How The Ford Motor Company Came To Be
The Ford Motor Company is as American as apple pie. It all began when Henry Ford had an idea and factory in 1903. At the time, he was 40 years old and only had 12 people working with him. Since then, Ford has become a major force not just in the automotive industry, but in the world economy.
Ford was been behind world-changing factory automation, and of course, they gave us the Mustang. Keep reading to find out how Ford became the company that it is today.
The First Care Was Called A "Perfect Machine"
This is a photo of Henry Ford's first car. He built this vehicle in 1896 while he was living in Dearborn, Michigan. This car was a gasoline-powered buggy that had an 8 HP engine. Ford called the vehicle a Model A, and it was billed as “the most perfect machine on the market, which even a 15-year-old boy is able to drive”.
Ford created several versions of this car and named the models with the letters A through S. The process of creating the perfect car to sell to the public involved a lot of trial and error.
The Famous Ford Assembly Line
Ford's Assembly line was actually inspired by a visit to the slaughterhouse. It was 1913 and Ford was spending some time watching butchers work. he noted the way the meat was passed from one worker to another. On October 7, 1913, Ford Motor Co.'s Highland Park plant in Michigan officially launched the first moving assembly line in the world.
The photo above shows how the bodies of the vehicles were drawn down a wooden ramp and then lowered onto the chassis. Ford was the first business to mass-produce vehicles.
The Model T
Ford's Model-T engines became some of the most popular cars in the world. In this photo, you can see Ford employees building one of their famous Model-T cars in 1914. Ford launched the Model T (also known as the Tin Lizzie) in 1908. The Model T initially sold for $850.
After producing more than 15 million Model Ts, Ford halted production on the model in 1927. Over ten thousand Model-Ts were sold to consumers during the car's run.
The Peanuts Ford Commercial
Henry Ford enlisted the help of Charles M. Schulz Peanuts characters to help him sell his cars. In reality, being associated with Ford's cars may have actually done more for the Peanuts than the Peanuts did for Ford.
When the commercial aired in 1963, the Peanuts's popularity got a bit of a boost. That same year, a tiny special called A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on TV. It was a big deal for both entities.
The Perfect Getaway Car
Clyde (of Bonnie and Clyde fame) actually used a Ford car as his personal getaway car. he liked the car so much that he wrote a letter to Ford to express his gratitude.
In the letter he wrote, "While I still have got breath in my lungs I will tell you what a dandy car you make. I have drove Fords exclusively when I could get away with one. For sustained speed and freedom from trouble the Ford has got every other car skinned, and even if my business hasen’t been strickly legal it don’t hurt anything to tell you what a fine car you got in the V8."
Paying His Workers Well
Ford treated his employees very well. He knew that happy employees were the key to running a good company. He made history when he implemented a shorter workday in his factories and self-imposed a minimum wage of $5 per day (which was double the then-current market salary).
Before Ford came around, employers were paying their workers $2.34 for nine hours. While Ford only had 3,000 jobs available at its plant in Highland Park, 15,000 job seekers applied for the in-demand positions.
Thomas Edison's Final Breath
Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were actually quite close. Before starting his own company, Ford actually worked for Edison at the Edison Illuminating Co. in Detroit as a chief engineer. Edison mentored Ford and passed along his fast technical and business knowledge.
When Edison died in 1931, his son, Charles, was by his bedside. Apparent;y, Ford asked Charles to capture Edison's last breath in a bottle. Ford kept that bottle by his bedside and fell asleep beside it every night.
Not Just Cars
Ford is best known for making cars, but the company actually manufactured other vehicles as well. This is a photo an automobile parked next to a Ford Tri-Motor Airplane. Ford Motor Co. got in the business of building airplanes during World War I because Ford wanted to do his part to support America's troops in the war effort.
His plane business was never very profitable, and he was forced to shut it down in 1933.
Bonnie And Clyde Were Killed In A Ford
On May 23rd, 1934, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed when the couple was ambushed by several police officers while traveling on a country road in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. At the time, they were driving a 1934 Ford DeLuxe Fordor. The car was a stolen vehicle.
It's believed the officers shot 130 rounds of ammunition at the couple, and each one was killed by dozens of gunshot wounds. The vehicle, full of bullet holes, is still on display today.
The Edsel Wasn't Worth The Hype
In this photo, you can see Edsel Ford's three sons: William Clay Ford (Vice-President in Charge of Product Planning and Styling), Benson Ford (Vice-President and Chairman of Dealer Policy Board) and Henry Ford II (President of the Ford Motor Company).
The car they're sitting in was known as the Edsel, and it was produced from 1958 to 1960. The car was very heavily promoted, but it failed to live up to buyers' expectations. The car didn't sell very well and Ford lost over $250 million on the project.
Manure To Power Ford Factories
Henry Ford was a bit ahead of his time when it came to being eco-friendly. Ford Motor Co. factories in the United States and England initially used both animal and human waste to power their facilities (it sounds gross, but it was a useful practice). Ford reportedly burned an estimated 2,000 pounds of manure each week.
The downside, of course, was the smell. However, the green practice was innovative during a period when few people worried about mankind's effects on the environment. Ford discontinued the practice in 1939 when cheaper fuel alternatives became more readily available.
An Atomic-Powered Car
In 1957, Ford came up with a concept car dubbed the Nucleon. It was an atomic-powered vehicle and meant to represent the car of the future. Designers envisioned a package with consumers choosing the horsepower they preferred. The rear of the car was meant to contain the atomic core, which could be periodically recharged, eliminating the need for service stations.
The Nucleon was to be powered by a steam engine and uranium fission, which is similar to what is used in nuclear submarines. Ford made a scale model of the vehicle, which is currently on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Mustang on Top of the Empire State Building
Pictured above is a 1965 Ford Mustang. The fastback was made in addition to two other models, the hardtop and the convertible. Ford first introduced the Mustang on April 17, 1964, at the New York World's Fair. The following year, the company put one of its prototypes on top of the Empire State Building.
The company disassembled the vehicle by breaking it down into four pieces. Workers moved the Mustang in resident elevators to the top of the building. They reassembled it there and photographed it with a helicopter. The Mustang was then reassembled inside the building before it was taken apart and removed from the landmark site five months later.
Jim Morrison Owned a 1967 Shelby GT 500
Jim Morrison, the famous singer of the Doors, reportedly only owned one car in his lifetime — a night mist blue 1967 Shelby GT 500. Morrison's friend, Babe Hill, dubbed the car “The Blue Lady." The car has been missing since 1969. No one knows what happened to it.
The Mustang is one of the most popular American cars of all time. Over 1 million units were sold in its first two years of production. It's one of a handful of models that have been in continuous production since its inception. One of the most expensive Mustangs ever sold was a 1967 Shelby GT Super Snake for $1.3 million.
An Arm And A Leg
There's a common phrase you may hear now and again. If a person says something costs "an arm and a leg," he or she means that it is very expensive. Well, Ford is reportedly responsible for coming up with the saying. The automaker was known for being generous and carefree with his money, basically saying he'd rather give up cash than his body parts.
The actual quote Ford used was, “Money is like an arm or leg — use it or lose it.” When the automaker died, he donated the majority of his wealth to the Ford Foundation and left his family in charge of controlling the company.
A Two-Seat Convertible Thunderbird
Ford produced the Thunderbird in 1955 in order to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette. The two-seat, V8 convertible was stylish and comfortable. A few years later the company controversially added four seats to the vehicles and created what became known as the personal luxury car.
Personal luxury cars focused more heavily on driving comfort and convenience instead of the handling and high-speed performance of sports cars. Ford made the Thunderbird from 1955 to 1997 and from 2002 to 2005 (with 11 different models). NASCAR driver Bobby Allison won 13 races in the late '70s and 1980 seasons with a Thunderbird, despite it being boxy and not appearing aerodynamic.
The Pinto's Many Issues
Pictured above is a Pinto that Ford Motor Co. lent to a newspaper for consumer testing. As you can see, the vehicle caught fire as a result of faulty wiring while a photographer was shooting the car for an automobile supplement. Ford produced the subcompact vehicle from 1971 to 1980.
The vehicle courted controversy due to its fuel tank design. Several rear-end collisions resulted in ruptured fuel tanks and deadly fires. Fatal crashes involving Pintos resulted in two lawsuits against the automaker. In 1978, Ford recalled 1.5 million Pintos and Mercury Bobcats, making it the biggest recall in automotive history at the time.
The Woodgrain-Trimmed Country Squire Station Wagon
Pictured above is a 1978 Country Squire Station Wagon. Ford produced these vehicles for a whopping 41 years — from 1950 to 1991. Regarded as a premium model, the Country Squire's signature design was its woodgrain body trim. The station wagon was extremely popular among Ford consumers.
The production run of the Country Squire was only outlasted by the Mustang (55 years in production and still going strong) and the Thunderbird (46 years). Early adopters had the option of installing an AM/FM cassette stereo (rock on!) as well as a two-way CB radio. Another option was a magnetic checkers board near the side-facing rear seats.
Focusing On Trucks
Ford, which is known for its passenger cars including the Mustang, Thunderbird, Taurus, Focus, and Fusion, made a monumental decision in 2018. It announced that it will no longer produce passenger cars in North America for the following four years (excluding the Mustang).
The automaker made the decision as a result of decreased demand for passenger cars and a lack of profits. In comparison, one of its flagship vehicles, the F-150 pickup truck, has been the bestselling vehicle in the United States since 1982 (the first generation was 1948). According to Auto Week, Ford sold more than 450,000 of its F-series line (one every 35 seconds) from January through June 2018.
Ford Spread Its Wings
Ford was a visionary. As an engineer and ambitious businessman, he made a lot of decisions he hoped would make his company grow and expand all over the globe. In the mid-'60s he attempted to buy the Ferrari brand but failed. That did not deter him from following his dreams.
The Ford Motor Co. has since owned stakes in the following businesses: Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Mercury, and Aston Martin. These days, Ford also sells vehicles under the Lincoln brand. Meanwhile, members of the Ford family have the majority voting power in the company but minority ownership.
1901 – The Duel
After the Detroit Automobile Company closed Henry Ford was in need of investors to continue his automotive ambitions. In order to raise his profile, attract financing and to prove that his cars could be a commercial success, he decided to enter a race promoted by the Detroit Automobile Club.
The race took place on a one-mile dirt oval horse racing track. After mechanical issues plagued the field of cars, the race started with only Henry Ford and Alexander Winston taking the start. Henry Ford would win the race, the only one he would ever enter and collect a $1000 prize.
1902 – The Beast
The 999 was one of two identical race cars created by Henry Ford and Tom Cooper. The cars had no suspension, no differential and a crude pivoting metal bar for steering mated to a 100-horsepower inline four-cylinder engine that displaced 18.9 liters.
The car won the Manufacturer's Challenge Cup, driven by Barney Oldfield while setting the course record at the very same track Henry Ford had won at the previous year. The car would go on to win many times over its career, and, with Henry Ford behind the wheel, would set a new land speed record of 91.37 mph on an ice-covered lake in January of 1904.
1904 – Ford Canada Opens
Ford's first international plant was built in 1904 in Windsor, Ontario Canada. The facility sat directly across the Detroit River from the original Ford assembly plant. Ford Canada was established as a completely separate organization, not a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, to sell cars in Canada and also throughout the British Empire.
The company used patent rights to produce Ford vehicles. In September of 1904, a Ford Model C was the first car to roll out of the factory and was the very first car produced in Canada.
1907 – Ford's Famous Logo
The Ford logo, with its distinctive script, was first created by Childe Harold Wills, the company's first chief engineer/designer. Wills used his grandfather's stencil set for the font, which is patterned after the type of writing taught in schools during the late 1800s.
Wills worked on and helped with the 999 race car, but was most influential on the Model T. He designed the transmission on the Model T and the detachable cylinder head of the engine. He would leave Ford in 1919 to start his own automobile company, Wills Sainte Claire.
1909 – Ford of Britain Founded
Unlike Ford of Canada, Ford of Britain is a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Ford had been selling cars in the U.K. since 1903 but needed a legitimate production facility to expand in Great Britain. Ford Motor Company Limited was established in 1909 and the first Ford dealership opened in 1910.
In 1911, Ford opened the Trafford Park assembly plant to build Model T's for the foreign market. Six-thousand cars were built in 1913, and the Model T became Britain's top-selling car. The following year, the moving assembly line was integrated into the factory and Ford of Britain could produce 21 cars per hour.
1917 – River Rouge Complex
In 1917 Ford Motor Company began construction of the Ford River Rouge Complex. When it was finally completed in 1928, it was the largest factory in the world. The Complex itself is 1.5 miles wide and one mile long with 93 buildings and 16 million square feet of factory floor space.
The factory had its own ship docks and more than 100 miles of railroad tracks run inside the buildings. It also had its own power plant and steel mill, meaning that it could take all the raw materials and turn them into vehicles within a single factory. Before the Great Depression, the River Rouge Complex employed 100,000 people.
1917 – The First Ford Truck
The Ford Model TT was the first truck made by the Ford Motor Company. Based on the Model T car, it shared the same engine but was equipped with a heavier frame and rear axle to be able to cope with the work that the Model TT was expected to perform.
The Model TT proved to be very durable, but was slow, even by the standards of 1917. With the standard gearing, the truck was capable of 15 mph, and with the optional special gearing, 22 mph was the recommended top speed.
1918 – World War I
In 1918, the United States, along with its allies were engaged in the horrific war raging in Europe. At the time, it was called the "Great War" but we know it now as WWI. As a means to support the war effort, the Ford River Rouge Complex began to manufacture the Eagle-Class patrol boat, a 110-foot long ship designed to chase down submarines.
In total, 42 of these ships were built at the Ford plant, along with 38,000 Model T military cars, ambulances and trucks, 7,000 Fordson Tractors, two types of armored tanks, and 4,000 Liberty airplane engines.
1922 – Ford Purchases Lincoln
In 1917, Henry Leland and his son Wilfred founded the Lincoln Motor Company. Leland is also famous for founding Cadillac and establishing the personal luxury automobile segment. It's somewhat ironic that two of the most famous luxury automobile brands in the United States were founded by the same person, with the same goal of building luxury automobiles, ended up as direct competitors for over 100 years.
Ford Motor Company bought the Lincoln Motor Company in February of 1922 for $8 million. The purchase allowed Ford to compete directly against Cadillac, Duesenberg, Packard and Pierce-Arrow for a share of the luxury automobile market.
1925 – The 15 Millionth Model T
In 1927, Ford Motor Company celebrated an incredible milestone, the construction of the fifteen-millionth Model T. The actual car was built as a touring model; four-door with a retractable top and seating for five people. Its design and construction is very similar to the very first Model T of 1908 and is powered by the same four-cylinder engine with two forward and one reverse gear.
On May 26, 1927, the car rolled off the assembly line driven by Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son, with Henry riding shotgun. The car currently lives at the Henry Ford Museum.
1928 – Ford Founds "Fordlandia"
In the 1920s, the Ford Motor Company was searching for a strategy to avoid the British monopoly over the supply of rubber. Rubber products are used for everything from tires to door seals to suspension bushings and numerous other components. Ford negotiated with the Brazilian government for 2.5 million acres of land, to grow, harvest and export rubber, in the State of Para in northern Brazil.
Ford would be exempt from Brazilian taxes in exchange for 9% of the profits. The project was abandoned and relocated in 1934 after a number of problems and revolts. In 1945, synthetic rubber reduced the demand for natural rubber and the area was sold back to the Brazilian government.
1932 – The Flathead V8
Even though the Ford Flathead V8 was not the first production V8 motor available in a car, it is perhaps the most famous and helped start the "hot-rod" community jumpstarted America's love affair with the engine.
Developed first in 1932, the Type 221 V8 displaced 3.6-liters, was good for 65-horsepower and was first fitted to the 1932 Model 18 car. Production ran from 1932 to 1953, in the U.S. The final version, the Type 337 V8, produced 154-horsepower when fitted to Lincoln's cars. Even today, the flathead V8 remains popular with hot-rodders for its durability and ability to produce big horsepower.
1938 – Ford Creates The Mercury Brand
In 1938, Edsel Ford founded the Mercury Motor Company as an entry-level premium brand that slotted between the luxury cars of Lincoln and the basic cars of Ford. The Mercury brand is named after the Roman god, Mercury.
The first car Mercury produced was the 1939 Mercury 8 Sedan. Powered by the Type 239 flathead V8 with 95-horsepower, the 8 cost $916 new. The new brand and line of cars proved popular and Mercury sold over 65,000 vehicles in their first year. The Mercury brand was discontinued in 2011 after poor sales and a brand identity crisis.
1941 – Ford Builds Jeeps
The original Jeep, named after "GP" or "general purpose," was initially designed by the Bantam company for the U.S. Army. At the start of WWII, it was believed that Bantam was too small to be able to build enough Jeeps for the military, who had requested 350 per day, and the design was supplied to Willys and Ford.
Bantam designed the original, Willys-Overland modified and improved the design and Ford was chosen as an additional supplier/producer. Ford is actually credited with designing the familiar “Jeep Face.” By the end of WWII, Ford had produced just over 282,000 Jeeps for military use.
1942 – Retooling For War
During World War II, most of the American manufacturing was allocated to produced equipment, munitions, and supplies for the war effort. In February of 1942, Ford stopped all civilian car manufacturing and began producing a staggering amount of military equipment.
Ford Motor Company, at all facilities, produced over 86,000 complete airplanes, 57,000 airplane engines, and 4,000 military gliders. Its factories made Jeeps, bombs, grenades, four-wheel-drive trucks, airplane engine superchargers, and generators. The giant Willow Run Factory in Michigan produced B-24 Liberator bombers on an assembly line that was 1-mile long. At full production, the factory could produce one airplane per hour.
1942 – Lindbergh and Rosie
In 1940, the U.S. Government asked Ford Motors to build B-24 bombers for the war effort. In response, Ford built a massive factory with over 2.5 million square feet of floor space. During that time, famous aviator Charles Lindbergh served as a consultant at the plant calling it, "The Grand Canyon of the mechanized world."
Also at the Willow Run facility was young female riveter named Rose Will Monroe. After actor Walter Pidgeon had discovered Mrs. Monroe at the Willow Run Plant she was chosen to appear in promotional films for war bond sales. The role made her a household name during WWII.
1948 – The Ford F-Series Pickup Truck
The Ford F-Series pickup truck was the first truck that Ford designed specifically for truck use that didn't share a chassis with their cars. The first generation, built from 1948 to 1952 was available in eight different chassis' from F-1 to F-8. The F-1 truck was a light duty half-ton pickup truck and the F-8 was a three-ton "Big Job" commercial truck.
Engines and power depended on the chassis and the popular F-1 pickup was available with either a straight-six engine or the Type 239 Flathead V8. All of the trucks, regardless of chassis, were equipped with three, four or five-speed manual transmissions.
1954 – Ford Begins Crash Testing
In 1954, Ford started to prioritize the safety of their cars. Being concerned about how the cars and the occupants managed a vehicle crash, Ford began to conduct safety tests with their vehicles. Ford's cars were crashed into each other to analyze their safety and learn about how they could be made safer.
These tests, along with countless others from other vehicle manufacturers, would lead to dramatic improvements in vehicle safety and the survivability of car crashes. Three-point safety belts, crumple zones, airbags, and side-impact protection are all innovations that came about through crash testing automobiles.
1956 – Ford Motor Company Goes Public
On January 17, 1956, the Ford Motor Company went public. It was the largest initial public offering (IPO) in American history up to that time. In 1956, the Ford Motor Company was the third largest company in the U.S., behind GM and Standard Oil Company.
The IPO of 22% of the Ford Motor Company was so big that over 200 banks and firms were included and involved. Ford offered 10.2 million Class A shares at an IPO price of $63. By the end of the first day of trading, the price per share had risen to $69.50, which meant the company could be valued at $3.2 billion.
1957 – Ford Introduces The Edsel Brand
In 1957 the Ford Motor Company introduced a new brand, Edsel. Named after Edsel B. Ford, the son of founder Henry Ford, the company was expected to increase Ford's market share in order to compete with General Motors and Chrysler.
Unfortunately, the cars never sold particularly well and the public perception was that the cars were over-hyped and overpriced. Controversial design, reliability issues and the start of an economic recession in 1957 all contributed to the downfall of the brand. Production was ceased in 1960 and the company closed as well. In total, 116,000 vehicles were produced, which was less than half of what the company needed to break-even.
