The Ford Motor Company is a renowned American automotive company. It was established in 1903 by Henry Ford, one of the most influential men of the 20th century. The cars produced by Ford are synonymous with stability and quality, but what do we really know about this brilliant company and its vehicles?
Entering the automotive industry
Henry Ford was deeply passionate about technology from childhood, being first exposed to machinery on his family’s farm. Inspired by the booming Detroit industry of the 1890s, Ford created his first working gas engine in 1893, and constructed his first automobile – the quadricycle – in 1896.
The Detroit Automobile Company, established by Ford in 1899, was very ambitious. Ford focused on creating automobiles for businesses such as delivery wagons, but the task proved to be too complicated. By the end of 1902 Ford was pushed out of his own company by stakeholders because of lack of progress.
Later, the Detroit Automobile Company was purchased and renamed Cadillac.
After his first failure, Ford decided to build cars for the average consumer rather than businesses, and completely revised his approach to vehicle production. He continued his automobile business with the establishment of the Ford Motor Company.
The success of Model T
In 1903 Ford’s company created its first car, the Model A, which had a number of issues similar to other vehicles of the era. It took Ford the next 5 years to find the best solution, and the Model T was introduced in 1908. It became the most influential car of the 20th century, with unprecedented demand.
That pushed Ford to develop a new mass production method, and in 1911 he established the industry’s first assembly plant. The same year, he opened the company’s first international production plant in Manchester, England. In 1913, he started the industry’s first moving assembly line, revolutionizing automobile production as a whole. There were more than 500,000 Model Ts produced worldwide by the middle of 1914.
Conquering the global market
By the end of the 1920s, Ford became the world’s major car producer. He purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922 and later started producing luxury Lincolns and Continentals. In 1932, the first Ford V-8 was produced, and later in 1938, the company introduced the very first Ford Mercury.
The production of Model T came to its end in 1927 and the next-generation Model A was presented. In 1936 Ford introduced the Lincoln-Zephyr, a lower-priced line of mid-size Lincoln luxury cars, and the Lincoln Continental in 1941.
Life after death
1947 became the year of change for the Ford Motor Company as Henry Ford died on April 7th. Henry Ford II, his son, eventually took over as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Ford’s automotive production continued to prosper. In 1955 the Thunderbird was introduced, and in 1958 the world met the Ford Edsel, designed by Roy Brown, Jr. Although production of the Edsel was cancelled after about two years, Ford came back with the Falcon and the Mustang in 1964, and the first generation of the Cortina in 1962.
In 1965, Ford exceeded the sales of 2 million units in the US, and designed the first generation Ford Transit. In 1970, the Maverick and the third generation of the Cortina were designed in Europe.
In the late 1970s, Ford introduced more new models: The Mustang II in 1974, and the Fiesta in 1976. The company also acquired a 25% stake in Mazda in 1979.
Henry Ford II died in 1987, and in the same year, Ford Motor Company acquired Aston Martin Lagonda. In 1989, they also acquired Jaguar and sold 1 million third-generation Fiestas in just two years. In 1992 Ford launched the first generation of the Ford Mondeo.
The Ford Focus became one of the best-selling cars after it replaced the Escort in 1998. In 1999, Ford acquired Volvo but later sold it to Geely Automobile.
Ford in the 21st century
The Ford Motor Company started the millennium by purchasing Land Rover in 2000. Its centennial year was celebrated by launching the Ford GT concept car. In 2004, the company designed their first hybrid SUV, the Ford Escape. In 2005, they redesigned the Mustang.
During the next few years, Ford sold some of their brands: Aston Martin in 2007, Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008, and Volvo Cars in 2010.
In 2018 Ford announced the cancellation of passenger car production, except for the Mustang and Focus, and shifted focus to producing pickups, SUVs, and crossovers. However, in 2019 Ford launched Fiesta ST-line.
Salvage Ford cars
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