Fun Facts About the Model T, The First Mass-Produced Car
Thanks to Henry Ford’s assembly line, the Model T became the first mass-produced car.
Written by Alexandra Maloney
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
- The Model T didn’t start on an assembly line
- Ford’s obsession with efficiency led to the first mass-produced car
- The Model T was the first car affordable to the middle class
- The Model T was only offered in one color and one engine type
- Production of the Model T stopped in October 1927
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Most people know that the Model T was the first mass-produced car. Henry Ford’s innovation and installation of the first moving assembly line changed the automotive world drastically, as the invention took the time to produce a car from over 12 hours down to under two hours. This opened the door for mass-production of cars like the Model T.
Because of this, the Model T has a unique
car history
with some interesting fun facts. Jerry
, the car ownership super app
looks at how the first mass-produced car revolutionized the automotive world. The Model T didn’t start on an assembly line
Although the Model T was the first mass-produced car on an assembly line, it didn’t start that way. According to
History
, when the Model T first began production, Ford broke the assembly process into distinct steps and assigned an employee to perform just one step each. But, even with each employee doing a specified job, the process was still lengthy.Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
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Ford’s obsession with efficiency led to the first mass-produced car
Ford wasn’t satisfied with employees manually performing the steps to assemble the Model T—he wanted the cars produced at a faster pace. To do this, he hired motion-study expert Frederick Taylor to craft a way to make the process more efficient.
Additionally, Ford himself began building machines to stamp out individual parts without the need for an employee. Ford slowly started installing bits and pieces of a motion line, until the formal assembly line was officially unveiled in December 1913.
The Model T was the first car affordable to the middle class
Ford’s goal for the assembly line and mass production of cars wasn’t just to produce and sell more cars. He actually wanted to produce more cars so he could sell them for less to drivers, and make driving more accessible overall.
When the Model T began mass-production, Ford dropped the price of the car significantly. The Model T became the car of the middle class, because it was the first car actually affordable for anyone but the wealthy. The Model T originally cost around $800, but as more were produced, the price eventually dropped to around $350.
The Model T was only offered in one color and one engine type
Because of Ford’s obsession with providing cheap, mass-produced cars, the Model T was only offered in one color—black.
Top Speed
reports Ford was known for speaking about the Model T as, “You can have it in any color you want as long as it’s black.” In addition to one color, the Model T only had one engine option—the 2.9-liter, water-cooled, inline 4 engine. It produced 20 hp and had two speeds. Only offering the Model T in one color and engine type allowed production to be even faster, and the price to be even less.
Production of the Model T stopped in October 1927
That means the first mass-produced car was manufactured for over 19 years. In this time, over 15 million Model T’s were produced for drivers, making the world of driving more accessible than ever before.
It took over a century for another car to pass its production number but eventually the Volkswagen Beetle broke its record with over 21 million cars produced. On the last day of Model T production, Ford threw a party.
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