Whenever you’re looking to buy a new car, or even being asked to picture a car, how many people think Ford?
That white lettering swirling around the blue plate is a symbol known the world over, and there really is very few success stories quite like Henry Ford’s empire.
Here we’re going to look at the timeline of this empire.
So without further ado, let’s begin in the late 1800s.
1896
Ford’s first vehicle was built – the Quadricycle, a vehicle that used 4 bike wheels and a tiller instead of a steering wheel.
The 4-horsepower engine had 2 gears neither being the reverse.
1899
Ford joined, and one year later left, the Detroit Automobile Company.
1901
Ford founded the Henry Ford Company, an auto manufacturer, after defeating Alexander Winton, the top racer of the day.
1903
The Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Detroit Michigan by Henry Ford and 12 investors.
Ford turned a profit of $37,000 in October after using almost all its funds to get the Ford Model A up and running in July.
1907
The ford logo we all know was born. Created by Childe Harold Wills with his grandfather’s stencil set, this logo will go on to be one of the most recognizable ever.
1908
On September 27, the Ford Model T was assembled at the Piquette plant in Detroit, Michigan. The black icon would sell over 15 million units in its life.
Ford also went international this year with the opening of a Paris branch.
1913
The birth of the modern moving assembly line.
With this, Ford managed to reduce the chassis assembly time by over 700%.
1914
Ford lowered the working day to 8 hours and had a queue of thousands of people waiting for jobs after announcing a $5 daily wage.
1924
On June 15, The Ford Motor Company manufactured its 10 millionth car.
1925
Ford started the creation of the “Tin Goose”, a commercial airline.
Ford was a huge supporter of airlines and offered all 35 patents royalty-free to see the industry soar (pun intended).
1932
Ford created one of the most popular engines ever, the Flathead V8.
Affordable and more importantly powerful, the engine took America by storm.
1941
Ford joined America’s war effort, the production of the well-known GP Jeep begun.
1945
Civilian production returned after the war.
1947
The founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford, died at age 83, on April 7.
1954
American safety became more of a focus for Ford, the crash test was introduced.
1964
Everyone’s favorite muscle car was born, the Mustang with its low price and range of variations and customizable parts made it one of the best-selling cars ever.
1965
Like the mustang the year previous, this year saw the birth of another big hitter in the Ford repertoire, a joint Ford Germany and Ford UK collaboration; the Transit.
1966
The Ford GT40 broke Ferrari’s Le Mans domination to get the title of the first US manufacturer ever to win.
1976
The Fiesta, the hot hatch, stole the title of the first internationally successful front-wheel car.
It had one of the largest development budgets and took the Mustang’s title of fastest-selling car.
1981
The Escort was born, a car designed for the world and in turn, it shared parts with its European counterpart, sometimes to its downfall.
It was a hit.
1988
Ford’s earnings globally reached $5.3 billion.
1990
Ford created another car market, the SUV, with its Explorer model.
1995
Ford was caught in very hot water after a campaign appeared featuring a photo from a 1991 ethnic diversity advertisement with the minorities replaced with white faces.
This caused a storm and the workers were compensated.
1996
The first Ford electric vehicle was created; the Ranger Electric Vehicle.
This Ranger used lead-acid batteries.
1999
Ford took control of a major rival.
The brand bought Volvo, a Swedish car brand known worldwide for $6.45 billion.
2000
Ford blamed Bridgestone for 271 deaths and not the Ford Explorer.
2002
Ford became the center of a strong public environmental concern.
Greenpeace called Ford out accusing them of not taking Global Warming seriously.
Ford had to spend millions on a campaign to tackle public opinion and environmental concerns amongst its products.
2003
The 100th anniversary of the company.
As a result, Ford decided to produce 5 models with a centennial edition, a model that came in “any color as long as it’s black” a nod to the Model T.
2010
Ford secured the position as Europe’s 5th largest automaker and announced an investment in developing the next generation of automotive; the electrical car.
2016
The GT hit Le Mans with 66, 67, 68, and 69 numbered GT’s to commemorate the ever-impressive 4 victories 50 years beforehand.
2017
Announced in May, Ford planned to cut 10% of jobs worldwide due to lower profit and share prices.
From the humble hand-built vehicle to the multi-billion dollar automotive superpower, the story of Ford is nothing but awe-inspiring.
Always at the forefront of technology and environmental consciousness, this motoring genius has unreal numbers of vehicles whipping up and down roads worldwide.
Throughout Ford’s life there always seemed to be some troubling year for the company on the horizon, and yet they always come through stronger and more established as a brand.
I for one would happily own a Ford and wouldn’t doubt the quality or history of the worldwide automotive giant.
