150 years ago today Henry Ford was born in Greenfield Township, Michigan. Son of Irish immigrant William Ford, Henry founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and later developed the assembly line technique of mass production. In short, the automotive industry owes a whole lot to the man that revolutionized transportation with the Ford Model T.
Henry also created a franchise system that allowed dealerships to be opened throughout North America, struggled to offer mass production goods at lower costs, and was the first to double wages to $5 per day, a new standard for the time. We could probably write an entire book about Henry Ford, but that’s not part of our goal today.
Henry Ford’s 150th anniversary was celebrated worldwide last weekend, and we couldn’t pass on the opportunity to remind you of the man that needed just 18 months to reduce the amount of time required to build a Model T from 12 and a half hours to only one and a half hours.
And the Model T wasn’t his only successful project, “Tin Lizzie” was followed in 1927 by the Ford Model A, an automobile that basically helped to the hot rod phenomenon, which most of us still love today, skyrocket.
"I will build a motor car for the great multitude... constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise...so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one-and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces,” Henry Ford was quoted saying more than 100 years ago. And so he did...
Check out the press release attached below for more info on the 150th anniversary of Henry Ford’s birth.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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