Remembering the Model T

(Published by Yehey! Lifestyle)

On October 3, 2008, the automobile that put the world on wheels, the Model T, will celebrate its 100th year anniversary. This iconic vehicle was the product of Henry Ford’s dream to put a “horseless carriage” in every American home. Back then, automobiles were too expensive for an ordinary American to afford, which is like buying a personal jet by a successful business tycoon. Today, automobiles are as common cell phones. Of course, signature vehicles are another story.

The story of the automobile is one of the most exciting chapters in history. In its early development, automobiles were so strange that they were shown in circuses. Today, everyone reaching puberty aspires for one. Motoring enthusiasts with no academic background in mechanical engineering are now able to discuss the various functions and parts of the automobile which features have been made simpler in today’s models.

Strange indeed, the first automobiles didn’t start stylish as we would consider them today. They were after all literally “horseless carriages”. The pioneering models were shaped like crude carriages with an engine installed to make them run without horses. A pioneering model was powered by steam and had a huge pot in its front made its driver look like a mess cook in wheels. This was in 1770 where in Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, a French-army captain, invented the first known automobile to haul cannons. It could run at 5 kilometers per hour and needed to stop every 10 minutes to build up steam.

Automobiles that carried human passengers were first developed in England. In 1801, Richard Trevithick, an English inventor, built a four-wheeled steam wagon. In the early 1830s, Sir Goldsworthy Gurney built a six-wheeled steam carriage. On one of its tests, Gurney’s carriage reached a speed of 24 kilometers per hour. By the mid-1830s, English steam carriages were providing regular passenger service. (This was even before Jose Rizal was born). Englishmen found the first steam carriages annoying. These early automobiles were noisy and polluted the air with smoke and scattered hot coals on the road. Sometimes the coals set fire to crops and wooden bridges. A series of laws were passed that discouraged the development of the automobile for 30 years in England.

Among the early developers of the automobile was Henry Ford, founder of what we know today as the Ford Motor Company. His dream to bring an automobile in every American home led to the introduction of mass production and assembly line in the manufacture of the automobile. The economies of scale resulting from this method made the automobile cheaper. The first of its kind was the Model T.

The first Model T came out of its Piquette Avenue plant in 1908 (marking its 100th year anniversary this year). In 1913, Henry Ford implemented the moving assembly line at it’s Highland Park Assembly Plant, reducing chassis build time from 14 hours per car to just 1.5 hours per car. By 1927, 64 year old Henry Ford, his son Edsel and Charles Sorensen drove the 15th million Model T.

Truly, the Model T has brought the world on wheels. In 1999, the Model T was named “Car of the Century” by automotive journalists.