9.3.1 Introduction
- Design and development of the Model T started in late 1906.
- The first factory built Model T car was produced on 24 September 1908. It achieved 20 mpg (gasoline/petrol) and 85 mpg (oil).
- The first production standard Model T engine was produced on 27 September 1908.
- The first production Model T was “announced for release” on 1 October 1908 in Detroit, USA. It was priced at $850.
- The first public showing was at the Olympia Exhibition held in London on 13 November 1908. A Double Phaeton Touring Model was priced at £225.
- By 1910 Ford had 9 sales branches in the US; in Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Kansas, New York, Philadelphia and Seattle.
- The Model T was Henry Ford's ninth production model. Previous production models were the A,B,C,F,K,N,R & S.
- The Model T was the first Ford vehicle with the steering wheel on the left.
- It is a rear-wheel drive vehicle.
- The Coupe model produced in 1909 was the first fully enclosed Model T”.
- Two other 1909 models, the Town Car and the Landaulet, had an enclosed compartment but only for the passengers, not the driver. See www.mtfca.com/encyclo/1909.htm”.
- The first engine fitted with an electric starter was produced on 11 December 1918 and was fitted to closed cars in 1919. It was available as an option on open cars.
- Prior to then the Model T was started using a hand crank.
- In 1909 there were only about 300 miles of artificially surfaced roads in the US.
- In the 1920s the average life of a car in the US was 6.3 years. The average life of a Model T was 8 years.
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