Hi everyone! Here are some short facts about Henry Ford’s Model T when it started to be manufactured in 1908.
The Model T had no gas pump in the tank, so the gas moved by gravity. If the automobile was driven up a hill the gas would filter away from the carburetor, which caused the car to sputter. It was required to turn the car around at that point and drive the rest of the way up the hill backwards.
Everyone has heard the famous Ford quote about the Model T “any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” This was only true from 1914 to 1925 model years. Before or after this time you could have a variety of colors. From 1908, when the Model T was invented, to 1914 black was not an option. The colors were gray, green, blue, and red up until 1912, when all Model Ts were available in a Midnight Blue color. The reason for just black Model Ts was due to cost cutting measures during World War I. Another reason was that the different colors slowed down the assembly line process. In 1926 and 1927, closed car colors were Royal Maroon, Highland Green and Fawn Gray. Open cars were Phoenix Brown and Gunmetal Blue. Black was not an option anymore during this period.
The Model T drove about 40 miles per hour at its maximum speed. It depended on the condition of the road whether it was paved, shell or dirt as to the speed.
In 1914, Ford reduced the build time from 12-plus hours to every 93 minutes with the introduction of the moving automotive assembly line, in which Ford was a pioneer. Keep in mind that Ford did not invent the concept of the assembly line. He got his ideas from previous assembly lines adopted by different industries, such as meatpacking. The first automotive assembly line was invented in 1901 by Ransom Olds, founder of the Olds Motor Vehicle Company.
The 177 cubic inch inline 4-cylinder, 20 horsepower engine that operated all Model Ts could run off gasoline and either kerosene or ethanol. The Model T cranked on gasoline but then operated on either kerosene or ethanol. There was a separate tank for each one. There are no rubber components in the carburetor so that is why kerosene or ethanol could be used.
All Model T’s got gas mileage of about 14 – 19 miles per gallon when driving on flat surfaces and smooth terrain.
The nickname that is most famous for a Model T is the Tin Lizzie. This nickname possibly came from a famous automobile race. At the time, car dealerships regularly hosted automobile races to publicize the cars in their collection. This race was held at Pikes Peak, Colorado in 1922. One of the contenders was Noel Bullock, and his Model T, which he called “Old Liz.” Old Liz was an old and worn-out automobile at the time. Its body paint had faded, and its hood was missing. Spectators started calling it the Tin Lizzie because it looked more like a tin can than a vehicle. Nevertheless, the battered Old Liz went on to defeat the nicer and more expensive cars in the race. Newspapers reported the surprising win and called the automobile the Tin Lizzie instead of Old Liz.
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Thanks for learning!
Chet Wallace
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