

Henry Ford was able to sell his cars for less money than other auto manufacturers by breaking the Selden Patent. George Baldwin Selden, a lawyer, was issued a U.S. patent for the internal combustion engine in 1895, and auto makers had to pay Selden money to make cars with gasoline engines. Henry Ford thought this was unfair, and refused to pay. He was taken to court, but was able to break the patent.

The Model T Ford had several nicknames. Some people called it the Tin Lizzy, and others called it the Flivver. A simple but rugged car, the Model T was built as a roadster, a coupe, and a touring car.

The Roadster

A 1908 Touring Model T

The engine was only twenty horsepower, and the color was always black. Some Model T's were stripped down and made into racecars. These 'hotrods' were called speedsters.

Life was easier and more fun for people with a Model T. People from the cities could visit the countryside and country people could visit the cities. Families were able to go on camping trips, picnics, and visit friends that lived some distance away.

The Model T was not just used for personal transportation. It was also used as a delivery truck for light industry, as an ambulance during World War I, and as farm equipment - by taking off the back wheel, the Model T could be used to turn a saw blade. The Model T was also used as a bus - the first school bus in California was made by Mr. Frank Patchett, a Ford dealer in Newman, California.

First school bus in California

From 1908, when the Model T was first made, until 1927 when production ended, Henry Ford made over 15 million Model T vehicles.

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