In 1896 Henry Ford built his first “horseless carriage” which he sold to fund work on an improved model. By mid 1898 he had built a total of three vehicles, including a large delivery truck.

In July 1898, backed by a group of investors, Henry Ford produced about 19-25 prototype vehicles for the Detroit Automobile Company. In February 1901, due to lack of funds, the company was dissolved.

Nine months later, in November 1901, he formed the Henry Ford Company but left this company in 1902.

Note: The Henry Ford Company reformed as the Cadillac Automotive Company  in August 1902.  See Part 2,  Section 8.15.1).

The Ford Motor Company was founded in June 1903 by Henry Ford. 

The first car produced by the Ford Motor Company was a two-cylinder Model A  in July 1903.

For further information on Ford’s early history, including the “Model T”, see Part 1, The Early History, Sections 6.3 and Part 2, The Last 100 Years, Section 9.3 (Model T Ford).

In 1922 Ford acquired the Lincoln Motor Company (which had been formed five years earlier).

Production of the second generation Model A started in October 1927 and continued in the United States until December 1931.

The 3.3 litre car, which had a top speed of about 65 mph (104 kph), was available in several different body styles and four colours.

The “Tudor” version was the most popular, accounting for nearly one third of all sales.

By February 1929 one million Model A’s had been produced; production reaching its peak during 1929, with over 1.7 million manufactured.

A total of 4,849,340 Model A Fords were produced, of which nearly 10% were pickup trucks.

The Model A was also produced in Great Britain (from 1931), France (date required), Germany (from 1932) and Canada (date rquired).

The Model A was also produced in the USSR by the GAZ company as the “NAZ A” from 1932 to 1936. About 100,000 of these versions were made.

The Model A was replaced by the Model B and over four million of these cars were produced between 1932 and 1935.

Production of the more powerful, 3,612 cc, Model 18/Ford V-8 was also started in 1932, with over 230,000 being made that year. The 65 hp car had a top speed of 80 mph (128 kph).

The second generation, 1,172 cc, Model C was manufactured in Great Britain and Germany between 1934 and 1937. Just over 96,000 were made.

Note: The first generation Model C was produced in the United States in 1904-05. About 800 were made.

The 933 cc Model Y was produced in Great Britain (1932-37), where just over 157,000 were made, France (1932-34) and Germany (1933-36). It was not manufactured in the United States.

Models produced in Great Britain between 1940 and 1980 include the Anglia, Prefect, Consul, Zephyr, Zodiac, Granada, Capri, Escort and Cortina.

Over one millon of the Capri and Cortina models were made. Ford’s car production ended in Great Britain in 2001.

Models produced in Germany between 1940 and 1980 include the Taunas, Granada, Capri and Escort. 

Over the years Ford also manufactured vehicles in a number of other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Holland, Mexico, and South Africa.

Models produced in America between 1946 and 1990 include the Crown Victoria, Custom, DeLuxe, Escort, EXP, Fairlane Skyliner, Falcon, Fiesta, Galaxy,  Maverick, Mustang, Pinto, Tempo and the Thunderbird.

In 1955 Ford introduced the two-seater Thunderbird.

Between 1955 and 1957 a total of 53,166 of these first generation, 4,785 cc and 5,112 cc, models were made.

A second set of seats was fitted to the second generation model that was introduced in 1958.

Ford produced the Thunderbird model from 1955 to 1997 and 2002 to 2005, selling nearly 93,000 in 1960.

The largest models were produced between 1972 and 1976 and had either a 7 or 7.5 litre engine, achieving 8-12 mpg.

By 2005 eleven generations of Thunderbirds had been produced. How many in total?

The Mustang was first produced in 1964 when it became the world’s fastest selling car, with over 680,000 sold in the first sixteen months. By 2006 over eight million had been made. 

The 1964 model had a 2,785 cc engine and a top speed of 118 mph (189 kph).

The engine was increased to 7,013 cc in 1968, giving the 335 hp (250 kW) car  a top speed of 142 mph (227 kph).

By 2007 five generations of the Mustang had been produced: 1964-73, 1974-78, 1979-93, 1994-2004 and the fifth generation since 2005.

The Escort is one of Ford’s top selling cars. Between 1968, when production started, and 2003 nearly twenty million had been produced worldwide.

The Ford Fiesta entered production in 1976 and has been produced in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Mexico, South Africa and Venezuela. By 2006 over twelve million had been made.

In 1996 the company produced its 250 millionth vehicle and by 2006 a quarter of the top forty best selling cars in the world were produced by Ford.

In 2007 Ford also manufactured cars under the following names: Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover.

Models produced in the United States in 2007 include the Focus, Fusion, Five Hundred, Crown Victoria and the Mustang.