Vintage auto: Ford's success brought Americans the affordable automobile
Two dominating people etched an idea in the mind of Henry Ford, who was born in 1863.
The idea was to create a mass-produced automobile which was an affordable mode of personal transport for Americans. The dominating influences were Nickolaus Otto and Thomas Edison.
Otto was engaged in engine development during 1864 when the American Civil War was taking place. The Otto engine was displayed at the 1867 Paris, France, Exposition.
Otto tinkered with a four-cycle engine in the 1870s. In 1885, he successfully ran his engine on liquid fuel. Ford was enthralled by the potential of the engine. Ford was also encouraged by Thomas Edison for whom he worked for a while at the Edison Illuminating Co. of Detroit.
Ford set out to specialize in a field where Edison was not involved, the automotive industry. America was not ready for mass transport on rudimentary, non-paved roads. In 1870, asphalt paved some city streets in Newark, N.J. In 1873, Charleston, W.Va., had the first brick-surfaced street.
The bicycle craze gripped the nation and led to demand for better roadways. The first use of concrete for roads was in Bellefontaine, Ohio, during 1892.
Ford's engine was based principally on the Otto design. Ford believed that a practical automobile would force road improvement. Ford developed a two-cylinder vehicle in his shed called a Quadricycle. He drove the vehicle in Detroit during 1896 which Charles King had done three months earlier in a four-cylinder car.
Ford developed the Model T Ford car in 1908 for public sale, which followed a series of Fords that began with the 1896 Quadricycle.
After the Model T arrived, Ford sales quickly moved ahead. The car was simple, durable and affordable, being a good match for a country just becoming motorized.
Millions of Model T cars were sold with the basic design remaining the same. By 1927, the Model T was outdated. The car was selling for $825 to $1,000, a fairly low price.
The Model T was replaced by the Model A, introduced in late 1927 as a 1928 model. The Model A eliminated some Model T features in favor of comfort and convenience. The Model A looked modern and the public responded by buying more than four million cars.
Ford produced more cars than other companies due to his creation of the moving assembly line which created mass production.
For years the Model A has been an excellent choice for people who are new to collector cars.
Source : www.herald-dispatch.com (2/5/2009)
Two dominating people etched an idea in the mind of Henry Ford, who was born in 1863.
The idea was to create a mass-produced automobile which was an affordable mode of personal transport for Americans. The dominating influences were Nickolaus Otto and Thomas Edison.
Otto was engaged in engine development during 1864 when the American Civil War was taking place. The Otto engine was displayed at the 1867 Paris, France, Exposition.
Otto tinkered with a four-cycle engine in the 1870s. In 1885, he successfully ran his engine on liquid fuel. Ford was enthralled by the potential of the engine. Ford was also encouraged by Thomas Edison for whom he worked for a while at the Edison Illuminating Co. of Detroit.
Ford set out to specialize in a field where Edison was not involved, the automotive industry. America was not ready for mass transport on rudimentary, non-paved roads. In 1870, asphalt paved some city streets in Newark, N.J. In 1873, Charleston, W.Va., had the first brick-surfaced street.
The bicycle craze gripped the nation and led to demand for better roadways. The first use of concrete for roads was in Bellefontaine, Ohio, during 1892.
Ford's engine was based principally on the Otto design. Ford believed that a practical automobile would force road improvement. Ford developed a two-cylinder vehicle in his shed called a Quadricycle. He drove the vehicle in Detroit during 1896 which Charles King had done three months earlier in a four-cylinder car.
Ford developed the Model T Ford car in 1908 for public sale, which followed a series of Fords that began with the 1896 Quadricycle.
After the Model T arrived, Ford sales quickly moved ahead. The car was simple, durable and affordable, being a good match for a country just becoming motorized.
Millions of Model T cars were sold with the basic design remaining the same. By 1927, the Model T was outdated. The car was selling for $825 to $1,000, a fairly low price.
The Model T was replaced by the Model A, introduced in late 1927 as a 1928 model. The Model A eliminated some Model T features in favor of comfort and convenience. The Model A looked modern and the public responded by buying more than four million cars.
Ford produced more cars than other companies due to his creation of the moving assembly line which created mass production.
For years the Model A has been an excellent choice for people who are new to collector cars.
Source : www.herald-dispatch.com (2/5/2009)
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