Ford put America on wheels

Ford Motor Company has a special cake this year, with 100 candles. A century ago, the most successful model of the company and maybe the most important car in history, the Model T, known as "the car that put America on wheels", was launched into production.

Ford announced they are planning a series of events to celebrate this success and its heritage, starting with the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance this weekend, featuring a special contest class destined for the famous model. Next on the list will be the "T party 2008" in Richmond, Indiana, in July (21-26), an event sponsored by Ford Motor Company where the manufacturer hopes to have in the same room over 1000 cars, making this the largest gathering of Model T's in history (except from when they left the factory). The week-long event is set to enjoy the company of over ten thousand fans from all over the world, if we take into consideration the fact that over 700 cars have already registered, including models from England, Norway, Australia and New Zealand

The Model T was the first low-priced, mass-produced car with interchangeable parts and its fabrication process marked the introduction of the moving assembly line which revolutionized automotive manufacturing in 1913. Since its launch in 1908 and until it went out of production in 1927, it's been sold in over 15 million units, becoming what Henry Ford later called "the universal car" .

On December 18, 1999, a jury of automotive journalists and experts voted the Model T after a painstaking three year, seven round process, naming it " Car of the Century".