3. The Model T was introduced on Oct. 1, 1908. It had a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder
engine, reached a top speed of about 45 miles per hour, got about 13 to 21 miles per
gallon of gasoline and weighed 1,200 pounds. It was the ninth of Henry Ford's
production cars.
More than 15,000,000 Model T's were built and sold. The Model T was the first low-
priced, mass- produced car with standard interchangeable parts. The Model T
popularized the left-side steering column. The engine design, a single block with a
removable cylinder head, became the industry standard.
The first models were produced at a factory on Piquette Avenue in Detroit.
Beginning in 1910, Model T's were built at a new Highland Park (Michigan) plant.
Henry Ford's initiation of mass production of vehicles on the moving assembly line
led to lower car prices and the $5 workday.
The car was introduced with a price tag of $850. The Model T later sold for as little
as $260, without extras, because of production savings Henry Ford passed on to
customers.
Henry Ford called the Model T "the universal car," a low-cost, reliable vehicle that
could be maintained easily and could successfully travel the poor roads of the era.
4. The Model T came in nine body styles, all on the same chassis.
"Lizzie" was one of the most popular of the dozens of nicknames for the Model T.
1909. Ford Model T wins New York to Seattle cross-country race.
1911. Driving a stripped and reworked Model T, Frank Kulick beats Bob Burman's
Blitzen Benz in a one-mile oval speed record run (50 sec. flat) at Detroit Fairgrounds.
1913. Henry Ford tries to enter Kulick and the Model T record car in the
Indianapolis 500. His entry is refused unless 1000 pounds is added to the car. Ford tells
them, "we're building race cars, not trucks" and pulls out.
In 1914, Ford, with 13,000 employees, produced about 300,000 cars while 299
other companies with 66,350 employees produced about 280,000 vehicles
In 1921, the Model T accounted for almost 57 percent of the world's automobile
production.
A modest ceremony on May 26, 1927, marked the formal end of Model T
production. More than 15 Million Model Ts had been sold.
5. On December 18, 1999, the Ford Model T was named "Car of the Century" by a
panel of 133 automotive journalists and experts who began with a list of 700
candidates in 1996 and sequentially narrowed the nominees through seven rounds of
balloting over three years
In 2003 Ford Motor Company produced six all-new Model T-100s, which replicate
the 1914 Model T in true fashion, as part of the company's centennial.
There are no original Model T parts on these cars, but each is interchangeable with
the original, including the hand crank located under the radiator. Top end speed of the
T 100 is about 55 mph, and they get about 18 miles to the gallon in their nine-gallon
tank, about the same as an original 1914 Model T.
7. Model T Runabout with tent attached, ca 1915:
The initial Model T's came equipped with only the barest necessities, but soon they were modified to
facilitate camping enabling enthusiasts more mobility.
8. Farmer with Tractor and Model T: (1917)
Henry Ford always dreamed of building a horseless machine to relieve the hardship off of the farmers.
Henry Ford started Henry Ford and Son, where he built the Fordsontractor.
9. Model TT Truck: In 1917:
Ford announced the start up of a one-ton chassis line. This new chassis would be for the Model TT
truck. The chassis was basically a Model T passenger car chassis, but it had a longer, stronger frame.
10. Model T Police Truck: 1919
Commercial use of the Model T truck was becoming more and more common. Police used the Model
T as a paddy wagon to transport people who had been arrested.
11. Model T Hauling Cows: 1920
The Model T was very popular with farmers because of its versatility and durability. They were
converted to saw wood, power generators, pump water, or in this case haul cows to market.
12. Model T Adapted to Saw Boards: (1922)
Model T's were known for their modification capability and tradesmen used its versatility for a
variety of applications. One of the most popular uses was pulling power off the engine to run
small portable saw mills.
13. Model T converted into a snowmobile: (1922)
Model Ts were easily converted to handle many tasks, but one of the most unique was the snowmobile
conversion kit. Lumber companies in particular appreciated the added traction in the snow.
14. 1924 Model T Truck:
The Model T provided the most robust underpinnings for commercial vehicles and delivered maximum
utility at a value.
15. 1925 Model T Runabout pickup:
In 1925 The Model T Runabout pickup was introduced with the first factory-installed pickup bed.
16. The Model TT (truck): 1921
The Model TT (truck) was first sold in 1908. Although no verified hauling specifications are known,
this one is pictured loaded with 8,000 pounds of hay. It was probably driving well below the Model
Ts top speed of 40 mph.
17. Ford Model T Street Light Maintenance Truck:
1926
Model T's were used in different trades and
were adapted for many special uses.
Truck sales were a large contributor to the
Model T's success.
18. Albert Luce with Ford Model T Steel-Bodied School Bus, 1927:
In 1927, Albert Luce (seen here) put a steel body on a Ford Model T chassis to make the first steel-bodied
school bus. Luce, who once owned a Ford dealership, went on to found the multi-million dollar Blue Bird Body
Company, building steel-bodies busses that significantly outlasted the wood-bodied variety.
