Henry Ford completed the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile in 1896.
Ford Motor Company was founded at Detroit on June 16, 1903, with Henry Ford appointing himself chief engineer.
The Ford Motor Company sold its first car on July 15, 1903 to a Chicago dentist named Pfennig. An $850 two-cylinder Model A automobile with a tonneau (or backseat), the car was delivered to Dr. Pfenning just over a week later.
A Miss Rosetta Couzens bought one share in the Ford company in its very early days for $100. That investment bought her a profit of $355,000.
The first production of the Ford Model T automobile was built at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan on September 27, 1908. It had the steering wheel on the left, which every other company soon copied. The entire engine and transmission were enclosed; the four cylinders were cast in a solid block; the suspension used two semi-elliptic springs.
The Model T was very simple to drive, and easy and cheap to repair. It was so cheap at $825 in 1908 ($21,650 today) (the price fell every year) that by the 1920s, a majority of American drivers had learned to drive on the Model T. Because of increasing production efficiency the price bottomed out at $260- the equivalent of around $3600 today.
Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines, which first operated on December 1, 1913; by 1914 these methods were known around the world as Fordism.
Ford Motor Company was founded at Detroit on June 16, 1903, with Henry Ford appointing himself chief engineer.
A Miss Rosetta Couzens bought one share in the Ford company in its very early days for $100. That investment bought her a profit of $355,000.
The first production of the Ford Model T automobile was built at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan on September 27, 1908. It had the steering wheel on the left, which every other company soon copied. The entire engine and transmission were enclosed; the four cylinders were cast in a solid block; the suspension used two semi-elliptic springs.
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| Piquette Avenue Plant as it appeared during its occupancy by Ford with a Model N in the foreground |
The Model T was very simple to drive, and easy and cheap to repair. It was so cheap at $825 in 1908 ($21,650 today) (the price fell every year) that by the 1920s, a majority of American drivers had learned to drive on the Model T. Because of increasing production efficiency the price bottomed out at $260- the equivalent of around $3600 today.
Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines, which first operated on December 1, 1913; by 1914 these methods were known around the world as Fordism.
Ford Motor Company proudly announced on January 5, 1914 that it would pay a "living wage" of at least US$5 for a day's labor. The move made national news as it constituted double the industry norm—and double the pay of most of Ford’s own employees.
When Henry Ford raised the pay of his auto workers to $5 per day, he didn't do it for altruistic reasons. His factory had one of the highest turnover rates (due to danger of the assembly line and tedium of the work). After the raises, it dropped to the lowest.
In 1914, the production line for Model T Ford cars took only 93 minutes to assemble a car.
Henry Ford allowed injured laborers to continue work from their hospital beds, screwing nuts on small bolts without getting out of bed. It was optional, but allowed employees to receive their normal salary while hospitalized. Ford believed the work to hasten their recovery.
In the early 1920s half the cars in the world were Model T's.
The Model T was initially offered in several colors, including green, bright red, dark blue, brown, maroon and gray as well as black. The shift to all black was required to speed up production, especially once the moving assembly line ramped up production in 1913.
Black was the only color the Model T came in from 1914 through 1925, because the black paint available at the time was the fastest to dry.
"Any color you like as long as it is black" is one of the most famous quotes attributed to Henry Ford - his retort to customers asking about color choices for the Model T. We do not know whether Ford actually spoke those words. Whether he said it or not, in 1925 he recanted and offered a choice of colors.
On September 25, 1926, the Ford Motor Company instituted a five-day, 40-hour work week for its automotive factory employees. They were one of the first companies in America to adopt this. The policy was extended to Ford’s office workers the following August.
Henry Ford had a "Sociological Department" that would show up at employees' homes unannounced to make sure it was clean and the kids were going to school.
The last Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line on May 31, 1927 after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.
The Ford Model A was introduced on December 2, 1927, and it was a major success for Ford Motor Company. It replaced the Model T, which had been in production for 18 years. The Model A was a more modern car than the Model T, and it had a number of features that made it more appealing to consumers. These features included a four-cylinder engine, a standard set of driver controls, and a variety of body styles. It was also the first car with safety glass in the windshield. The Model A was also more expensive than the Model T, but it was still affordable for many Americans. Ford sold nearly 5 million Model A cars during its four-year production run
When Henry Ford raised the pay of his auto workers to $5 per day, he didn't do it for altruistic reasons. His factory had one of the highest turnover rates (due to danger of the assembly line and tedium of the work). After the raises, it dropped to the lowest.
In 1914, the production line for Model T Ford cars took only 93 minutes to assemble a car.
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| Ford assembly line, 1913. The magneto assembly line was the first |
Henry Ford allowed injured laborers to continue work from their hospital beds, screwing nuts on small bolts without getting out of bed. It was optional, but allowed employees to receive their normal salary while hospitalized. Ford believed the work to hasten their recovery.
In the early 1920s half the cars in the world were Model T's.
The Model T was initially offered in several colors, including green, bright red, dark blue, brown, maroon and gray as well as black. The shift to all black was required to speed up production, especially once the moving assembly line ramped up production in 1913.
Black was the only color the Model T came in from 1914 through 1925, because the black paint available at the time was the fastest to dry.
"Any color you like as long as it is black" is one of the most famous quotes attributed to Henry Ford - his retort to customers asking about color choices for the Model T. We do not know whether Ford actually spoke those words. Whether he said it or not, in 1925 he recanted and offered a choice of colors.
On September 25, 1926, the Ford Motor Company instituted a five-day, 40-hour work week for its automotive factory employees. They were one of the first companies in America to adopt this. The policy was extended to Ford’s office workers the following August.
Henry Ford had a "Sociological Department" that would show up at employees' homes unannounced to make sure it was clean and the kids were going to school.
The last Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line on May 31, 1927 after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles.
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| 1925 Ford "New Model" T Tudor Sedan |
The Ford Model A was introduced on December 2, 1927, and it was a major success for Ford Motor Company. It replaced the Model T, which had been in production for 18 years. The Model A was a more modern car than the Model T, and it had a number of features that made it more appealing to consumers. These features included a four-cylinder engine, a standard set of driver controls, and a variety of body styles. It was also the first car with safety glass in the windshield. The Model A was also more expensive than the Model T, but it was still affordable for many Americans. Ford sold nearly 5 million Model A cars during its four-year production run
The Ford River Rouge Complex is a 1,100-acre automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan, along the Rouge River. Construction began in 1917, and when it was completed in 1928 it had become the largest integrated factory in the world.
Henry Ford once tried to start a colony in the middle of the Brazilian rain forest called "Fordlandia." It was established as a prefabricated industrial town intended to be inhabited by 10,000 people to secure a source of cultivated rubber for the automobile manufacturing operations of the Ford Motor Company. The locals were forced to live a midwestern American lifestyle until they rebelled and chased their managers into the forest. Ford's project failed, and the colony was abandoned in 1934.
The 25,000,000th Ford car rolled off the assembly line on January 18, 1937. Henry Ford observed this significant milestone and was chauffeured in the vehicle by his son, Mr. Edsel Ford, to the company's exhibition building. There the car was proudly displayed alongside other historic models.
The Ford Popular, Britain's first £100 car was introduced in 1939.
Henry Ford once tried to start a colony in the middle of the Brazilian rain forest called "Fordlandia." It was established as a prefabricated industrial town intended to be inhabited by 10,000 people to secure a source of cultivated rubber for the automobile manufacturing operations of the Ford Motor Company. The locals were forced to live a midwestern American lifestyle until they rebelled and chased their managers into the forest. Ford's project failed, and the colony was abandoned in 1934.
The 25,000,000th Ford car rolled off the assembly line on January 18, 1937. Henry Ford observed this significant milestone and was chauffeured in the vehicle by his son, Mr. Edsel Ford, to the company's exhibition building. There the car was proudly displayed alongside other historic models.
The Ford Popular, Britain's first £100 car was introduced in 1939.
In the period from 1937 to 1941, Ford was the only major car manufacturer in the Detroit area that had not recognized any labor union as the collective bargaining representative of employees. At hearings before the National Labor Relations Board Henry Ford was found guilty of repeated violations of the National Labor Relations Act. The findings against him were upheld on appeal to the federal courts.
The Old Ford Motor Factory, built at 351 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, in 1941, was Ford's first assembly plant in Southeast Asia. On February 15, 1942 was the site of the historic surrender of the British to the Japanese in World War II, later described by Winston Churchill as the "largest capitulation in British history."
During World War II, the Ford Motor Company was losing so much money that the Roosevelt Administration considered a government takeover of the company in order to ensure continued war production.
Henry Ford patented a plastic automobile on January 13, 1942. It was 30% lighter than a regular car.
Henry Ford patented a plastic automobile on January 13, 1942. It was 30% lighter than a regular car.
During World War II, Ford Motor Company produced a B-24 bomber every 63 minutes.
The Ford Thunderbird began life in February 1953 in direct response to Chevrolet's new sports car, the Corvette. Production of the Thunderbird began the following year with the car beginning sales as a 1955 model on October 22, 1954.
The Ford company went public in 1956 but the Ford family, through special Class B shares, still retain 40 percent voting rights
After turning down 18,000 names, the Ford Motor Company decided to name their new car the "Edsel," in 1956 after Henry Ford's only son.
The Ford Motor Company produced its 50 millionth automobile on March 16, 1958, averaging almost a million cars a year since the company's founding. The 50 millionth was the popular 1958 model of the Ford Thunderbird.
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| 1958 Ford Thunderbird |
With the Edsel, The Ford Motor Company had expected to make significant inroads into the market share of both General Motors and Chrysler. However, the Edsel never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. On November 19, 1969 Ford announced the discontinuation of the unpopular Edsel.
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| A 1958 Edsel Corsair, registered in Bottrop, Germany photo by Michael Kistinger |
Ford almost bought Ferrari in the early 60's, but Enzo Ferrari killed the deal when he learned he wouldn't oversee the racing division anymore. Henry Ford II was so annoyed that he directed his engineers to build a car that would beat Ferrari at Le Mans, which it did from 1966–1969.
Robert McNamara was named president of Ford Motor Co on November 9, 1960, the first non-Ford to serve in that post. A month later, he resigned to join the administration of newly elected John F. Kennedy.
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| Robert McNamara |
The first Ford Mustang rolled off the show room floor on April 15, 1964. Two days later it was introduced to the public at the New York World's Fair.
When a Mustang appeared in the James Bond film Goldfinger in September 1964, it was the first time the car had been used in a movie.
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| 1965 Ford Mustang photographed in Alexandria, Virginia, USA |
The 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A.
When Ford introduced the Mustang in 1964, they were expecting to sell about 100,000 a year. Instead, they celebrated the production of its one millionth Mustang, a white convertible, on March 2, 1966.
The very last Ford Thunderbird ever made emerged from a Ford factory in Wixom, Michigan on July 1, 1970.
In 1971 Ford launched a ‘Pinto’ range. The car struggled to sell in Brazil as the word is slang for male genitals.
In 1978, three Indiana teenagers were killed in when their Pinto was involved in a rear-end collision. Ford was indicted on three counts of reckless homicide. Indiana v. Ford was the first time a corporation faced criminal charges for a defective product and charged with murder.
Both David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser in the cop show;Starsky & Hutch (1975-79) drove Fords. Hutch had a Galaxie 500 – but it was Starsky’s ‘Striped Tomato’ that had its own fanbase. It was so popular that it played a key role in the 2004 movie.
The Ford Model T was named the most influential car of the 20th century in the 1999 Car of the Century competition, ahead of the BMC Mini, Citroën DS, and Volkswagen Type 1.
The Ford GT broke the crushing machine used in the “roof crush” safety test because it’s so strong.
Sources Encarta Encyclopedia, Wikipedia
Sources Encarta Encyclopedia, Wikipedia
"The last Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line on May 31, 1927 after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles."
ReplyDeleteFord continued to build engines for the Model T up to August 1941.