Ford Model T-the most influential car in the 20th century-America (1)

In today's world, with the increasingly strict environmental protection laws and regulations, and the continuous exploitation of oil, a non-renewable energy source, traditional fuel vehicles will eventually withdraw from the historical stage in the future. This is a sad reality for fans who are as obsessed with internal combustion engines as the author. In 100, when the automobile industry was booming, many amazing classic models were born. Even though most of them have passed away, their excellent design and extraordinary quality have had a far-reaching impact on the automobile industry and have been recorded in the history of automobile civilization.

Ford? Models? T

The inventor of the world's first internal combustion engine car was German Karl friedrich Benz (Karl? Friedrich? Benz), but it is an American Henry Ford (Henry? Ford). Among them, Ford Model T ranked first in the selection of the most influential models in the 20th century, and ranked first in BMC? Mini and Volkswagen? Before the beetles appeared.

Ford? Models? t？ The birth of

From 65438 to 0886, karl benz successfully developed the world's first three-wheeled vehicle with a single-cylinder engine, so it was known as the "father of automobiles". After coming out, I got a large number of orders, which was limited by the lack of hand-made production capacity and the high price. At that time, the customers who could own cars were either rich or expensive.

At that time, on the other side of the ocean, Henry Ford, an Irish-American, was only 23 years old and was working as a technician in Edison Electric Company in Detroit. Because of his keen interest in machinery, Henry Ford devoted himself to automobile design and taught himself to be an internal combustion engine engineer.

In the United States at that time, cars were a commodity that only the rich could enjoy. Henry Ford, who comes from a peasant family, hopes to design a car that ordinary people can afford, which is also his dream.

1903, Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company (Ford? Motor? Company), has developed and designed the model? A, model? S and other models. Up to 1908, model? The official listing of Model T has completely changed the American way of life and triggered a revolution in the world automobile industry.

Henry Ford described Model T as follows: I want to build a car for the public. It is big enough for families, but small enough for individuals. I will choose the best materials for it, hire the best workers and adopt modern and simple designs. But its price is very low, and people will not be unable to afford it because they don't have high enough wages, so as to enjoy a good time with their families in the spacious space given by God.

Output and price

Model T quickly occupied the market with its reliable quality, excellent quality and extremely low price. 1909 standard 4-seater model t sells for $850, while competing models sell for $2,000-3,000 in the same period.

Model T is the first car in the world with assembly line and universal parts. At the initial stage of production, traditional manual production could not meet the increasing demand for orders, and only 1 1 car was assembled in the first month of listing. Until 19 10, Henry Ford moved the company to the factory in Highland Park, Michigan after completing the manufacture of nearly12,000 Model T cars.

The concept of assembly line was developed by William Klein (William? c？ Klann) was first introduced to Henry Ford. When he visited a slaughterhouse in Chicago, he saw that animals were dismembered and cut off by conveyor belts, and the action of skilled workers moving the same piece of meat over and over again attracted his attention. He told the idea to Peter Martin (Peter? e？ Martin), he hesitated and encouraged his thoughts. William Crane's suggestion inspired by slaughterhouse is recorded in the archives of Henry Ford Museum, so he is called "the father of modern automobile production line".

When the first Model T car produced on the assembly line was assembled, Henry Ford, Ford management and the media witnessed this great moment on the spot, and William Crane proudly drove the car off the production line himself.

The assembly line greatly improved the productivity of the factory. It only takes 93 minutes to produce a Model T car, which is 8 times faster than the previous 12.5 hours, making a Ford car off the assembly line every three minutes. This revolutionary change has also reduced the manufacturing cost. T-type decreased from 850 yuan in 1909 to 550 yuan in 19 13 and 440 yuan in19/5. In addition, Henry Ford also greatly increased the wages of workers, making their daily wages reach $5/day. Four months later, Ford workers took the lead in owning the model T.

Henry Ford is always eager to sell his car to farmers, which makes Ford's dealer network spread all over almost every city in North America. Moreover, he converted Model T into commercial equipment to help farmers engage in production business, which led to a sharp increase in sales.

Legend sales

19 14 years further simplified the assembly process of model t. That year, Ford produced more cars than all other car manufacturers combined, and the Model T was a great success. A total of 100000 Model T cars have been sold in the world, and100 of every100 cars are Ford cars. 19 18, half the streets in America were driven by Ford cars. This achievement made Ford's global cumulative sales exceed15 million vehicles during 19 1923, without advertising. This record was kept for half a century until 1972 was broken by Volkswagen's Beetle.

Design parameters of T-car

Ford? Models? T was made by childe? Harold? Will and two Hungarian immigrants Joseph? Answer? Garland and Eugene? Facas participated in the completion. Its production cycle lasts from 1908 to 1927.

T-type adopts the design mode of engine front and rear wheel drive. It is equipped with a 2.9-liter L-type four-cylinder gasoline engine, with a maximum horsepower of 20.2( 15KW) and a top speed of 72km/h. Ford's official fuel consumption is11-18.7l/100km, which supports gasoline and ethanol.

The fuel tank of Model T is located under the seat, and the fuel flows into the carburetor from the fuel tank by gravity, so it is impossible to climb a steep slope with a certain angle. Interestingly, drivers can solve this problem by reversing.

The gearbox of Model T consists of two forward gears and one reverse gear. The three pedals correspond to high speed, reverse speed and low speed respectively, and the throttle is manually controlled by the handle beside the steering wheel. Surprisingly, as a manual transmission vehicle, the T-car has no clutch, and can complete the gear shift just by stepping on the pedal.

The suspension of T-car is a semi-elliptical spring dependent suspension installed transversely. The front axle is cast from a single vanadium steel. Henry Ford twisted the axle eight times and sent it to the dealer to show his superiority. ? Model T has no modern brakes, and the right foot pedal is designed with a hub around the drum of the transmission to prevent the rear wheel from rotating.

The wheels are wooden cannon wheels. The pneumatic tire has a diameter of 30 inches (760 mm), a rear tire width of 3.5 inches (89 mm) and a front tire width of 2 inches (50 mm). The wheelbase is 99 inches (25 15mm) and the body width is 56 inches (1420mm).

The curb weight of Model T is 540kg, and the fuel tank volume is 38L. During the service period, coupe, travel, pickup truck, freight, convertible, four doors and nine models were derived.

Even after a century has passed, it is still elegant and beautiful to appreciate Model T from today's perspective. Only products designed with care can become eternal classics and be remembered by future generations.

World War I

Henry Ford is a pacifist. After the outbreak of World War I, he did not want his products to be involved in military conflicts, and he has always been a staunch supporter of "America is far from war." It was not until 19 17 that the United States officially entered the war that he realized that he had to serve his country. So 390,000 Model T cars were produced and sold to the US Army, and Ford's dealers in Europe also provided tens of thousands of Model T cars for the British and French allied forces to invest in the battlefields in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

The most outstanding contribution of Model T in World War I was as a field ambulance. Because of its reliable quality and excellent performance, it can go to places where other vehicles can't go. Some ambulances are driven by future war celebrities, such as Walter Disney? Disney) and ernest hemingway (Ernest? Miller? Hemingway). Model T played a great role in the war. Whether it is used as a medical vehicle or transporting materials, because of its light weight, even if it is stuck and unable to drive, a group of soldiers can easily lift it together. At that time, the Poles also transformed the T-type into a tracked armored vehicle to fight against Russia.

final result

The life cycle of Model T has hardly changed since the birth of 1908. Henry Ford believes that this is a car that anyone will need forever, and he has done it for at least a long time. However, with other competitors constantly introducing more comfortable and advanced models, Model T gradually lost its market share.

It was not until May 26th 1927 that the production of Model T stopped. Henry Ford and his son drove the last Model T grandly out of the factory and were written into history.

Model T is a pioneering vehicle, a pioneer of modern assembly line and the first car that people can afford. Most importantly, it has changed the American way of life. If Mongolia in Genghis Khan's era was a nation on horseback, then the United States in Henry Ford's era was a country on wheels. Model T not only brought an automobile revolution to the United States, but also brought an automobile revolution to the whole world, allowing cars to enter thousands of households.

In addition, during World War I, it served the country, especially as a medical vehicle, saving many lives and making Model T a dazzling star model. There is no doubt that Model T is well-deserved to be rated as the most influential model in the world in the 20th century.

192 1 year, then US President Warren Gamaliil Harding (Warren? Gamaliel? Harding) met Henry Ford and praised him for creating the greatest company for America. 1929, then President herbert clark hoover (Herbert? Clark. Hoover attended the inauguration ceremony of the Ford Museum.

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.