For the first time car ownership became a
reality for average American workers, not just the wealthy. More than 15 million
Model Ts were built in Detroit and Highland Park, Michigan, and the automobile
was also assembled at a Ford plant in Manchester, England, and at plants in
continental Europe.
The Model T was an automobile built by the Ford Motor Company
from 1908 until 1927.
Conceived by Henry
Ford as practical, affordable
transportation for the common man, it quickly became prized for its low cost,
durability, versatility, and ease of maintenance. Assembly-line production
allowed the price of the touring car version to be lowered from $850 in 1908 to
less than $300 in 1925.
At such prices the Model T at times comprised
as much as 40 percent of all cars sold in the United States. Even before it lost
favour to larger, more powerful, and more luxurious cars, the Model T, known
popularly as the “Tin Lizzie” or the “flivver,” had become an American folkloric
symbol, essentially realizing Ford’s goal to “democratize the
automobile.”
The Model T was offered in several body
styles, including a five-seat touring car, a two-seat runabout, and a seven-seat
town car. All bodies were mounted on a uniform 100-inch-wheelbase chassis. A
choice of colors was originally available, but from 1913 to 1925 the car was
mass-produced in only one color—black. The engine was simple and efficient, with
all four cylinders cast in a single block and the cylinder head detachable for
easy access and repair.
The engine generated 20 horsepower and
propelled the car to modest top speeds of 40–45 miles per hour (65–70 km/h). In
most models the engine was started by a hand crank, which activated a magneto
connected to the flywheel, but after 1920 some models were equipped with
battery-powered starters. The transmission, consisting of two forward gears and
one reverse, was of the planetary type, controlled by foot pedals rather than
the more common hand lever used in sliding-gear transmissions.
Spark and throttle were controlled by a hand
lever on the steering column. The 10-gallon fuel tank was located under the
front seat. Because gasoline was fed to the engine only by gravity, and also
because the reverse gear offered more power than the forward gears, the Model T
frequently had to be driven up a steep hill backward.
Such deficiencies, along with its homely appearance, less-than-comfortable ride at top speeds, and incessant rattling, made the Model T the butt of much affectionate humour in innumerable jokes, songs, poems, and stories.
Such deficiencies, along with its homely appearance, less-than-comfortable ride at top speeds, and incessant rattling, made the Model T the butt of much affectionate humour in innumerable jokes, songs, poems, and stories.
Picture Credit Ford: Muscle
Car Club
Cars have come a long way since then.
Luxurious, more expensive and still status symbols.
