Henry Ford
Model T
The Model T was introduced on October 1, 1908. It had the steering wheel on the left, which every other company soon copied. The entire engine and transmission were enclosed; the four cylinders were cast in a solid block; the suspension used two semi-elliptic springs. This automobile was very simple to drive, and it was even easy and cheap to repair. It was $825 in 1908, that by the 1920's a majority of American drivers had learned how to drive the Model T. Although $825 doesn't seem like much money to pay for a car, but when calculated into today's time it would of cost $21,340. Ford created a massive publicity machine in Detroit to ensure every newspaper carried stories and ads about the new product. He especially was eager to sell to farmers, who looked on the vehicle as a commercial device to help their business.
By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model T's. However, it was a monolithic black; as Ford wrote in his autobiography, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black". Until the development of the assembly line, he could only use black because it was the fastest drying paint. But once Henry Ford started using the assembly line he could use other colors rather than just black, like red. The design of the Model T was promoted and defended by Ford, and production continued as late as 1927; the final total production was 15,007,034. This record stood for the next 45 years. From the introduction of the first Model T (1908) this record was achieved in just 19 years.
Henry Ford turned the presidency of Ford Motor Company over to his son Edsel Ford in December 1918. On the side Henry also started another company, Henry Ford and Son, and took himself and his best employees to the new company; the goal was to scare the remaining holdout stockholders of the Ford Motor Company to sell their stakes to him before they lost most of their value. By the mid-1920s, sales of the Model T began to decline because of the rise of competition. Other auto makers offered payment plans though which consumers could buy their cars, which normally included more modern mechanical features. Because of the urging offers, Henry quickly refused to incorporate new features into the model T.
Edsel Ford- (Henry Ford's only son)