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Ford Model T

The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927.[16] It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans.[17] The relatively low price was partly the result of Ford's efficient fabrication, including assembly line production instead of individual handcrafting.[18] The savings from mass production allowed the price to decline from $780 in 1910 to $290 in 1924 ($5,156 in 2023 dollars[19]).[20] It was mainly designed by three engineers, Joseph A. Galamb (the main engineer),[21][22] Eugene Farkas, and Childe Harold Wills. The Model T was colloquially known as the "Tin Lizzie".[23]

"T Model" and "Model T" redirect here. For the financial formula, see T-model.

Ford Model T

Ford Motor Company

October 1908 – May 1927

List

Childe Harold Wills, main-engineer Joseph A. Galamb and Eugene Farkas

Economy car[14]

List
    • 2-door touring (1909–1911)
    • 3-door touring (1912–1925)
    • 4-door touring (1926–27)
    • no door roadster (1909–1911)
    • 1-door roadster (1912–1925)
    • 2-door roadster (1926–27)
    • roadster pickup (1925–1927)
    • 2-door coupé (1909–1912, 1917–1927)
    • 2-door Coupelet (1915–1917)
    • Town car (1909–1918)
    • C-cab wagon (1912)
    • 2-(center) door sedan (1915–1923)
    • 2-door sedan (1924–1927)
    • 4-door sedan (1923–1927)
    • Separate chassis were available all years from independent coachbuilders

FMR layout

177 C.I.D. (2.9 L) 20 hp I4

2-speed planetary gear

100.0 in (2,540 mm)

134 in (3,404 mm)

1,676 mm (66.0 in) (1912 roadster)[15]

1,860 mm (73.2 in) (1912 roadster)[15]

1,200–1,650 lb (540–750 kg)

Ford Model N (1906–1908)

Ford Model A (1927–31)

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 Beetle.[24] Ford's Model T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of the United States' age of modernization.[25] With over 15 million sold,[26] it was the most sold car in history before being surpassed by the Volkswagen Beetle in 1972.[27]

Cotton – Cotton woven linings were the original type fitted and specified by Ford. Generally, the cotton lining is "kinder" to the drum surface, with damage to the drum caused only by the retaining rivets scoring the drum surface. Although this in itself did not pose a problem, a dragging band resulting from improper adjustment caused overheating of the transmission and engine, diminished power, and – in the case of cotton linings – rapid destruction of the band lining.

Wood – Wooden linings were originally offered as a "longer life" accessory part during the life of the Model T. They were a single piece of steam-bent wood and metal wire, fitted to the normal Model T transmission band. These bands give a very different feel to the pedals, with much more of a "bite" feel. The sensation is of a definite "grip" of the drum and seemed to noticeably increase the feel, in particular of the brake drum.

[48]

The first Ford assembly plant in La Boca, Buenos Aires, c. 1921

The first Ford assembly plant in La Boca, Buenos Aires, c. 1921

A 1923 Ford T in Canada, photographed in 1948

A 1923 Ford T in Canada, photographed in 1948

Advertising and marketing[edit]

Ford created a massive publicity machine in Detroit to ensure every newspaper carried stories and advertisements about the new product. Ford's network of local dealers made the car ubiquitous in virtually every city in North America. A large part of the success of Ford's Model T stems from the innovative strategy which introduced a large network of sales hubs making it easy to purchase the car.[25] As independent dealers, the franchises grew rich and publicized not just the Ford but the very concept of automobiling; local motor clubs sprang up to help new drivers and to explore the countryside. Ford was always eager to sell to farmers, who looked on the vehicle as a commercial device to help their business. Sales skyrocketed – several years posted around 100 percent gains on the previous year.

24 Hours of Le Mans[edit]

Parisian Ford dealer Charles Montier and his brother-in-law Albert Ouriou entered a heavily modified version of the Model T (the "Montier Special") in the first three 24 Hours of Le Mans.[85][86] They finished 14th in the inaugural 1923 race.[87]

Model T chronology

1909 touring (a very early example with two-pedal, two-lever control)

1909 touring (a very early example with two-pedal, two-lever control)

1909 roadster

1909 roadster

1909 Tourabout (like the touring, but without rear doors)

1909 Tourabout (like the touring, but without rear doors)

1911 touring

1911 touring

1911 Torpedo Runabout

1911 Torpedo Runabout

1911 Open Runabout

1911 Open Runabout

1912 touring

1912 touring

1912 commercial roadster

1912 commercial roadster

1912 Torpedo Runabout

1912 Torpedo Runabout

1912 delivery car

1912 delivery car

1913 Touring

1913 Touring

1913 Runabout

1913 Runabout

1914 touring

1914 touring

1914 Runabout

1914 Runabout

1915 Runabout – curved cowl panel added

1915 Runabout – curved cowl panel added

1916 touring

1916 touring

1917 Runabout – begin curved hood to match cowl panel

1917 Runabout – begin curved hood to match cowl panel

1919 Runabout

1919 Runabout

1920 touring

1920 touring

1921 Ford Model T

1921 Ford Model T

1921 touring

1921 touring

1922 Runabout

1922 Runabout

1922 flatbed truck

1922 flatbed truck

1923 Ford Model T depot hack

1923 Ford Model T depot hack

1923 Runabout (early '23 model)

1923 Runabout (early '23 model)

1924 touring – begin higher hood and slightly shorter cowl panel – late-1923 models were similar

1924 touring – begin higher hood and slightly shorter cowl panel – late-1923 models were similar

1924–1925 Runabout

1924–1925 Runabout

1925 touring – with the balloon tires and split rims, optional extras of the period

1925 touring – with the balloon tires and split rims, optional extras of the period

1925 touring

1925 touring

1926 Runabout – begin higher hood and longer cowl panel

1926 Runabout – begin higher hood and longer cowl panel

1927 Runabout

1927 Runabout

1927 touring – last Ford Model T built at Highland Park Ford Plant

1927 touring – last Ford Model T built at Highland Park Ford Plant

1928 Ford Model A Tudor sedan – shown for comparison, body is wider and has curved doors.

1928 Ford Model A Tudor sedan – shown for comparison, body is wider and has curved doors.

Lakeside Foundry

– a 1925 experimental railcar based on a Model T powertrain

New Zealand RM class (Model T Ford)

the 1930s/40s American light aircraft that developed a similar degree of ubiquity in general aviation circles to the Model T

Piper J-3 Cub

Clymer, Floyd (1955). Henry's wonderful Model T, 1908–1927. New York, NY, U.S.: McGraw-Hill.  55010405.

LCCN

Clymer, Floyd (1950). Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925. New York, NY, U.S.: McGraw-Hill.  50010680.

LCCN

Dutton, William S. (1942). . Charles Scribner's Sons. LCCN 42011897.

Du Pont: One Hundred and Forty Years

; Crowther, Samuel (1922), My Life and Work, Garden City, New York, USA: Garden City Publishing Company, Inc. Various republications, including ISBN 9781406500189. Original is public domain in U.S. Also available at Google Books.

Ford, Henry

(1985). Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886–1930. London, UK: Grange-Universal.

Georgano, G. N.

(1984), From the American System to Mass Production, 1800–1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States, Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 978-0-8018-2975-8, LCCN 83016269, OCLC 1104810110

Hounshell, David A.

Kimes, Beverly Rae; Clark, Henry Austin Jr. (1989). (2nd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 9780873411110.

Standard Catalog of America Cars: 1805–1942

Lacey, Robert (1986). Ford: The Men and the Machine. Boston, MA, U.S.: Little, Brown.  978-0-316-51166-7.

ISBN

Leffingwell, Randy (2002) [1998]. Ford Tractors. Borders.  0-681-87878-9.

ISBN

Lewis, David (1976). The Public Image of Henry Ford: An American Folk Hero and His Company. Detroit, MI, U.S.: Wayne State University Press.  978-0-8143-1553-8.

ISBN

Manly, Harold P. (1919). . Chicago, IL, US: Frederick J. Drake & Co.

The Ford Motor Car and Truck; Fordson Tractor: Their Construction, Care and Operation

McCalley, Bruce W. (1994). Model T Ford: The Car That Changed the World. Iola, WI, U.S.: . ISBN 0-87341-293-1.

Krause Publications

Pripps, Robert N.; Morland, Andrew (photographer) (1993). Farmall Tractors: History of International McCormick-Deering Farmall Tractors. Farm Tractor Color History Series. Osceola, WI, U.S.: MBI.  978-0-87938-763-1.

ISBN

Reynolds, David (2009). America, Empire of Liberty: A New History of the United States. Basic Books.  978-1-84614-056-3.

ISBN

Ross, Irwin (November 1974). . Gas Engine Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2016.

"Ford's Fabulous Flivver"

(1972) [1962]. Early Cars. Octopus Books. ISBN 0-7064-0058-5.

Sedgwick, Michael

Ward, Ian, ed. (1974). The World of Automobiles. Vol. 13. London, UK: Orbis.

Wik, Reynold M. (1972). . Ann Arbor, MI, U.S.: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-97200-5.

Henry Ford and grass-roots America

FordModelT.net – Resource for Model T Owners and Enthusiasts

Model T Ford Club of America (USA)

Model T Ford Club International

at the Internet Movie Cars Database

Ford Model T

and second web pages of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's vintage vehicle collection, featuring five Model T-based vehicles

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