Ford Model T 1914

The first Ford Model T rolled off the production line in September 1908 at the Piquette plant in Detroit. It was ‘Tin Lizzie’, as Americans called it, that put America on wheels. The Model T is considered the first assembly-line car affordable to the middle class. Initially it cost $825–850, with prices later falling, while the average worker earned $100 a month. It was offered as a Touring, roadster, coupé and town car, as well as in various commercial versions.

In size, it could be classed as a mid-sized car, and in space, equipment and comfort it was hardly inferior to other cars of its era. It had a 2.9-litre (2,893 cc) four-cylinder engine producing 24 horsepower at 1,800 rpm and a two-speed planetary transmission operated by pedals. Model T assembly was subsequently established in Australia, Britain, Germany, France and other countries. Production ended in 1927, with a total of 15,175,868 cars built.

In 1914, Ford produced 308,162 Model Ts, more than all other carmakers combined. That year, to reduce production costs, Henry Ford decided to paint all his cars black, as that paint dried faster than the other colours. Blue, grey, red and green had been available from 1908 to 1913; from 1914 to 1925 the Model T was offered only in black.