05 Aug 08
Ford is celebrating 100 years since its first Model T left its factory at Piquette Avenue, Detroit. To mark the occasion, the largest ever gathering of Model Ts took place in Richmond, Indiana and there are centennial events include special 'T parties' taking place this summer all around the world. We salute the revolutionary car that put the world on wheels.
The Model T wasn't Henry Ford's first car: the simple, stripped-down Model A (1903) in many ways established the blueprint from which the T was developed. It was relatively cheap to buy (from $750), easy to maintain and user-friendly to operate. Subsequent models such as the B (1904), F (1905) and K (1906) were more luxurious, yet Ford did not get diverted into building highly expensive limousines or rarefied sporting vehicles for the super-wealthy.
The poor sales of the six-cylinder, $2,500 Model K only served to prove to Henry Ford that he should concentrate on mainstream, workaday vehicles. The basic-trim N (1906) put the firm back on track - and also previewed a new inline engine layout, later to be used in the T.
But the T was more than just an updated version of its predecessors. It was the first car built using a new method: the assembly line.
