Ninety Years Later, the Ford 'T' Still a Model of Innovation
23 October 1998
Ninety Years Later, the Ford 'T' Still a Model of Innovation
DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 23 -- Edsel B. Ford II today led a
celebration of the 90th anniversary of perhaps the most significant automobile
of the 20th century -- the Ford Model T.
After a "T" Party luncheon and ice cream social, Edsel Ford led Model T
owners in a parade of Tin Lizzies at Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village.
"We are proud to pay tribute to this remarkable automobile," said Ford, who is
chairman of Ford Motor Company's Centennial Committee. "The Model T not only
transformed the world, but it also symbolizes the value, innovation and
customer focus that drive Ford Motor Company today."
Ford Motor Company is celebrating its centennial in 2003.
Edsel Ford pointed out that his great-grandfather, Henry Ford, wanted the
Model T to be affordable, simple to operate and durable. In developing and
mass-producing the Model T, Henry Ford aimed to manufacture "the universal
car." By all accounts, he succeeded. More than 15 million Model T's were
sold from the time the first car was shipped on Oct. 1, 1908, until the Model
T chugged into history in the summer of 1927.
By that time, the Model T was beloved around the world, and it had become
the symbol of low-cost, reliable transportation. Ford Motor Company had
created a vast and permanent market for automobiles and had nurtured the
growth of a global industry. At the end of 1913, Ford was producing nearly
half of the automobiles sold in the United States. By the early 1920s, more
than half of the registered automobiles in the world were Fords.
Many of the innovations associated with the Model T changed automotive
manufacturing forever. The moving assembly line, which Henry Ford launched at
his Highland Park factory in 1913, revolutionized all of industry, not just
auto manufacturing. The efficiencies prompted the automaker to pass the
savings along to his customers.
Among the innovations popularized by the Model T was placement of the
steering wheel on the left side, permitting passengers easy access to and from
the cars. The Model T was the first to have its engine block and crankcase
cast as a single unit, the first to have a removable cylinder head for easy
access, and the first to make such extensive use of the lightweight but strong
alloy known as vanadium steel, manufactured for Ford Motor Company. The Model
T's agile "planetary" transmission made shifting gears easy even for novices.
Innovations and improvements such as these, combined with the value that Henry
Ford built into the Model T, made it perfect for a world poised to move to a
more urban way of life.
"What we're celebrating is not so much a specific date as an era, not so
much a car as a concept -- the concept of personal mobility for the common
man," Edsel Ford said. "It's not only that my great-grandfather had the
vision, but that he held to his vision. He held to his vision during Ford
Motor Company's first five years when he went through an alphabet soup of
models to get to what he was after with the T. For the next 19 years, he held
to his vision of a high-quality and low-cost car, continuously improving the
product and the process."
Henry Ford himself tested the Model T in September of 1908 on a hunting
trip to Wisconsin and northern Michigan with two members of his Model T
development team. After its introduction, the Model T became famous for the
stunts that it could perform, such as climbing the stairs to the Tennessee
State Capitol and reaching the top of Pikes Peak.
Popular belief holds that all Model T's were black. Henry Ford did indeed
say, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as
it is black." That policy was in effect from 1914 through 1925 and was
imposed for uniformity and for the efficiency of the new assembly line.
However, the 1909 Model T Touring Car came in a vivid red described as
"Carmine." Green and gray were other 1909 Model T colors. After that model
year, green and blue, often in hues so dark that they looked like black,
predominated until the black-only policy began. Competitive pressures
prompted a variety of colors for the 1926 and 1927 models.
The Model T was said to be "homely as a burro and useful as a pair of
shoes." Although the term "flivver" (a "small" or "cheap" automobile) became
interchangeable with "Model T," the word was used with affection. The Model T
had many nicknames and was the subject of songs and jokes because of its
relatively small size, affordable price and simplicity. The early Model T
came with a tool kit, packed the gas tank under the front passenger seat,
provided a windshield as an option at first (it later became standard), and
had to be cranked to get it going. But owning a Model T was an adventure, and
the car was enchanting.
Even if the humor rubbed the wrong way, one joke book wrote, Model T
owners could always pat their pocketbooks and ride serenely on their way,
confident of their good judgment.
"One of the lines from my great-grandfather's era put it very well," Ford
said. "'There's no use trying to pass a Ford, because there's always another
one just ahead.'"
Biography: Edsel B. Ford II
Edsel B. Ford II is a member of the Ford Motor Company Board of Directors
and its finance committee, and is an active consultant to the company that
bears his family name.
Often called Ford's "ambassador-at-large," Edsel Ford participates in a
wide range of company efforts largely focused on four key areas -- dealer
relations, customer advocacy, motor sports, and corporate history.
Mr. Ford assumed his consultant role in May of 1998, when he officially
retired as president and chief operating officer of Ford Motor Credit Company.
During a Ford career that spanned nearly 25 years, Mr. Ford held numerous
management positions. He joined the company in 1974 as a product planning
analyst, followed by assignments as general manager of Ford Australia, then
sales and marketing management positions at Ford and Lincoln Mercury
Divisions. He also served as executive director of Ford's Marketing staff.
Mr. Ford was named president and chief operating officer of Ford Motor
Credit Company in May of 1991, and was elected a company vice president in
December of 1993.
During seven years at Ford Credit, he directed global financial and
insurance operations. Ford Credit is the world's largest automotive finance
company with receivables exceeding $133 billion.
Some of his current assignments include Ford liaison to the National
Automobile Dealers Association; chairman of Ford Motor Credit Company's
Customer Advocacy Committee; the company's executive sponsor for Tuskegee
University; and participation in the company's Corporate Citizenship Advisory
Board and the Ford Motor Company Fund.
On the historical side, Edsel Ford is chairman of the company's Centennial
Committee which is planning a year-long celebration in 2003.
Mr. Ford recently was named, by Mayor Dennis Archer, Chairman of Detroit
300, a diverse coalition of leaders and civic activists who will plan, execute
and coordinate events surrounding Detroit's Tri-centennial celebration in
2001.
And Edsel Ford is involved in other ongoing historic activities, including
his role as chairman of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, and the Henry Ford
Estate Advisory Board.
Mr. Ford participates in numerous boards, including board director of
Penske Motorsports, Inc.; the Wayne County Airport Commission; and the Henry
Ford Health System. Other leadership positions include serving as board
chairman of CATCH (Caring Athletes Team for Children's and Henry Ford
Hospital), and vice chairman of the National Advisory Board of the Salvation
Army.
In 1996, Ford received the Friend of the Year Award from the Friends of
Detroit Public Library, an honor bestowed only three times in the library's
50-year history. He and his wife, Cynthia, have been named Outstanding
Philanthropists by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, Detroit
Chapter.
Edsel Ford was born on Dec. 27, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan. He received
his bachelor's degree in business administration from Babson College in 1973,
and completed the Program for Management Development at the Harvard School of
Business in 1983.
He is the great-grandson of Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company.
His grandfather and namesake, Edsel B. Ford, was company president from 1919
to 1943. His father, the late Henry Ford II, was president of the company
from 1945 to 1960, and chairman from 1960 to 1980.
Mr. Ford is married to the former Cynthia Layne Neskow, and they have four
sons. The Fords make their home in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.