Thursday, June 8, 2023
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Idea
  • Submit Event
  • Calendar
Arlington Today Magazine
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • People
    • Community
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
    • Uncategorized
  • Digital Editions
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • People
    • Community
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
    • Uncategorized
  • Digital Editions
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Arlington Today Magazine
Home Featured

History maker

Richard Greene by Richard Greene
February 4, 2020
in Featured, People
0 0
0

There has rarely been an American vehicle that gave as much bang for the buck as the Model T, which was created by Henry Ford to be the car for the everyman. (Photos: Richard Greene)

0
SHARES
116
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

This remarkably preserved example of the iconic Ford Model T Touring automobile, presented to us by master technician Robert Massengale, could be purchased in 1927 for less than $300.


There has rarely been an American vehicle that gave as much bang for the buck as the Model T, which was created by Henry Ford to be the car for the everyman. (Photos: Richard Greene)

Meanwhile, the Cadillac dealer down the street was selling his top models that year, to the few who could afford them, for about $4,000. We featured one of those in our classic car story last month.

Related posts

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Introduces Texas Wild, an Album as Untamed as Texas, supporting Texas’ Wild Things and Wild Places

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Introduces Texas Wild, an Album as Untamed as Texas, supporting Texas’ Wild Things and Wild Places

May 17, 2023
Catching Up with Texas Rangers’ Sideline Reporter Emily Jones

Catching Up with Texas Rangers’ Sideline Reporter Emily Jones

May 1, 2023

There are few other examples of anything that transformed an entire society more than this juxtaposition of personal transportation vehicles a hundred years ago.

And, it all occurred by deliberate design from a daring risk taker who would become one of the world’s wealthiest people with a fortune estimated, in today’s dollars, of $200 billion.

Here’s how Henry Ford described his ambitious plans:

“I will build a motor car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one – and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.” – Wikipedia

The first production Model T left the factory in 1908. It was a runaway success as, in a matter of days after the release, 15,000 orders had been placed. The last one emerged in 1927 from the first-ever moving assembly line that had been devised by Ford to achieve a level of production never imagined.

Between those dates more than 16 million of the car affectionately known as the “Tin Lizzie” had been sold.

1 EyeWitness to History explains the outcome: “At the beginning of the 20th century the automobile was a plaything for the rich. Henry Ford was determined to build a simple, reliable and affordable car; a car the average American worker could afford. Out of this determination came the Model T and the assembly line – two innovations that revolutionized American society and molded the world we live in today.”

Interestingly, the Model T was not Ford’s first attempt to achieve his promise. Together with colleagues we would say were innovative engineers and mechanics, after his first experiment in 1896, he developed the Model A in 1903.

The Model T got its name because Henry went all the way through the alphabet developing his final result. By the time he got to the Model N in 1906 he was then only two years away from the version he put into production.

Still, to meet the demand while reducing the cost to build them, the revolutionary method of moving the cars under construction along an assembly line instead of the workers moving from one station to the next had to be invented.

By the time that result had been fully achieved in 1913, the process began at the top floor of the four-story building where the engine was assembled and progressed level by level to the ground where the body was attached to the chassis.

That plant once employed 50,000 auto workers earning a wage of $5 per day (better than most jobs at the time), who worked in eight-hour shifts building the most popular vehicle of the era – Ford had captured close to half of the entire automobile industry.

Per the EyeWitness to History account, “A towrope was hitched to a chassis, this time pulled by a capstan. Each part was attached to the moving chassis in order, from axles at the beginning to bodies at the end of the line.”

As you take a look at Robert standing with this car that he maintains in its original, fully operational condition for its Fort Worth owner, you may be asking about its color.

You may have heard that Henry Ford famously said (no one seems to know for sure if he did) that you could buy his Model T in any color you wanted as long as it was black.

Actually, in its first five and last two years of production it was available in bright red (like this one), green, blue, brown, maroon and gray. The benefit to production was the black ones dried the fastest, so for 12 of the 19 years of production of this model, they were all black.

Finally, if you are wondering about the performance, the Model T’s four-cylinder engine produced 20 horsepower and reached speeds of 40-45 MPH – plenty for the roads of the day.

1 Henry Ford Changes the World, 1908, EyeWitness to History.com

 

Tags: Classic Car
Lively & Associates

Follow Us

  • This album is going WILD for Texas Wildlife! 🎶 Read all about it in the link in our bio. 🐾
  • Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve our nation from Arlington Today. ⭐️ Happy Memorial Day! 🇺🇸
  • Not For Self, But For Country: read all about  @mohmuseum Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton Jr. In the link in our bio.
  • Should your Furry Friend be FAMOUS? 🐾 Send their picture to info@arlingtontoday.com for a chance to be featured in our magazine!
  • Don’t miss The Downtown Arlington Classic Car Show, Presented by Chevrolet June 10th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the historic Vandergriff Town Center! 🚘 

This awesome event is showcasing over 150 cars from the early 20s to the late 70s with all proceeds going towards the creation of the Fire Station Museum at Fire Station #1.
  • Get a look 👀 at Local Law Firms we LOVE! Read all about it in this month’s digital edition in our bio.
  • Greenhouse Outpatient is changing the way people seek treatment. Read all about it in the link in our bio.
  • This Mansfield custom build is Home Sweet Home! 🏡 Read all about it in the link in our bio.
  • 🌸 Happy Mother’s Day from Arlington Today! 🌸
  • 12 Mighty Orphans: There’s a fascinating ‘story behind the story’ regarding this fine film

    12 Mighty Orphans: There’s a fascinating ‘story behind the story’ regarding this fine film

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • March Scene

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Visionary Who Didn’t Give Up

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Boot-scootin’ Boogie

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • In case of emergency: Mansfield Fire Department introduces the ‘Vial of Life’ initiative to keep residents on the ready

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Arlington Texas Area News and Events Magazine

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • Care Chair
  • This Re-opening is going to the Dog (Haus)!
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Introduces Texas Wild, an Album as Untamed as Texas, supporting Texas’ Wild Things and Wild Places

Category

  • Arlington News
  • Business and Education
  • Commentary
  • Community
  • Design and Interiors
  • Featured
  • People
  • Scene
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellness

Recent News

Care Chair

Care Chair

June 7, 2023
This Re-opening is going to the Dog (Haus)!

This Re-opening is going to the Dog (Haus)!

June 7, 2023
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Idea
  • Submit Event
  • Calendar

© 2023 Arlington Today - Designed by

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Arlington News
    • Community
    • People
    • Commentary
    • Business and Education
    • Featured
    • Wellness
    • Scene
    • Design and Interiors
  • Digital Editions
  • Join the Newsletter
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Arlington Today - Designed by

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist