Model T Ford

The early cars were built in back yards and barns, with more wood than steel. There were no guarantees or repair facilities and buyers were left to their own devices to keep them on the road. They were a significant investment that only the well-to-do could afford but they were far from luxurious. The engines had to be started with a crank that frequently kicked back and could easily break your arm. It took two strong arms to turn the steering wheel. There were no doors, or heaters or windshield wipers. And when headlights were finally added they had to be lit with a match. In addition, gasoline was not always easy to find and the lack of roads coupled with crude tire technology resulted in all to frequent flats.

However, it was an exciting time for inventors and entrepreneurs and names like Ford, Daimler, Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, Studebaker, Olds and Hudson became household names.

Up until 1920, when the average worker earned less than $1500 a year, automobiles were hand made - one at a time - and could cost $3,000, $6,000 and even $10,000 dollars. Then Henry Ford revolutionized the industry by creating the assembly line and pre-manufactured, replaceable parts. It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

The Model T Ford sold for less than $300, putting it within reach of millions of people, and the automobile industry was born. The affordable automobile became a national sensation and more cars begat more roads, more gas stations and drive-in restaurants and movies. Taking the family for a Sunday drive replaced an afternoon walk in the park. More roads meant people could go further quicker and the suburbs were born.

Henry Ford started the frenzy but it took the likes of Alfred P. Sloan to perpetuate it from year to year with the Chevrolet and ´planned obsolescence´. Henry sold millions of black Model T Fords while men like Sloan saw the value of enticing people with new gadgets. Annual offerings of handy accessories, such as the electric starter, headlights, synchromesh transmissions and trunks kept the industry alive and customers drooling for more.

The beginning years were wild and exciting as manufacturers, employees and customers pushed and shoved for their wants and rights. Plants produced pollution without regard; employees went on strike and formed unions; and the customer ruled - developing an insatiable appetite for more and more and more. But it was a new road of opportunity, filled with potholes and perils, leading to setbacks and heartbreak. The first obstacles came with World War I, leading to the Vintage Car Era, then came the Great Depression and World War II, leading to the Classic Car Era.