One of the oldest and best-known American automobile manufacturers is Ford, which was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford who had a dream of producing the “universal car,” a car which could be owned by everyone. In 1908, Ford introduced the Model T, which would become one of America’s first mass-produced cars. Originally, the Model T had a retail price of $850, but with mass-production and popular demand, the price had fallen to $290 in 1924. By 1914 the Ford factory could produce a Model T in just 93 minutes. In 1923, the company produced more than 2 million Model Ts.
The Model T had fairly simple controls. First of all, the throttle was a lever on the steering wheel. There were three pedals on the floor. Pushing in the left pedal engaged low gear and, if the shift level was fully forward, taking the foot off this pedal put the car into high gear. Putting the shift level into the neutral position and pushing in the middle pedal engaged reverse. The pedal on the right operated a transmission brake (there were no separate breaks for the wheels).
The Model T was soon known as the Tin Lizzie and functioned as the family workhorse. Ford also offered the do-in-yourself folks accessories such as mufflers and fenders. For those who felt that the Model T was a bit sluggish, one popular remedy was to drop a few camphor balls into the gas tank.
From 1908 to 1913, the Model T was available in grey, green, blue, and red (notice that black was not an option). While green was available on touring cars, town cars, coupes, and Landaulets, red was available only on touring cars, and grey only on town cars. In 1914 Ford adopted a black-only policy because black paint was cheaper and more durable.
Shown below are some of the Ford Model Ts which are on display in the Western Antique Aero and Auto Museum in Hood River, Oregon.
1913 Ford Model T Touring Car
1914 Ford Model T Depot Hack
1917 Ford Model T Army Ambulance
1918 Ford Model T Touring Car
1919 Ford Model T Speedster
Ford Model T Speedster
1922 Ford Model T Speedster
1923 Ford Model T Coupe
This vehicle is in unrestored original condition.
1923 Ford Model T 3-Door Touring Car
1925 Ford Model T Roadster Runabout
1926 Ford Model T Coupe
1926 Ford Model T Touring Car
1926 Ford Model T Snow Conversion
1927 Ford Model T Speedster
1927 Ford Model T Coupe
1927 Ford Model T Sport Roadster
More Fords
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