Ford Model T
The durable, affordable Ford that transformed car ownership and mass production in the early twentieth century.
Overview
Ford delivered the first Model T to a customer on 1 October 1908. Conceived as a simple, durable car for a broad market, it combined a high ground clearance and extensive use of strong vanadium steel with mechanical features designed for straightforward operation and maintenance.
Its 177-cubic-inch (2.9-litre) inline-four produced 20 horsepower and drove the rear wheels through a two-speed planetary transmission. The separate cylinder head eased servicing, while thermosiphon cooling circulated water without a pump. Electric starting became available in 1919; earlier cars relied on a starting handle.
The Model T became inseparable from Ford’s development of mass production. The moving assembly line introduced at Highland Park in 1913 reduced chassis assembly time from 12.5 hours to about 1.5 hours. Greater output helped Ford lower the car’s price, bringing ownership within reach of many more households.
Generation
Model T (1908–1927)
Although continuously revised and offered with numerous passenger and commercial bodies, the Model T remained one generation throughout its production life. Contrary to a familiar saying, it was not always available only in black: Ford’s black-only period ran from 1914 to 1925, with other colours offered before and after.
Production ended in May 1927 after more than 15 million Model Ts had been built. Ford then halted production to retool for the Model A, which reached the public later that year.