Fun Facts for Ford Fanatics

One of the greatest businessmen America has ever seen is Henry Ford. He is most famous for his automobile empire, which is still an incredible success, but he has tried his hands in several other industries and products along the way. He was also not afraid of publicly supporting political candidates and vocalizing his own opinions even in times of war. Still, he and his cars became an inseparable part of American culture, history, and of course, the automobile industry.

Humble beginnings

1896 was a pivotal year for Henry Ford. This is when he finished building his first car. It was simple by today’s standards but quite innovative back then. Featuring four bicycle wheels on a basic, primitive car body, it was called a Quadricycle.

All hail Ford, global car overlord

In the early 1900s, Ford was a global success story. More than 50% of all the cars in the world were made by his brand or subsidiaries. In fact, out of all the cars produced in the year 1932, a third of them were Ford’s.

And isn’t it ironic

Ford’s name is almost synonymous with cars. However, oddly enough, he didn’t like car racing. Still, as the businessman he was, he saw the business potential and had to get a piece of the action. He would occasionally join and race to boost merchandise sales. In 1996, he ended up being inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame.

The rise and fall of the Model T

Produced from 1908 to 1927, the Ford Model T was EVERYWHERE. In fact, it sold over 16.5 million cars! It’s no surprise then, that it was titled “the most influential car of the 20th century.” However, the model had its downsides. Since the car was mass-produced in a way that was both quick and cheap, it had a multitude of issues and had to visit a repair shop quite frequently. Eventually, the cost of repair and maintenance was so high, it came down to an expense much bigger than planned.