Although the world famous Ford Model T was not designed in the UK, it was assembled in this country from 1911 to 1927, and was a best-seller for many years. Here, as in the USA and the rest of the world, the Model T re-wrote the motoring script: more than 15 million were produced in the USA, and well over 250,000 were produced at a British factory at Trafford Park, on the outskirts of Manchester.
Henry Ford’s first car, the Quadricycle prototype, was finished in 1896, and other Ford production cars followed it, before the all-new Model T appeared in 1908. Designed from the outset to be built in huge numbers, its price fell as production rose.
Although thoughtfully equipped with a large-capacity (2.9-litre) side-valve engine, which produced lots of torque, if not much power, this was a positive disadvantage in the UK, where cars were taxed according to a formula which penalised those with considerable piston area. In spite of its complexities (an epicyclic transmission), and its crudities (an archaic chassis design, with transverse leaf front and rear springing), the Model T was so well serviced by a vast dealer chain, and so easy to fix when it did go wrong, that it immediately found a market. |
 |
Although only 10,000 cars were produced in the USA in 1909, no fewer than two million were produced at peak, in 1923. Yet, in spite of this, the Model T changed little mechanically in 20 years, only the multi-farious body styles were updated, from time to time, to represent progress.
The chassis itself was definitely more flexible than some of its competitors, though this, along with the transverse leaf suspension and big wheels, made it possible to pick one’s way over the sometimes poor road surfaces of the 1910s and 1920s. The engine was low-revving, but almost totally reliable, while the transmission had only two forward gears, changes being effected by a clutch pedal which was really a ‘gear change’ pedal. There was no foot accelerator pedal, for engine speed changes were produced by moving hand levers under the steering wheel which covered throttle opening and ignition advance.
The Model T’s low price (less than £250, even at peak, in the 1920s), low running costs, and reliability ensured its sales (7,000 alone in 1915), but the high annual tax (and stiff competition from the Bullnose Morris) eventually killed it off. Ford replaced it with the more conventional Model A in 1928, and were not to be as adventurous again.
Idiosyncratic and very popular, it soon acquired nicknames, of which ‘Tin Lizzie’ was the most memorable. Popular songs like ‘Get out and Get Under’ followed, and cemented the car’s reputation forever. |
