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.
Ford’s first production car was the Model A which was powered by a horizontally-opposed twin engine. The transmission, like other automobiles of this era, was a two-speed planetary gear and a single chain. It had a top speed of 25 mph and a base price of $750.
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 pre-1920 Fords on display in museums.
1903 Ford Model A Runabout
This vehicle was on display in the Montana Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana. It had a top speed of 30 miles per hour and sold for $850. According to the display:
“This car is the first factory production model, and it successfully launched Henry Ford and his company into the largest, most successful car company in the world for nearly 25 years. Like most early cars, parts were purchased from a variety of suppliers and assembled in an old warehouse.”
1906 Ford Model N
This vehicle was on display in the LeMay Family Collection in Tacoma, Washington. The Model N was considered less luxurious than the Model K and was built prior to the use of an assembly line. It had a new price of $500. A total of 13,250 were produced.
1908 Ford Model S Runabout
This vehicle was on display in the Montana Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana. This was the last Ford for built with a right hand drive in the United States. It had a top speed of 40 miles per hour and sold for $700. The small seat in the back was sometimes called the mechanic’s seat or, by some, the mother-in-law seat.
1906 Ford Model N Roadster Boat-tail
This vehicle was on display in the LeMay—America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.
1910 Ford Model T Runabout
This vehicle was on display in the Montana Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana. It originally sold for $900.
1911 Ford Model T Torpedo Runabout
This vehicle was on display in the Classic Auto Museum—The Flathead V8 Ford Collection in Bigfork, Montana. This was the sportiest of the Model Ts. With a 4 cylinder, 22 horsepower engine, it had a top speed of about 40 miles per hour.
1913 Ford Model T Touring Car
This vehicle was on display in the Western Antique Aero and Auto Museum in Hood River, Oregon.
1917 Ford Model T Center Door Sedan
This vehicle was on display in the Montana Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana. According to the display:
“Many buyers avoided buying the Center Door model partly because of its high price tag. It was considered too dangerous during an accident due to the plate glass window.”
1918 Ford Model T Touring Car
This vehicle was on display in the Western Antique Aero and Auto Museum in Hood River, Oregon.
Museums 201
This series looks at similar displays from several museums. More automobile photo tours from this series:
Museums 201: The Ford Model T Speedster (photo diary)
Museums 201: Specialty Model T Fords (photo diary)
Museums 201: Cars and trucks of a century ago, 1921 (photo diary)
Museums 201: 1958 Automobiles (Photo Diary)
Museums 201: Pickup Trucks of the 1920s (Photo Diary)
Museums 201: Early Steam and Electric Cars (Photo Diary)
Museums 201: Extinct Cars of the Teens
Museums 201: Luxury Cars of the 1930s