View source for Ford Model T

{{Short description|American car (1908–1927)}}
{{Redirect2|T Model|Model T|the financial formula|T-model}}
{{Distinguish|Ford T platform}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox automobile
| image = 1925 Ford Model T touring.jpg
| caption = 1925 Ford Model T Touring Car
| manufacturer = [[Ford Motor Company]]
| production = October 1908 – May 1927
| assembly = {{collapsible list|
*United States:<ref name="Assembly">{{cite web |last1=Strohl |first1=Daniel |title=The houses that T built (and that built the T): Tracking down the assembly plants of Ford's first distributed production effort |url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/12/13/the-houses-that-t-built-and-that-built-the-t-tracking-down-the-assembly-plants-of-fords-first-distributed-production-effort |publisher=American City Business Journals |access-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Q. Do you have a timeline of Ford Motor Company Assembly Plants? |url=https://askus.thehenryford.org/faq/140528 |publisher=Archives & Library Staff @The Henry Ford |access-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408110713/https://askus.thehenryford.org/faq/140528 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
**[[Detroit]], Michigan
**[[Highland Park, Michigan]]
**[[Dothan, Alabama]]
**[[Atlanta, Georgia]]
**[[Denver]], Colorado<ref>{{cite web |title=Ford Assembly Denver Colorado |url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/12/13/the-houses-that-t-built-and-that-built-the-t-tracking-down-the-assembly-plants-of-fords-first-distributed-production-effort |website=Hemmings Motor News |publisher=American City Business Journals |access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>
**[[Los Angeles]], California
**[[San Francisco]], California<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/05/10/ford10.html |title=Ford motored into Cincinnati long ago |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |first=Mike |last=Boyer |date=May 10, 1998 |access-date=August 23, 2014}}</ref>
**[[Minneapolis]], Minnesota
**[[Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
**[[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]]
**[[Kansas City, Missouri]]
**[[Seattle, Washington]]
**[[Portland, Oregon]]
**[[Omaha, Nebraska]]
**[[Buffalo, New York]]
**[[Long Island City]], New York
**[[Cincinnati]], Ohio
**[[Cleveland]], Ohio<ref>{{cite web |url=http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/269 |title=Ford Model T Plant |work=Cleveland Historical |access-date=August 23, 2014}}</ref>
**[[Columbus, Ohio]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbusmonthly.com/content/stories/2014/07/city-quotient-is-i-often-smell-vanilla-cookies-or-cake-downtown-am-i-just-hungry-or-is-that-for-real.html |title=City Quotient: I often smell something like vanilla cookies or cake when walking Downtown. Am I just hungry, or is that for real? |work=Columbus Monthly |first=Jeff |last=Darbee |date=July 2014 |access-date=August 23, 2014 |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820193106/http://www.columbusmonthly.com/content/stories/2014/07/city-quotient-is-i-often-smell-vanilla-cookies-or-cake-downtown-am-i-just-hungry-or-is-that-for-real.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
**[[Hamilton, Ohio]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rutledge |first1=Mile |title=Did you know: A Henry Ford manufacturing plant helped grow Hamilton |url=https://www.journal-news.com/events/did-you-know-henry-ford-manufacturing-plant-helped-grow-hamilton/IZMzV72HgdxZk6JrOyB6FO/ |publisher=Journal-News |access-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref>
**[[Dallas]], Texas<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.motortexas.com/doc/ford-model-t-assembly-building-dallas |title=Ford Model T Assembly Building |work=MotorTexas |access-date=August 4, 2015}}</ref>
**[[Houston, Texas]]
**[[Fort Worth, Texas]]
**[[Jacksonville, Florida]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Jacksonville, Florida's, Ford plant: A wistful monument of the Great Depression |url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/08/18/jacksonville-floridas-ford-plant-a-wistful-monument-of-the-great-depression |publisher=American City Business Journals |access-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref>
**[[New Orleans]] Louisiana<ref>{{cite web |last1=Strohl |first1=Daniel |title=Ford's New Orleans assembly plant added to National Register of Historic Places |url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/06/28/fords-new-orleans-assembly-plant-added-to-national-register-of-historic-places |publisher=American City Business Journals |access-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref>
**[[Des Moines, Iowa]]
**[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]
**[[Chicago]], Illinois
**[[Charlotte, North Carolina]]
**[[Fargo, North Dakota]]
**[[Indianapolis, Indiana]]
**[[Louisville, Kentucky]]
**[[Memphis, Tennessee]]
**[[Milwaukee]], Wisconsin
**[[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania
**[[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania
**[[Kearny, New Jersey]]
**[[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]]
**[[Alexandria, Virginia]]
**[[Norfolk, Virginia]]
**[[Salt Lake City]], Utah
*Argentina: [[Buenos Aires]]
*Australia:<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ford Model T in Australia |url=https://www.fordmodelt.net/model-t-australia.htm|website=FordModelT.net|access-date=March 23, 2025}}</ref>
**[[Adelaide]], South Australia
**[[Brisbane]], Queensland
**[[Fremantle]], Western Australia
**[[Geelong]], Victoria
*Brazil: [[São Bernardo do Campo]], São Paulo
*Canada: 
**[[Toronto]], Ontario,
**[[Walkerville, Ontario|Walkerville]], Ontario, 
**[[Winnipeg]], Manitoba<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.winnipegrealestatenews.com/publications/real-estate-news/1797 |title=Ford of Canada plant — railway cars brought the parts that were assembled into complete vehicles |first=Bruce |last=Cherney |work=Winnipeg Real Estate News |date=March 14, 2013 |access-date=December 17, 2019 |archive-date=December 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215074024/https://www.winnipegrealestatenews.com/publications/real-estate-news/1797 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
**[[Montreal]], Quebec<ref name="Assembly"/>
**[[Vancouver]], British Columbia<ref name="Assembly"/>
*Chile: [[Santiago]]
*Denmark: [[Copenhagen]]
*France: [[Bordeaux]] and [[Asnières-sur-Seine]]
*Germany: [[Berlin]]
*Ireland: [[Cork (city)|Cork]]
*Italy: [[Trieste]]
*Japan: [[Yokohama]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fordmotorhistory.com/factories/branch_system.php |title=Ford's System of Branch Assembly Plants |access-date=September 15, 2015}}</ref>
*Mexico: [[Mexico City]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.motorpasion.com.mx/industria/asi-fue-primera-fabrica-autos-mexico-era-ford-comenzo-1925 |title=29 fotos históricas para recordar a la primera fábrica de autos en México: producía 25 Ford Model T al día en 1925 |trans-title=29 historical photos to remember the first car factory in Mexico: it produced 25 Ford Model T per day in 1925 |first=Gerardo |last=García |work=Motorpasión |location=Mexico |language=Spanish |date=June 24, 2020 |access-date=January 9, 2024}}</ref>
*Norway: [[Bergen]]
*Spain: [[Cádiz]] and [[Barcelona]]
*South Africa: [[Port Elizabeth]]
*United Kingdom: [[Manchester]]
}}
| designer = [[Childe Harold Wills]], main-engineer [[Joseph A. Galamb]] and [[Eugene Farkas]]
| class = [[Economy car]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a3658/4284734/ |title=Top 10 Ford Model T Tech Innovations That Matter 100 Years Later |first=Lindsay |last=Brooke |work=Popular Mechanics |location=US |date=September 25, 2008 |access-date=February 12, 2021}}</ref>
| body_style = {{collapsible list|
*2-door touring (1909–1911)
*3-door touring (1912–1925)
*4-door touring (1926–27)
*no door [[Roadster (automobile)|roadster]] (1909–1911)
*1-door roadster (1912–1925)
*2-door roadster (1926–27)
*[[Roadster (automobile)|roadster]] [[pickup truck|pickup]] (1925–1927)
*2-door [[coupé]] (1909–1912, 1917–1927)
*2-door Coupelet (1915–1917)
*Town car (1909–1918)
*C-cab [[Station wagon|wagon]] (1912)
*2-(center) door [[sedan (automobile)|sedan]] (1915–1923)
*2-door sedan (1924–1927)
*4-door sedan (1923–1927)
*Separate chassis were available all years from independent [[coachbuilder]]s
}}
| layout = [[FMR layout]]
| engine = 177&nbsp;C.I.D. (2.9&nbsp;L) 20 hp [[straight-4|I4]]
| transmission = 2-speed [[planetary gear]]
| wheelbase = {{convert|100.0|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| length = {{convert|134|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| width = {{convert|1676|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} (1912 roadster)<ref name=carsized>{{cite web |title=Ford Model T 1908–1927 |url=https://www.carsized.com/en/ford/model-t/rd/1908/ford/model-t/rd/1908/s/a-z/ford/model-t/ |work=Carsized |location=Switzerland |access-date=August 23, 2019 |archive-date=August 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822214408/https://www.carsized.com/en/ford/model-t/rd/1908/ford/model-t/rd/1908/s/a-z/ford/model-t/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| height = {{convert|1860|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} (1912 roadster)<ref name=carsized/>
| weight = {{convert|1200-1650|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| predecessor = [[Ford Model N]] (1906–1908)
| successor = [[Ford Model A (1927–1931)|Ford Model A]] (1927–31)
}}
The '''Ford Model T''' is an [[automobile]] that was produced by the [[Ford Motor Company]] from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gordon |first1=John Steele |author-link=John Steele Gordon |title=10 Moments That Made American Business |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2007/1/2007_1_23.shtml |access-date=March 18, 2017 |work=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |issue=February/March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420194514/http://americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2007/1/2007_1_23.shtml |archive-date=April 20, 2008}}</ref> It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans.<ref>{{Cite news |title=1926 Ford Model T Sports Touring Car |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2002/09/01/1926-ford-model-t-sports-touring-car/810e313f-4370-44b7-bb76-3282f9de945e/ |access-date=June 2, 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The relatively low price was partly the result of Ford's efficient fabrication, including [[assembly line]] production instead of individual handcrafting.<ref>{{cite web|title=Division of Labor, Assembly Line Thought – The Paradox of Democratic Capitalism|url=http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/division_of_labor.htm|last=Price|first=R. G.|publisher=RationalRevolution.net|date=January 29, 2004|access-date=March 28, 2015}}</ref> The savings from [[mass production]] allowed the price to decline from $780 in 1910 ({{Inflation|US|780|1910|fmt=eq}}) to $290 in 1924 (${{format price|{{Inflation|US|290|1924}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}).<ref>{{cite book |title=Mass Production, the Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression |last=Beaudreau |first=Bernard C. |year=1996 |publisher=Authors Choice Press|location=New York, Lincoln, Shanghi }}</ref> It was mainly designed by three engineers, [[Joseph A. Galamb]] (the main engineer),<ref name="ceautoclassic">{{cite web |url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/jzsef-galamb |title=József Galamb |first=David |last=Conwill |publisher=Hemmings |location=US |date=September 23, 2018 |access-date=June 25, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ceautoclassic.eu/the-110-year-old-ford-model-t-and-the-hungarians-who-made-it-a-success/ |title=The 110-year-old Ford Model T and the Hungarians who made it a success |first1=Pal |last1=Negyesi |work=CE Auto Classic |location=Austria |date=October 24, 2018 |access-date=June 25, 2023}}</ref> [[Eugene Farkas]], and [[Childe Harold Wills]]. The Model T was [[colloquially]] known as the "'''Tin Lizzie'''".<ref>{{cite web |first=Jennifer |last=Rosenberg |date=January 3, 2019 |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/nickname-tin-lizzie-3976121 |title=Why the Model T Is Called the Tin Lizzie |access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref>

The Ford Model T was named the most influential car of the 20th century in the 1999 [[Car of the Century]] competition, ahead of the [[Mini|BMC Mini]], [[Citroën DS]], and [[Volkswagen Beetle]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/24/automobiles/this-just-in-model-t-gets-award.html|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Cobb|first=James G.|title=This Just In: Model T Gets Award|date=December 24, 1999|access-date=March 28, 2015}}</ref> Ford's Model&nbsp;T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of the United States' age of modernization.<ref name=":0" /> With over 15&nbsp;million sold,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://corporate.ford.com/articles/history/the-model-t.html|title=The Model T|website=Ford Motor Company|access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref> it was the [[List of best-selling  automobiles|most sold car in history]] before being surpassed by the [[Volkswagen Beetle]] in 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/beetle-overtakes-model-t-as-worlds-best-selling-car|title=Beetle overtakes Model T as world's best-selling car|website=HISTORY|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref>

== Introduction ==

Early automobiles, which [[history of the automobile|were produced from the 1880s]], were mostly scarce, expensive, and often unreliable. Being the first reliable, easily maintained, mass-market motorized transportation turned the Model&nbsp;T into a great success: Within a few days after release, 15,000 orders were placed.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Henry Ford|last = Curcio|first = Vincent|publisher = Oxford University Press|year = 2013|isbn = 978-0195316926|location = New York}}</ref>
The first production Model&nbsp;T was built on August 12, 1908,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://library.thinkquest.org/27629/chronicle/1908.html |title=Chronicle of 1908 |publisher=Library.thinkquest.org |year=1908 |access-date=October 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211154043/http://library.thinkquest.org/27629/chronicle/1908.html |archive-date=February 11, 2013}}</ref> and left the factory on September 27, 1908, at the [[Ford Piquette Avenue Plant]] in [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]. On May 26, 1927, [[Henry Ford]] watched the 15&nbsp;millionth Model&nbsp;T Ford roll off the assembly line at his [[Highland Park Ford Plant|factory in Highland Park, Michigan]].<ref name=15million>{{cite web |url=http://www.wiley.com/legacy/products/subject/business/forbes/ford.html |title=Henry Ford and the Model&nbsp;T |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=1996 |access-date=December 24, 2012}}</ref>

Henry Ford conceived a series of cars between the founding of the company in 1903 and the introduction of the Model&nbsp;T. Ford named his first car the [[Ford Model A (1903–04)|Model A]] and proceeded through the alphabet up through the Model&nbsp;T. Twenty models in all, not all of which went into production. The production model immediately before the Model&nbsp;T was the [[Ford Model S|Model S]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ritzsite.nl/FORD_1/05_eford.htm |title=Early Ford-models from the years 1903–1908 |page=5 |first=André |last=Ritzinger |access-date=December 24, 2012}}</ref> an upgraded version of the company's largest success to that point, the [[Ford Model N|Model N]]. The follow-up to the Model&nbsp;T was [[Ford Model A (1927–1931)|another Ford Model&nbsp;A]], rather than the "Model&nbsp;U". The company publicity said this was because the new car was such a departure from the old that Ford wanted to start all over again with the letter ''A''.

The Model T was Ford's first automobile [[mass production|mass-produced]] on moving assembly lines with completely [[interchangeable parts]], marketed to the [[American middle class|middle class]].<ref name="hounshell-1984">{{Hounshell1984}}</ref> Henry Ford said of the vehicle: 
<blockquote>
I will build a motor car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one&nbsp;– and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ford|Crowther|1922|p=73}}.</ref>
</blockquote>

Although credit for the development of the assembly line belongs to [[Ransom E. Olds]], with the first mass-produced automobile, the [[Oldsmobile Curved Dash]], having begun in 1901, the tremendous advances in the efficiency of the system over the life of the Model&nbsp;T can be credited almost entirely to Ford and his engineers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Domm|first=Robert W.|title=Michigan Yesterday & Today|publisher=Voyageur Press|location=Minneapolis|year=2009|isbn=9781616731380|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HQdTa9ZXlVAC&q=Ransom+Olds+and+assembly+line&pg=PA29}}</ref>

==Characteristics and design==
[[File:1908 Ford Model T.jpg|thumb|1908 Ford Model T advertisement]]

The Model T was designed by [[Childe Harold Wills]], and Hungarian immigrants [[Joseph A. Galamb]] (main engineer)<ref name="ceautoclassic"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=28540 |title=University students compete to create 21st century Model&nbsp;T |publisher=Ford |access-date=January 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711020343/http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=28540 |archive-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref> and [[Eugene Farkas]].<ref>{{cite web |title=History Lesson: Hungary Celebrates the Ford Model&nbsp;T. |url=http://www.fadaweb.com/news_details.asp?id=n24705 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120905150814/http://www.fadaweb.com/news_details.asp?id=n24705 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 5, 2012 |publisher=[[Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations of India]] |location=India |date=February 27, 2006 |access-date=December 24, 2012 }}</ref> Henry Love, C. J. Smith, Gus Degner and [[Peter E. Martin]] were also part of the team,<ref>{{Harvnb|Wik|1972}}</ref> as were Galamb's fellow Hungarian immigrants Gyula Hartenberger and Károly Balogh.<ref name="ceautoclassic"/> Henry Ford supervised the designers himself. Production of the Model&nbsp;T began in the third quarter of 1908.<ref name="Clymer1950p100">{{Harvnb|Clymer|1950|p=100}}</ref> Collectors today sometimes classify Model&nbsp;Ts by build years and refer to these as "[[model year]]s", thus labeling the first Model&nbsp;Ts as 1909 models. This is a retroactive classification scheme; the concept of model years as understood today did not exist at the time. Even though [[#Body|design revisions occurred]] during the car's two decades of production, the company gave no particular name to any of the revised designs; all of them were called simply "Model&nbsp;T".

{{clear}}

===Engine===
{{main|Ford Model T engine}}
[[File:Fordsidevalve.jpg|thumb|Model T engine]]

The Model T has a front-mounted {{convert|177|cuin|L|1|adj=on}} [[Straight-four engine|inline four-cylinder]] engine, producing {{convert|20|hp|kW|abbr=on}}, for a top speed of {{convert|42|mph|abbr=on|0}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ultimatespecs.com/car-specs/Ford/20867/Ford-Model-T-.html |title=Ford Model T Specs | access-date=October 17, 2021 }}</ref> According to Ford Motor Company, the Model&nbsp;T had fuel economy of {{convert|13|-|21|mpgus|mpgimp L/100 km|abbr=on}}.<ref name="MediaFordCom">{{cite web |url=https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2013/08/05/model-t-facts.html |title=Model T Facts |publisher=Ford |access-date=December 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928165026/https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2013/08/05/model-t-facts.html |archive-date=September 28, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The engine was designed to run on [[gasoline]], although it was able to run on [[kerosene]] or [[Ethanol fuel|ethanol]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/fact-check-henry-ford-didnt-design-the-model-t-as-a-multi-fuel-vehicle/|title=Fact Check: Henry Ford didn't design the Model T as a multi-fuel vehicle|first=Daniel |last=Strohl |work=HEMMINGS.com |access-date=September 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2008/07/25/mnmodel125.xml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120529160308/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2008/07/25/mnmodel125.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 29, 2012 |title=Ford Model T reaches 100 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=July 25, 2008 |access-date=December 24, 2012 |first=Andrew |last=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://journeytoforever.org/ethanol.html#ethintro |title=Ethanol fuel: Journey to Forever |first=Keith |last=Addison |work=Journey to Forever |access-date=December 24, 2012}}</ref> although the decreasing cost of gasoline and the later introduction of [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] made ethanol an impractical fuel for most users. The engines of the first 2,447 units were cooled with water pumps; the engines of unit 2,448 and onward, with a few exceptions prior to around unit 2,500, were cooled by [[thermosiphon|thermosiphon action]].<ref name="Kimes1989p551">{{harvp|Kimes|Clark|1989|p=551}}.</ref>

The [[ignition system]] used in the Model T was an unusual one, with a low-voltage [[magneto]] incorporated in the flywheel, supplying alternating current to [[trembler coil]]s to drive the [[spark plug]]s. This was closer to that used for stationary [[gas engine]]s than the expensive high-voltage [[ignition magneto]]s that were used on some other cars. This ignition also made the Model&nbsp;T more flexible as to the quality or type of fuel it used. The system did not need a starting battery, since proper hand-cranking would generate enough current for starting. Electric lighting powered by the [[magneto]] was adopted in 1915, replacing [[Carbide lamp|acetylene gas flame lamp]] and oil lamps, but electric starting was not offered until 1919.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.modelt.ca/history |title=History of the Ford Motor Company – Fast Facts |website=The Frontenac Motor Company & The Ford Model&nbsp;T |access-date=September 27, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:1920 Ford Model T Controls (1495288990).jpg|thumb|View of the driver's controls, 1920 Model{{nbsp}}T]]
The Model T engine was produced for replacement needs as well as stationary and marine applications until 1941, well after production of the Model&nbsp;T ended.

The [[Fordson]] Model F tractor engine, that was designed about a decade later, was very similar to, but larger than, the Model&nbsp;T engine.<ref name="Manly1919p268">{{Harvnb|Manly|1919|p=268}}</ref>

===Transmission and drive train===
[[File:Model T pedals.jpg|thumb|The three pedal controls clutch, reverse, brake of the Model{{nbsp}}T]]

The Model T is a [[rear-wheel drive]] vehicle. Its [[Transmission (mechanics)|transmission]] is a [[planetary gear]] type known (at the time) as "three speed". In today's terms it is considered a two-speed, because one of the three speeds is reverse.

The Model T's transmission is controlled with three floor-mounted [[Gas pedal|pedals]], a revolutionary feature for its time,<ref>{{Cite episode
 | title          = Built Tough
 | episode-link   =
 | url            =
 | access-date    =
 | series         = The Machines That Built The World: Snack Sized
 | series-link    =
 | first          =
 | last           =
 | network        =
 | station        = 
 | date           = December 4, 2022
 | season         = 1
 | series-no      =
 | number         =
 | minutes        =
 | time           =
 | transcript     =
 | transcript-url =
 | quote          =
 | language       =
}}</ref> and a lever mounted to the road side of the driver's seat. The [[throttle]] is controlled with a lever on the [[steering wheel]]. The left-hand pedal is used to engage the transmission. With the floor lever in either the mid position or fully forward and the pedal pressed and held forward, the car enters low gear. When held in an intermediate position, the car is in neutral. If the left pedal is released, the Model&nbsp;T enters high gear, but only when the lever is fully forward – in any other position, the pedal only moves up as far as the central neutral position. This allows the car to be held in neutral while the driver cranks the engine by hand. The car can thus cruise without the driver having to press any of the pedals.

In the first 800 units, reverse is engaged with a lever; all units after that use the central pedal, which is used to engage reverse gear when the car is in neutral.<ref name="Kimes1989p551"/> The right-hand pedal operates the [[transmission brake]] – there are no brakes on the wheels. The floor lever also controls the [[parking brake]], which is activated by pulling the lever all the way back. This doubles as an emergency brake.

[[File:Ford model t 1919 d044 lubrication chart.png|thumb|Model T rolling chassis – top view]]

Although it was uncommon, the drive bands could fall out of adjustment, allowing the car to creep, particularly when cold, adding another hazard to attempting to start the car: a person cranking the engine could be forced backward while still holding the crank as the car crept forward, although it was nominally in neutral. As the car utilizes a [[wet clutch]], this condition could also occur in cold weather, when the thickened oil prevents the clutch discs from slipping freely. Power reaches the [[differential (mechanical device)|differential]] through a single [[universal joint]] attached to a [[torque tube]] which drives the rear [[axle]]; some models (typically trucks, but available for cars, as well) could be equipped with an optional two-speed rear Ruckstell axle, shifted by a floor-mounted lever which provides an underdrive gear for easier hill climbing.

====Chassis / frame====
{{Expand section|1=discussion of the standard model T frame design, working, and production|small=no|date=February 2021}}
The heavy-duty ''[[Ford Model TT|Model TT]]'' truck chassis came with a special [[worm gear]] rear differential with lower gearing than the normal car and truck, giving more pulling power but a lower top speed (the frame is also stronger; the cab and engine are the same). A Model&nbsp;TT is easily identifiable by the cylindrical housing for the worm-drive over the axle differential. All gears are [[vanadium steel]] running in an oil bath.

====Transmission bands and linings====
Two main types of band lining material were used:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fordmodelt.net/transmission.htm |title=Ford Model T Transmission |website=FordModelT.net |access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref>
* ''Cotton'' – [[Cotton]] woven linings were the original type fitted and specified by Ford.  Generally, the cotton lining is "kinder" to the drum surface, with damage to the drum caused only by the retaining rivets scoring the drum surface. Although this in itself did not pose a problem, a dragging band resulting from improper adjustment caused overheating of the transmission and engine, diminished power, and&nbsp;– in the case of cotton linings&nbsp;– rapid destruction of the band lining.
* ''Wood'' – Wooden linings were originally offered as a "longer life" accessory part during the life of the Model&nbsp;T. They were a single piece of steam-bent wood and metal wire, fitted to the normal Model&nbsp;T transmission band.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pagé|first=Victor Wilfred |date=1917 |title=The Model T Ford Car, Its Construction, Operation and Repair: A Complete Practical Treatise Explaining the Operating Principles of All Parts of the Ford Automobile, with Complete Instructions for Driving and Maintenance|page=241 |publisher=Norman W. Henley Publishing Co.}}</ref> These bands give a very different feel to the pedals, with much more of a "bite" feel. The sensation is of a definite "grip" of the drum and seemed to noticeably increase the feel, in particular of the brake drum.

====Aftermarket transmissions and drives====

During the Model T's production run, particularly after 1916, more than 30 manufacturers offered auxiliary transmissions or drives to substitute for, or enhance, the Model T's drivetrain gears. Some offered overdrive for greater speed and efficiency, while others offered underdrives for more [[torque]] (often incorrectly described as "power") to enable hauling or pulling greater loads. Among the most noted were the Ruckstell two-speed rear axle, and transmissions by Muncie, Warford, and Jumbo.<ref name="auxiliary_transmissions_1921_fahnestock">{{citation |last=Fahnestock |first=Murray |url=https://www.nwvs.org/Technical/MTFCA/Articles/1803ExtraTransmissions.pdf |title=Multi-Speed Transmissions: Utility and Pleasure of Auxiliary Transmissions |year=1921 |magazine=Ford Owner and Dealer |via=Vintage Ford (Model T Ford Club of America) |access-date=November 30, 2022}}</ref><ref name="auxiliary_transmissions_ted_aschman">{{citation |last1=Aschman |first1=Ted |last2=Houston |first2=Fred |last3=Klehfoth |first3=Jay |url=https://www.nwvs.org/Technical/MTFCA/Articles/2602AuxilaryTransmissions2.pdf |title=I Didn't Know That!: Auxiliary Model T Transmissions |date=March 1991 |magazine=Vintage Ford |publisher=Model T Ford Club of America |access-date=November 30, 2022}}</ref>

Aftermarket transmissions generally fit one of four categories:
* ''Replacement transmission'' – usually a sliding gear/selective transmission, intended as a direct replacement for Ford's planetary-gear transmission.<ref name="auxiliary_transmissions_ted_aschman" />
* ''Front-mounted auxiliary transmission'' – designed to fit between the engine and Ford's transmission, to add additional gear ratios.<ref name="auxiliary_transmissions_ted_aschman" />
* ''Rear-mounted auxiliary transmission'' – mounted at the rear axle housing, and attached between it and the driveshaft, to add additional gear ratios.<ref name="auxiliary_transmissions_ted_aschman" />
* ''Multi-speed axle'' – designed to fit ''inside'' the differential's housing, to add additional gear ratios.<ref name="auxiliary_transmissions_ted_aschman" />

Murray Fahnestock, a Ford expert in the era of the Model T, particularly advised the use of auxiliary transmissions for the enclosed Model T's, such as the Ford Sedan and Coupelet, for three reasons: their greater weight put more strain on the drivetrain and engine, which auxiliary transmissions could smooth out; their bodies acted as sounding boards, echoing engine noise and vibration at higher engine speeds, which could be lessened with intermediate gears; and owners of the enclosed cars spent more to buy them, and thus likely had more money to enhance them.<ref name="auxiliary_transmissions_1921_fahnestock" />

He also noted that auxiliary transmissions were valuable for Ford Ton-Trucks in commercial use, allowing for driving speeds to vary with their widely variable loads – particularly when returning empty – possibly saving as much as 50% of returning drive time.<ref name="auxiliary_transmissions_1921_fahnestock" />

===Suspension and wheels===
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2017}}
[[File:Ford model t suspension.triddle.jpg|thumb|The suspension components of a Ford Model&nbsp;T. The coil-spring device is an aftermarket accessory, the "Hassler shock absorber".]]

Model T suspension employed a transversely mounted semi-elliptical spring for each of the front and rear beam axles, which allowed a great deal of wheel movement to cope with the dirt roads of the time.

The front axle was [[drop forged]] as a single piece of vanadium steel. Ford twisted many axles through eight full rotations (2880 degrees) and sent them to dealers to be put on display to demonstrate its superiority.

The Model T did not have a modern service brake. The right foot pedal applied a band around a drum in the transmission, thus stopping the rear wheels from turning. The previously mentioned parking brake lever operated [[band brake]]s acting on the inside of the rear brake drums, which were an integral part of the rear wheel hubs. Optional brakes that acted on the outside of the brake drums were available from aftermarket suppliers.

Wheels were wooden [[artillery wheel]]s, with steel welded-spoke wheels available in 1926 and 1927.

Tires were [[Tire|pneumatic]] [[Clincher tire|clincher]] type, {{convert|30|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} in diameter, {{convert|3.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} wide in the rear,  {{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}} in the front. Clinchers needed much higher pressure than today's tires, typically {{convert|60|psi|abbr=on}}, to prevent them from leaving the rim at speed. Flat tires were a common problem.

Balloon tires became available in 1925. They were {{convert|21|x|4.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} all around. Balloon tires were closer in design to today's tires, with steel wires reinforcing the tire bead, making lower pressure possible – typically {{convert|35|psi|abbr=on}} – giving a softer ride. The steering gear ratio was changed from 4:1 to 5:1 with the introduction of balloon tires.<ref>{{cite book |title=Model T Ford Service |publisher=Ford}}</ref> The old nomenclature for tire size changed from measuring the outer diameter to measuring the rim diameter so {{convert|21|in|abbr=on}} (rim diameter) × {{convert|4.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} (tire width) wheels has about the same outer diameter as {{cvt|30|in|mm}} clincher tires. All tires in this time period used an [[inner tube]] to hold the pressurized air; [[tubeless tire]]s were not generally in use until much later.

[[Wheelbase]] is {{cvt|100|in|cm|0}} and standard track width was {{cvt|56|in|cm|0}} – {{cvt|60|in|cm|0}} track could be obtained on special order, "for Southern roads," identical to [[Track gauge in the United States#5ft|the pre-Civil War track gauge]] for many railroads in the former [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]. The standard 56-inch track being very near the {{cvt|4|ft|8+1/2|in|cm|1}} inch [[standard-gauge railway|standard railroad track]] gauge, meant that Model&nbsp;Ts could be, and frequently were, fitted with flanged wheels and used as motorized [[Draisine|railway vehicles]] or [[Railroad speeder|"speeders"]]. The availability of a {{cvt|60|in|cm|0}} version meant the same could be done on the few remaining Southern {{cvt|5|ft|cm|0}} railways – these being the only nonstandard lines remaining, except for a few narrow-gauge lines of various sizes.  Although a Model&nbsp;T could be adapted to run on track as narrow as {{cvt|2|ft|cm|0}} gauge (Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington RR, Maine has one), this was a more complex alteration.

===Colors===
By 1918, half of all the cars in the U.S. were Model&nbsp;Ts. In his autobiography, Ford reported that in 1909 he told his management team, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black."<!-- DO NOT TRY TO COPY EDIT THIS QUOTE; IT IS ALREADY *VERBATIM* AND ALREADY ACCEPTABLY WRITTEN. --><ref>{{Harvnb|Ford|Crowther|1922|p=72}}.</ref>

However, in the first years of production from 1908 to 1913, the Model&nbsp;T was ''not'' available in black,<ref name="McCalley 1994">{{Harvnb|McCalley|1994}}.</ref> but rather only in gray, green, blue, and red.  Green was available for the touring cars, town cars, coupes, and [[Landaulet (car)|Landaulets]]. Gray was available for the town cars only and red only for the touring cars. By 1912, all cars were being painted midnight blue with black fenders. Only in 1914 was the "any color so long as it is black" policy finally implemented.

It is often stated Ford suggested the use of black from 1914 to 1925 due to the low cost, durability, and faster drying time of black paint in that era. There is no evidence that black dried any faster than any other dark varnishes used at the time for painting,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Casey |first1=Robert |title=The Model T: A Centennial History |date=2008 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=9780801888502 |page=67 }}</ref> but [[carbon black]] pigment was indeed one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) available, and dark color of [[gilsonite]], a form of bitumen making cheap metal paints of the time durable, limited the (final) color options to dark shades of maroon, blue, green or black.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mtfca.com/encyclo/P-R.htm#paint4 |title=P-R |publisher=Mtfca.com |date= |accessdate=August 6, 2022}}</ref> At that period Ford used two similar types of the so-called [[Japan black]] paint, one as a basic coat applied directly to the metal and another as a final finish.

Paint choices in the American automotive industry, as well as in others (including locomotives, furniture, bicycles, and the rapidly expanding field of electrical appliances), were shaped by the development of the [[chemical industry]]. These included the disruption of dye sources during [[World War I]] and the advent, by the mid-1920s, of new [[nitrocellulose lacquer]]s that were faster-drying and more scratch-resistant and obviated the need for multiple coats.<ref name="Dutton_1942">{{Harvnb|Dutton|1942}}.</ref>{{rp|261–301}} Understanding the choice of paints for the Model&nbsp;T era and the years immediately following requires an understanding of the contemporaneous chemical industry.<ref name="Dutton_1942"/>

During the lifetime production of the Model&nbsp;T, over 30 types of black paint were used on various parts of the car.<ref name="McCalley 1994"/> These were formulated to satisfy the different means of applying the paint to the various parts, and had distinct drying times, depending on the part, paint, and method of drying.

===Body===
<gallery heights="160px">
File:1910Ford-T.jpg|1910 Model T, photographed in Salt Lake City
File:Ford_T_1917.jpg|1917 Model T
File:1915 Ford Model T (01).jpg|1915 Model T Speedster
File:1925.ford.model.t.arp.750pix.jpg|1925 Ford "New Model" T Tudor sedan
</gallery>
Although Ford classified the Model&nbsp;T with a single letter designation throughout its entire life and made no distinction by model years, enough significant changes to the body were made over the production life that the car may be classified into several style generations.  The most immediately visible and identifiable changes were in the hood and cowl areas, although many other modifications were made to the vehicle.
* 1909–1914 – Characterized by a nearly straight, five-sided hood, with a flat top containing a center hinge and two side sloping sections containing the folding hinges. The firewall is flat from the windshield down with no distinct cowl. For these years, [[Carbide lamp|acetylene gas flame headlights]] were used because the flame is resistant to wind and rain. Thick concave mirrors combined with magnifying lenses projected the acetylene flame light. The [[fuel tank]] is placed under the front seat.
* 1915–1916 – The hood design is nearly the same five-sided design with the only obvious change being the addition of louvers to the vertical sides.  A significant change to the cowl area occurred with the windshield relocated significantly behind the firewall and joined with a compound-contoured cowl panel. In these years electric headlights replaced [[Carbide lamp|carbide]] headlights.
* 1917–1923 – The hood design was changed to a tapered design with a curved top. The folding hinges were now located at the joint between the flat sides and the curved top. This is sometimes referred to as the "low hood" to distinguish it from the later hoods. The back edge of the hood now met the front edge of the cowl panel so that no part of the flat firewall was visible outside of the hood.  This design was used the longest and during the highest production years, accounting for about half of the total number of Model&nbsp;Ts built.
* 1923–1925 – This change was made during the 1923 calendar year, so models built earlier in the year have the older design, while later vehicles have the newer design.  The taper of the hood was increased and the rear section at the firewall is about an inch taller and several inches wider than the previous design.  While this is a relatively minor change, the parts between the third and fourth generations are not interchangeable.
* 1926–1927 – This design change made the greatest difference in the appearance of the car.  The hood was again enlarged, with the cowl panel no longer a compound curve and blended much more with the line of the hood.  The distance between the firewall and the windshield was also increased significantly.  This style is sometimes referred to as the "high hood".

The styling on the last "generation" was a preview for the following Model A, but the two models are visually quite different, as the body on the A is much wider and has curved doors as opposed to the flat doors on the T.

===Diverse applications===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Model T tractor.png|A Model T [[Doodlebug tractor|homemade tractor]] pulling a plow
File:Pullford auto-to-tractor conversion advert 1918.png|Pullford auto-to-tractor conversion advertisement, 1918
File:Ford-American LaFrance 1919 Model-T firefighting vehicle.jpg|The American LaFrance company modified more than 900 Ford Model&nbsp;Ts to serve firefighters.
File:Section sanitaire automobile roumaine - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - AP62T123030.jpg|Romanian Model T "Regina Maria" ambulances, 1917
</gallery>
When the Model T was designed and introduced, the infrastructure of the world was quite different from today's. Pavement was a rarity except for sidewalks and a few big-city streets. (The meaning of the term "pavement" as opposed to "sidewalk" comes from that era, when streets and roads were generally dirt and sidewalks were a paved way to walk along them.) Agriculture was the occupation of many people. [[Power tool]]s were scarce outside factories, as were power sources for them; electrification, like pavement, was found usually only in larger towns. [[Rural electrification]] and motorized [[mechanization]] were embryonic in some regions and nonexistent in most. Henry Ford oversaw the requirements and design of the Model&nbsp;T based on contemporary realities. Consequently, the Model&nbsp;T was (intentionally) almost as much a tractor and [[portable engine]] as it was an automobile. It has always been well regarded for its all-terrain abilities and ruggedness. It could travel a rocky, muddy farm lane, cross a shallow stream, climb a steep hill, and be parked on the other side to have one of its wheels removed and a pulley fastened to the hub for a [[flat belt]] to drive a [[bucksaw]], [[threshing machine|thresher]], silo blower, conveyor for filling [[corn crib]]s or haylofts, [[baler]], water pump, electrical generator, and many other applications. One unique application of the Model&nbsp;T was shown in the October 1922 issue of ''Fordson Farmer'' magazine. It showed a minister who had transformed his Model&nbsp;T into a mobile church, complete with small organ.<ref>{{cite book|last=Casey|first=Robert|title=The Model T A Centennial History|url=https://archive.org/details/modeltcentennial0000case|url-access=registration|year=2008|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore|isbn=978-0-8018-8850-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/modeltcentennial0000case/page/148 148]}}</ref>

During this era, entire automobiles (including thousands of Model&nbsp;Ts) were hacked apart by their owners and reconfigured into custom machinery permanently dedicated to a purpose, such as [[Doodlebug tractor|homemade tractors]] and ice saws.<ref>{{cite web |title=1926 Ford Model T Ice Saw |url=http://owlshead.org/collections/detail/1926-ford-t-ice-saw |access-date=December 24, 2012 |publisher=Owl's Head Transportation Museum |archive-date=July 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731165705/http://owlshead.org/collections/detail/1926-ford-t-ice-saw |url-status=dead }} Used for harvesting winter ice from ponds in [[Maine]].</ref> Dozens of [[aftermarket (automotive)|aftermarket]] companies sold [[prefabrication|prefab]] kits to facilitate the T's conversion from car to tractor.<ref name="PrippsMorland1993p28">{{Harvnb|Pripps|Morland|1993|p=28}}.</ref> The Model&nbsp;T had been around for a decade before the [[Fordson tractor]] became available (1917–18), and many Ts were converted for field use. (For example, [[Harry Ferguson]], later famous for his hitches and tractors, worked on Eros Model&nbsp;T tractor conversions before he worked with Fordsons and others.) During the next decade, Model&nbsp;T tractor conversion kits were harder to sell, as the Fordson and then the [[Farmall]] (1924), as well as other light and affordable tractors, served the farm market. But during the [[Great Depression|Depression]] (1930s), Model&nbsp;T tractor conversion kits had a resurgence, because by then used Model&nbsp;Ts and junkyard parts for them were plentiful and cheap.<ref name="Leffingwell2002pp43-51">{{Harvnb|Leffingwell|2002|pp=43–51}}.</ref>

Like many popular car engines of the era, the Model&nbsp;T engine was also used on home-built aircraft (such as the [[Pietenpol Sky Scout]]) and [[motorboat]]s.

During World War I, the Model T was heavily used by the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] in different roles and configurations, such as [[staff car]]s, light cargo trucks, light [[van]]s, light patrol cars, [[Liaison officer|liaison]] vehicles and even as rail tractors. The [[ambulance]] version proved to be well-suited for use in the combat areas. The ambulances could carry three [[stretcher]] patients or four seated patients, and two others could sit with the driver. Besides those made in the United States, ambulance bodies were also made by {{ill|Carrosserie Kellner|de|Kellner Frères}} of [[Boulogne-Billancourt|Boulogne]], near [[Paris]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.landships.info/landships/softskin_articles.html?load=/landships/softskin_articles/Ford_T_Ambulance.html|title=Ford Model T Ambulance|website=landships.info|access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/103172|title=Ford Model T Ambulance Manufactured during World War I, 1917|website=thehenryford.org}}</ref> The [[Romanian Army]] also made use of converted Model T ambulances. These ambulances, named "[[Marie of Romania|Regina Maria]]" ambulances, were capable of carrying four stretcher patients. Conversion work was done by the Leonida Workshops of [[Bucharest]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=141815951658112|title=Autosanitară "Regina Maria" pe șasiu de Ford Model T|publisher=[[National Military Museum, Romania|Muzeul Militar Național "Regele Ferdinand I"]]|language=ro|date=March 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://b365.ro/leonidaco-cum-a-fost-nimicit-un-imperiu-auto-cu-garaje-show-room-si-bloc-corporatist-pe-magheru-azi-extraordinarele-cladiri-de-patrimoniu-mor-sub-ochii-nostri-506915/|title=Leonida&Co – cum a fost nimicit un imperiu auto cu garaje, show-room și bloc corporatist pe Magheru|website=b365.ro|language=ro|date=June 7, 2023}}</ref> An [[armored car (military)|armored-car]] variant (called the "[[Ford FT-B|FT-B]]") was developed in Poland in 1920 due to the high demand during the [[Polish-Soviet war]] in 1920.

Many Model Ts were converted into vehicles that could travel across heavy snows with kits on the rear wheels (sometimes with an extra pair of rear-mounted wheels and two sets of [[continuous track]] to mount on the now-tandemed rear wheels, essentially making it a [[half-track]]) and skis replacing the front wheels. They were popular for rural mail delivery for a time.  The common name for these conversions of cars and small trucks was "snowflyers". These vehicles were extremely popular in the northern reaches of Canada, where factories were set up to produce them.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yt8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA878 |title=Snowflyers Replace Dogs in Frozen North |journal=Popular Mechanics |issue=December |year=1934 |page=878 |access-date=December 24, 2012}}</ref>

A number of companies built Model&nbsp;T–based railcars.<ref name=mtfca_Model_T_railcar>{{cite web |publisher=Model&nbsp;T Ford Club of America |year=2011 |title=Model&nbsp;T Ford Forum: Forum 2011: Old Photo – Model&nbsp;T Rail Car |url=http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/185052.html?1296125299 }}</ref> In ''[[The Great Railway Bazaar]]'', Paul Theroux mentions a rail journey in India on such a railcar. The [[New Zealand Railways Department]]'s [[NZR RM class (Model T Ford)|RM class]] included a few.

The American LaFrance company modified more than 900 Model Ts for use in firefighting, adding tanks, hoses, tools and a bell.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/74384/|title=1926 Ford Model&nbsp;T Fire Truck – The Henry Ford|website=www.thehenryford.org|language=en|access-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref>  Model&nbsp;T fire engines were in service in North America, Europe, and Australia.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Firefighting with Henry's Model&nbsp;T |last=Killen |first=William D. |date=2008 |publisher=W.D. Killen |isbn=9780615223032 |edition=1st |location=Church Hill, TN |oclc=318191997}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> A 1919 Model&nbsp;T equipped to fight chemical fires has been restored and is on display at the [[North Charleston Fire Museum]] in South Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northcharlestonfiremuseum.org/collection.html |title=North Charleston Fire Museum|website=www.northcharlestonfiremuseum.org|language=en|access-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref>

==Production==
===Mass production===
[[File:Ford assembly line - 1913 (restored).jpg|thumb|right|Ford assembly line, 1913]]

The knowledge and skills needed by a factory worker were reduced to 84 areas. When introduced, the&nbsp;T used the building methods typical at the time, assembly by hand, and production was small. The [[Ford Piquette Avenue Plant]] could not keep up with demand for the Model T, and only 11 cars were built there during the first full month of production. More and more machines were used to reduce the complexity within the 84 defined areas. In 1910, after assembling nearly 12,000 Model Ts, Henry Ford moved the company to the new [[Highland Park Ford Plant|Highland Park complex]]. During this time the Model&nbsp;T production system ([[Vertical integration|including the]] [[supply chain]]) transitioned into an iconic example of assembly-line production.<ref name="hounshell-1984"/><ref name=Abernathy/> In subsequent decades it would also come to be viewed as the classic example of the rigid, first-generation version of assembly line production, as opposed to flexible mass production<ref name="hounshell-1984"/> of higher quality products.<ref name=Abernathy>{{cite journal |last1=Abernathy |first1=William J. |last2=Wayne |first2=Kenneth |title=Limits of the Learning Curve |url=https://hbr.org/1974/09/limits-of-the-learning-curve |journal=[[Harvard Business Review]] |date=September 1, 1974 |quote=Ford’s objective was to reduce the price of the automobile and thereby increase volume and market share. <br> "Ford’s long devotion to the experience-curve strategy made the transition to another strategy difficult and very costly" (going from reducing Model&nbsp;T cost to increasing Model A price) "From the time it introduced the Model A, Ford was compelled to compete on the basis of product quality and performance — a strategy in which it was not skilled" <br> The rate of capital investment showed substantial increases after 1913, rising from 11 cents per sales dollar that year to 22 cents by 1921. The new facilities that were built or acquired included blast furnaces, logging operations and saw mills, a railroad, weaving mills, coke ovens, a paper mill, a glass plant, and a cement plant. <br> In its effort to keep reducing Model&nbsp;T costs while wages were rising, Ford continued to invest heavily in plant, property, and equipment. These facilities even included coal mines, rubber plantations, and forestry operations (to provide wooden car parts). By 1926, nearly 33 cents in such assets backed each dollar of sales, up from 20 cents just four years earlier, thereby increasing fixed costs and raising the break-even point. |url-access=limited}}</ref>

As a result, Ford's cars came off the line in three-minute intervals, much [[Experience curve effects|faster than previous methods]], reducing production time from {{frac|12|1|2}} hours before to 93 minutes by 1914, while using less manpower.<ref name="Georgano1985">{{Harvnb|Georgano|1985}}.</ref> In 1914, Ford produced more cars than all other automakers combined. The Model&nbsp;T was a great commercial success, and by the time Ford made its 10 millionth car, half of all cars in the world were Fords. It was so successful Ford did not purchase any advertising between 1917 and 1923; instead, the Model&nbsp;T became so famous, people considered it a norm. More than 15&nbsp;million Model Ts were manufactured in all, reaching a rate of 9,000 to 10,000 cars a day in 1925, or 2&nbsp;million annually,<ref>{{cite book |first=Martin |last=Sandler |title=Driving Around the USA: Automobiles in American Life |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003 |page=21}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Douglas |last=Brinkley |title=Wheels for the world: Henry Ford, his company, and a century of progress, 1903–2003 |url=https://archive.org/details/wheelsforworldhe00brin |url-access=registration |publisher=Viking |year=2003 |page=[https://archive.org/details/wheelsforworldhe00brin/page/475 475]|isbn=9780670031818 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=My forty years with Ford |first1=Charles E. |last1=Sorensen |first2=David Lanier |last2=Lewis |first3=Samuel T. |last3=Williamson |publisher=Wayne State University Press |page=4}}</ref> more than any other model of its day, at a price of just $260 (${{Inflation|US|260|1925|fmt=c}} today). Total Model&nbsp;T production was finally surpassed by the [[Volkswagen Beetle]] on February 17, 1972, while the [[Ford F-Series]] (itself directly descended from the Model&nbsp;T roadster pickup) has surpassed the Model&nbsp;T as Ford's all-time best-selling model.

{{external media
| image2=[https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/hbr/7409/74501_C.gif Ford statistics, 1910-1931] }}

Henry Ford's ideological approach to Model T design was one of getting it right and then keeping it the same; he believed the Model&nbsp;T was all the car a person would, or could, ever need. As other companies offered comfort and styling advantages, at competitive prices, the Model&nbsp;T lost market share and became barely profitable.<ref name=Abernathy/> Design changes were not as few as the public perceived, but the idea of an unchanging model was kept intact. Eventually, on May 26, 1927, Ford Motor Company ceased US production<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/last-day-of-model-t-production-at-ford |title=Last day of Model&nbsp;T production at Ford|publisher=[[History (U.S. TV channel)|History]]|access-date=March 28, 2015}}</ref><ref name=nac>{{cite web|url=http://www.modelt.ca/background.html |publisher=Frontenac Motor Company|title=The Model&nbsp;T Ford|access-date=March 28, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150315112906/http://www.modelt.ca/background.html |archive-date=March 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/last-model-t-produced-in-1927 |title=Last Model&nbsp;T Produced in 1927|date=June 2011|publisher=Cape Girardeau History and Photos|access-date=March 28, 2015}}</ref> and began the [[changeover]]s required to produce the [[Ford Model A (1927–1931)|Model A]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Michigan History |url=http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=189&category=business |work=Detroit News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710135903/http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=189&category=business |archive-date=July 10, 2012 }}</ref> Some of the other Model T factories in the world continued for a short while,<ref>{{cite book|last=Wagner|first=Michael F.|url=http://vbn.aau.dk/files/18846741/Domesticeringen_af_Ford_i_Danmark |title=Domesticeringen af Ford i Danmark|trans-title=The domestication of Ford in Denmark|page=14|publisher=[[Aalborg University]]|location=Denmark|year=2009 |access-date=September 6, 2014|quote=Model&nbsp;T production in Denmark stopped in August 1927 for factory recondition.}}</ref> with the final Model&nbsp;T produced at the [[Cork (city)|Cork, Ireland]] plant in December 1927.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://irishmodeltclub.ie/ford-the-cork-connection/#:~:text=The%20T%20began%20production%20in%201908%20and%20continued,at%20Cork%20continued%20on%20until%2031st%20December%201927. | title=Ford – the Cork Connection | date=November 2, 2019 }}</ref>

[[Ford Model T engine|Model T engine]]s continued to be produced until August 4, 1941. Almost 170,000 were built after car production stopped, as replacement engines were required to service the many existing vehicles. Racers and enthusiasts, forerunners of modern hot rodders, used the Model Ts' blocks to build popular and cheap racing engines, including Cragar, Navarro, and, famously, the [[Frontenac Motor Corporation|Frontenacs]] ("Fronty Fords")<ref name=nac/> of the [[Chevrolet]] brothers, among many others.

The Model T employed some advanced technology, for example, its use of [[vanadium steel]] alloy. Its durability was phenomenal, and some Model Ts and their parts are in running order over a century later. Although Henry Ford resisted some kinds of change, he always championed the advancement of [[materials engineering]], and often mechanical engineering and industrial engineering.

On May 26, 1927, Henry Ford and his son Edsel drove the 15-millionth Model&nbsp;T out of the factory.<ref name=15million/> This marked the famous automobile's official last day of production at the main factory.

Although Ford no longer manufactures parts for the Model T, many parts are still manufactured through [[Privately held company|private companies]] as replicas to service the thousands of Model Ts still in operation today.

In 2002, Ford built a batch of six Model Ts as part of their 2003 centenary celebrations. These cars were assembled from new reproduction parts from third party companies and from some parts reproduced from the original drawings.<ref>{{cite news |title=What's New at Ford? Try the 2003 Model T |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/28/automobiles/what-s-new-at-ford-try-the-2003-model-t.html |first=Tony |last=Swan |work=New York Times |date=December 28, 2001 |access-date=July 28, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ford’s T-100 project |url=https://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/T-100.pdf |publisher=Model T Ford Club of America |access-date=July 28, 2025 |quote=Note the authentic oil leak from the valve chamber cover. No detail has been overlooked! }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The 2003 Ford Model T-100 |url=https://www.gizmohighway.com/autos/ford-model-t-100.htm |work=Gizmo Highway |access-date=July 28, 2025 |quote=All of the parts in these vehicles are new.}}</ref> The last of the six was used for publicity purposes in the UK.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

===Price and production===
[[File: Phoenix-Phoenix Police Museum-1919 Ford Model TPolice Cruiser.jpg|thumb|1919 Ford Model{{nbsp}}T Phoenix Police cruiser]]
{{external media
| image1=[https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/hbr/7409/74501_A.gif Ford Model T price/volume curve, 1909–1923]
}}

The moving assembly line system, which started on October 7, 1913, allowed Ford to reduce the price of his cars.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/ford-assembly-line-turns-100-changed-society-article-1.1478331 |title=Ford's Assembly Line Turns 100: How It Changed Manufacturing and Society |work=[[New York Daily News|Daily News]] |date=October 7, 2013 |access-date=August 27, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131130021237/http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/ford-assembly-line-turns-100-changed-society-article-1.1478331 |archive-date=November 30, 2013}}</ref> As he continued to fine-tune the system, Ford was able to keep reducing costs significantly.<ref name=imf>{{cite web|url= https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2017/05/22/Riding-the-Energy-Transition-Oil-Beyond-2040-44932 |title=Riding the Energy Transition : Oil Beyond 2040 |first1=Reda |last1=Cherif |first2=Fuad |last2=Hasanov |first3=Aditya |last3=Pande |publisher= [[International Monetary Fund]] |date=May 22, 2017 |access-date=October 7, 2017 |page=13 |quote=Vehicle adoption is strongly associated with the ability to offer an affordable price. The large fall in prices in the early 1900s, thanks to the economies of scale and process innovations made by Ford, is closely matched by a rise in motor vehicle registrations.<!-- by [[nominal GDP]] -->}}</ref> As volume increased, he was able to also lower the prices due to some of the fixed costs being spread over a larger number of vehicles,<ref name=Abernathy/> and as large supply chain investments increased assets per vehicle, other factors such as material costs and design changes reduced the price.<ref name=Abernathy/> As Ford had market dominance in North America during the 1910s, other competitors reduced their prices to stay competitive, while offering features that were not available on the Model{{nbsp}}T such as a wide choice of colors, body styles and interior appearance and choices, and competitors also benefited from the reduced costs of raw materials and infrastructure benefits to supply chain and ancillary manufacturing businesses.

In 1909, the cost of the Runabout started at {{US$|825|long=no|year=1909|round=-1}}. By 1925 it had been lowered to {{US$|260|long=no|year=1925|round=-1}}.

The figures below are US production numbers compiled by R. E. Houston, Ford Production Department, August 3, 1927. The figures between 1909 and 1920 are for Ford's fiscal year. From 1909 to 1913, the fiscal year was from October 1 to September 30 the following calendar year with the year number being the year in which it ended. For the 1914 fiscal year, the year was October 1, 1913, through July 31, 1914. Starting in August 1914, and through the end of the Model{{nbsp}}T era, the fiscal year was August 1 through July 31. Beginning with January 1920, the figures are for the calendar year.

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Production !! Price for<br />Runabout !! Current<br/>equivalent<br/>cost!!Notes
|-
| 1909 || style="text-align:right;"|10,666 || style="text-align:right;"|$825 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|825|1909|fmt=c}}  ||Touring car was $850.
|-
| 1910 || style="text-align:right;"|19,050 || style="text-align:right;"|$900 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|900|1910|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1911 || style="text-align:right;"|34,858 || style="text-align:right;"|$680 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|680|1911|fmt=c}} ||
|-
| 1912 || style="text-align:right;"|68,733 || style="text-align:right;"|$590 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|590|1912|fmt=c}} ||
|-
| 1913 || style="text-align:right;"|170,211 || style="text-align:right;"|$525 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|525|1913|fmt=c}} ||
|-
| 1914 || style="text-align:right;"|202,667 || style="text-align:right;"|$440 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|440|1914|fmt=c}}||  Fiscal year was only 10 months long due to change in end date from September 30 to July 31.
|-
| 1915 || style="text-align:right;"|308,162 || style="text-align:right;"|$390 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|390|1915|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1916 || style="text-align:right;"|501,462 || style="text-align:right;"|$345 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|345|1916|fmt=c}}||<ref>{{Harvnb|Lewis|1976|pp=41–59}}.</ref>
|-
| 1917 || style="text-align:right;"|735,020 || style="text-align:right;"|$500 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|500|1917|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1918 || style="text-align:right;"|664,076 || style="text-align:right;"|$500 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|500|1918|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1919 || style="text-align:right;"|498,342 || style="text-align:right;"|$500 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|500|1919|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1920 || style="text-align:right;"|941,042 || style="text-align:right;"|$395 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|395|1920|fmt=c}}|| Production for fiscal year 1920, (August 1, 1919, through July 31, 1920). Price was $550 in March but dropped by September.
|-
| 1920 || style="text-align:right;"|463,451 || style="text-align:right;"|$395 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|395|1920|fmt=c}}|| Production for balance of calendar year, August 1 through December 31. Total '1920' production (17 months) = 1,404,493
|-
| 1921 || style="text-align:right;"|971,610 || style="text-align:right;"|$325 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|325|1921|fmt=c}}|| Price was $370 in June but dropped by September.
|-
| 1922 || style="text-align:right;"|1,301,067 || style="text-align:right;"|$319 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|319|1922|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1923 || style="text-align:right;"|2,011,125 || style="text-align:right;"|$364 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|364|1923|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1924 || style="text-align:right;"|1,922,048 || style="text-align:right;"|$265 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|265|1924|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1925 || style="text-align:right;"|1,911,705 || style="text-align:right;"|$260 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|260|1925|fmt=c}}|| Touring car was $290.
|-
| 1926 || style="text-align:right;"|1,554,465 || style="text-align:right;"|$360 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|360|1926|fmt=c}}||
|-
| 1927 || style="text-align:right;"|399,725 || style="text-align:right;"|$360 || style="text-align:right;"|${{Inflation|US|360|1927|fmt=c}}||  Production ended before mid-year to allow retooling for the [[Ford Model A (1927–31)|Model A]].
|}

The above tally includes a total of 14,689,525 vehicles.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1926/07/31/archives/ford-on-63rd-birthday-shows-air-flivver-turning-motor-himself.html |title=Ford, on 63rd Birthday, Shows 'Air Flivver,' Turning Motor Himself; 14,000,000th Car Out |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 31, 1926 |access-date=August 23, 2025}}</ref> Ford said the last Model{{nbsp}}T was the 15 millionth vehicle produced.<ref name=15million/>

===Recycling===
Henry Ford used wood scraps from the production of Model Ts to make charcoal briquettes. Originally named Ford Charcoal, the name was changed to [[Kingsford (charcoal)|Kingsford Charcoal]] after the Iron Mountain Ford Plant closed in 1951 and the Kingsford Chemical Company was formed and continued the wood distillation process. E. G. Kingsford, Ford's cousin by marriage, brokered the selection of the new sawmill and wood distillation plant site.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kingsford.com/our-heritage/ |title=Our Heritage |publisher=Kingsford |access-date=December 24, 2012}}</ref> Lumber for production of the Model&nbsp;T came from the same location, built in 1920 called the Iron Mountain Ford which incorporated a sawmill where lumber from Ford purchased land in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was cut and dried. Scrap wood was distilled at the Iron Mountain plant for its wood chemicals, including [[methanol]] (wood alcohol), with the end by-product being lump charcoal. This lump charcoal was modified and pressed into briquettes and mass-marketed by Ford.<ref name="Chronicle">{{cite journal|last1=Forstrom|first1=Guy|title=The Burning History of the Charcoal Briquette |journal=Historical Society of Michigan|date=Summer 2017|volume=40|issue=2|pages=13–15}}</ref>

===First global car===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">
File:Ford factory LaBoca.jpg|right|The first Ford assembly plant in [[La Boca, Buenos Aires]], c. 1921
File:Feature. Model T Ford BAnQ P48S1P16620.jpg|right|A 1923 Ford T in Canada, photographed in 1948
</gallery>

The Ford Model T was the first automobile built by multiple countries simultaneously, since they were being produced in [[Ford Motor Company of Canada|Walkerville]], Canada, and in [[Trafford Park]], Greater Manchester, England, starting in 1911. After World War I ended in 1918, they were assembled in [[Ford Germany|Germany]], [[Ford Motor Company of Argentina|Argentina]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.autohistoria.com.ar/Historias/Ford%20Historia.htm |title=Historia de Ford en Argentina |trans-title=History of Ford in Argentina |language=es |access-date=December 24, 2012 |publisher=Auto Historia |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121205133602/http://www.autohistoria.com.ar/Historias/Ford%20Historia.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> France, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and Japan.  Furthermore, exports from the American factories reached 303,000 in 1925. The heavy losses of horses during the World War made the  Model T attractive as a new power source for European farmers.  They used the Model T to pull plows, tow wagons, and power farm machinery. It enabled them to transport their products to markets more efficiently.{{sfn|Nevins|Hill|1957|pages=355-378}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.autoatlantic.com/Sept08/Sept08_Ford-Model-T-is-100.html |title=Celebrating the Ford Model T, only 100 years young! |work=Auto Atlantic |access-date=December 24, 2012 |year=2008 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518113244/http://www.autoatlantic.com/Sept08/Sept08_Ford-Model-T-is-100.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Aeroford]] was an English automobile manufactured in [[Bayswater]], London, from 1920 to 1925.  It was a Model&nbsp;T with a distinct hood and grille to make it appear to be a totally different design, what later was called [[badge engineering]]. The Aeroford sold from £288 in 1920, dropping to £168–214 by 1925. It was available as a two-seater, four-seater, or [[coupé]].<ref>David Culshaw & Peter Horrobin: ''The Complete Catalogue of British Cars 1895–1975''. Veloce Publishing plc. Dorchester (1999).  {{ISBN|1-874105-93-6}}</ref>

==Advertising and marketing==
Ford created a massive publicity machine in Detroit to ensure every newspaper carried stories and advertisements about the new product. Promotion began well in advance for the introduction of the Model&nbsp;T, with advertisements appearing in newspapers in January 1908.<ref>{{cite newspaper |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune/61224206/ |newspaper=The Minneapolis Tribune |date=January 8, 1908 |page=9 |title=Ford Automobiles}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ford Cars |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/passaic-daily-news-ford-cars-ad-includin/170747857/ |newspaper=Passaic Daily News |date=January 24, 1908 |page=9}}</ref> Ford's network of local dealers made the car ubiquitous in virtually every city in North America. A large part of the success of Ford's Model&nbsp;T stems from the innovative strategy which introduced a large network of sales hubs making it easy to purchase the car.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Folkmann|first=Mads Nygaard|year=2011|title=Encoding Symbolism: Immateriality and Possibility in Design|journal=Design and Culture|volume=3|issue=1|pages=51–74|doi=10.2752/175470810X12863771378752|s2cid=144223359}}</ref> As independent dealers, the franchisees grew rich and publicized not just the Ford but the very concept of automobiling; local motor clubs sprang up to help new drivers and to explore the countryside. Ford was always eager to sell to farmers, who looked on the vehicle as a commercial device to help their business. Sales skyrocketed&nbsp;– several years posted around 100 percent gains on the previous year.

=="Jitney" taxi==
In the early years of the 20th century, many Ford Model T owners in the US and Canada used their vehicles to provide a regulated or unregulated [[share taxi]] or [[illegal taxi operation]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Hakim |editor1-first=Simon |editor2-last=Clark |editor2-first=Robert M. |editor3-last=Blackstone |editor3-first=Erwin A. |title=Handbook on Public Private Partnerships in Transportation, Volume I: Airports, Water Ports, Rail, Buses, Taxis, and Finance  (Competitive Government: Public Private Partnerships) |date=January 3, 2022 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3030834838 |page=287-289 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Handbook_on_Public_Private_Partnerships/BJtXEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%2B%22model+t%22+%2B%22jitney%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA288&printsec=frontcover}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Blanchard |first1=Jim |title=Winnipeg's Great War A City Comes of Age |date=September 15, 2010 |publisher=University of Manitoba Press |isbn=9780887550140 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Winnipeg_s_Great_War/06NvEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22model+t%22+jitney+-wikipedia&pg=PT187&printsec=frontcover}}</ref> As a result, the Model T was often colloquially known at that time as a "jitney" when used as a cab or taxi.

==24 Hours of Le Mans==
Parisian Ford dealer [[Charles Montier]] and his brother-in-law [[Albert Ouriou]] entered a heavily modified version of the Model&nbsp;T (the "Montier Special") in the first three [[24 Hours of Le Mans]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Spurring|first=Quentin|date=2015|title=Le Mans 1923–29|location=Yeovil|publisher=[[Haynes Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-91050-508-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/charles-montier/|title=Driver Database: Charles Montier|publisher=DriverDB.com}}</ref> They finished 14th in the [[1923 24 Hours of Le Mans|inaugural 1923 race]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://database.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/1923-le-mans-24-hours|magazine=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]|title=1923 Le Mans 24 Hours &#124; Motor Sport Magazine Database}}</ref>

==Car clubs==
[[File:1919 Ford Model T Pickup.JPG|thumb|1919 Model T stakebed]]
Today, four main clubs exist to support the preservation and restoration of these cars: the Model&nbsp;T Ford Club International,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modelt.org/ |title=The Model&nbsp;T Ford Club International |publisher=Modelt.org |access-date=June 2, 2013}}</ref> the Model T Ford Club of America<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtfca.com |title=Model&nbsp;T Ford Club of America |publisher=Mtfca.com |access-date=June 2, 2013}}</ref> and the combined clubs of Australia. With many chapters of clubs around the world, the Model&nbsp;T Ford Club of Victoria<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.modeltfordclubvic.org.au |title=Model&nbsp;T Ford Club of Victoria |publisher=Modeltfordclubvic.org.au |access-date=June 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604062202/http://www.modeltfordclubvic.org.au/ |archive-date=June 4, 2013}}</ref> has a membership with a considerable number of uniquely Australian cars. (Australia produced its own car bodies, and therefore many differences occurred between the Australian bodied tourers<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modeltcentral.com/Model-T-Ford-Australian-tourers.html |title=Model&nbsp;T Ford Australian Tourers |publisher=Model&nbsp;T Central |access-date=June 2, 2013}}</ref> and the US/Canadian cars.) In the UK, the Model&nbsp;T Ford Register of Great Britain celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010. Many steel Model&nbsp;T parts are still manufactured today, and even [[Glass-reinforced plastic|fiberglass]] replicas of their distinctive bodies are produced, which are popular for [[T-bucket]] style [[hot rod]]s (as immortalized in the [[Jan and Dean]] [[surf music]] song "Bucket T", which was later recorded by [[The Who]]).{{Citation needed|date=September 2014}} In 1949, more than twenty years after the end of production, 200,000 Model Ts were registered in the United States.{{Sfn|Sedgwick|1972|pp=50–51}} In 2008, it was estimated that about 50,000 to 60,000 Ford Model Ts remain roadworthy.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dvZjf-4qbeAC&pg=PA188 |page=188 |title=Ford Model T: The Car that Put the World on Wheels |first=Lindsay |last=Brooke |publisher=MBI Publishing Company |year=2008 |isbn=9780760327289 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px" caption="Model T chronology">
File:Ford Model T 1909 Serial337 LFront Lake Mirror Cassic 16Oct2010 (14854254936).jpg|1909 touring (a very early example with two-pedal, two-lever control)
File:1909 Ford Model T Roadster - Donald F Yoder - Old Car Festival 2013 (9697385671).jpg|1909 roadster
File:Old cars in Huron County, Ontario.jpg|1909 Tourabout (like the touring, but without rear doors)
File:DSC04225 (44038630681).jpg|1911 touring
File:1911 Ford Model T Torpedo Runabout (18604642102).jpg|1911 Torpedo Runabout
File:1911 Ford Model T (12402527964).jpg|1911 Open Runabout
File:1912 Ford T Open Touring 4 cylinder 24hp pic1.JPG|1912 touring
File:Ford Model T 1X7A7914.jpg|1912 commercial roadster
File:1912 Ford Model T Torpedo Runabout (30908171700).jpg|1912 Torpedo Runabout
File:26th Annual New London to New Brighton Antique Car Run (7750062766).jpg|1912 delivery car
File:Ford Model T 3-door Tourer (1913).jpg|1913 Touring
File:Ford Model T Roadster.jpg|1913 Runabout
File:Take a ride in a real Model T - panoramio.jpg|1914 touring
File:Corbridge Classic Car Show 2013 (9231371881).jpg|1914 Runabout
File:1915 Ford Model T Runabout.jpg|1915 Runabout – curved cowl panel added
File:1916 Ford Model T touring car.JPG|1916 touring
File:1917 Ford Model T Runabout.jpg|1917 Runabout – begin curved hood to match cowl panel
File:1919 Ford Model T Runabout GMR995.jpg|1919 Runabout
File:1920 Ford Model T Touring 3.jpg|1920 touring
File:1921 Ford Model T.jpg|1921 Ford Model T
File:1921 Ford Model T Touring 2.jpg|1921 touring
File:Vintage Car Museum & Event Center May 2017 22 (1922 Ford Model T Runabout).jpg|1922 Runabout
File:1922 Ford Model T table top truck (6712896055).jpg|1922 flatbed truck
File:1923 Ford Model T Depot Hack.jpg|1923 Ford Model T depot hack
File:1923 Ford Model T Runabout AZW456.jpg|1923 Runabout (early '23 model)
File:1924 Ford Model T Touring CX 894.jpg|1924 touring – begin higher hood and slightly shorter cowl panel – late-1923 models were similar
File:1924-1925 Ford - T Roadster, Coimbatore (2).jpg|1924–1925 Runabout
File:1925 Ford Model T touring.jpg|1925 touring – with the balloon tires and split rims, optional extras of the period
File:1925 Ford Model T Touring.jpg|1925 touring
File:1926 Ford Model T Runabout ECH956.jpg|1926 Runabout – begin higher hood and longer cowl panel
File:1927 Ford Model T Runabout.jpg|1927 Runabout
File:Ford Model T - Serial No. 15,000,000, Built May 1927.jpg|1927 touring – last Ford Model&nbsp;T built at Highland Park Ford Plant
File:1928 Model A Ford.jpg|1928 Ford Model A Tudor sedan – shown for comparison, body is wider and has curved doors.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Cars|Manufacturing}}
*[[Lakeside Foundry]]
*[[NZR RM class (Model T Ford)|New Zealand RM class (Model&nbsp;T Ford)]] – a 1925 experimental [[railcar]] based on a Model&nbsp;T powertrain
*[[Piper J-3 Cub]], the 1930s/40s American light aircraft that developed a similar degree of ubiquity in [[general aviation]] circles to the Model T

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*{{Cite book | last = Clymer | first = Floyd | year = 1955 | title = Henry's wonderful Model T, 1908–1927 | publisher = McGraw-Hill | location = New York, NY, U.S. | lccn = 55010405  }}
*{{Cite book | last = Clymer | first = Floyd | year = 1950 | title = Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925 | publisher = McGraw-Hill | location = New York, NY, U.S. | lccn = 50010680 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Dutton |first=William S. |year=1942 |title=Du Pont: One Hundred and Forty Years |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WEtZAAAAYAAJ |lccn=42011897 }}
*{{Ford1922}}
*{{Cite book | last = Georgano | author-link = G.N. Georgano | first = G. N. | year = 1985 | title = Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886–1930 | publisher = Grange-Universal | location = London, UK }}
*{{Hounshell1984}}
*{{Cite book|last1=Kimes|first1=Beverly Rae|last2=Clark|first2=Henry Austin Jr.|year=1989|title=Standard Catalog of America Cars: 1805–1942|edition=2nd|publisher=[[Krause Publications]]|isbn=9780873411110 |url=https://archive.org/details/standardcatalogo0000kime}}
*{{Cite book | last = Lacey | first = Robert | year = 1986 | title = Ford: The Men and the Machine | publisher = Little, Brown | location = Boston, MA, U.S. | isbn = 978-0-316-51166-7 }}
*{{Cite book |last= Leffingwell |first= Randy | title=Ford Tractors | year=2002 |orig-year=1998 |publisher=Borders |isbn= 0-681-87878-9 }}
*{{Cite book | last = Lewis | first = David | year = 1976 | title = The Public Image of Henry Ford: An American Folk Hero and His Company | publisher = Wayne State University Press | location = Detroit, MI, U.S. | isbn = 978-0-8143-1553-8 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Manly |first=Harold P. |year=1919 |title=The Ford Motor Car and Truck; Fordson Tractor: Their Construction, Care and Operation |publisher=Frederick J. Drake & Co |location=Chicago, IL, US |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BR4xAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA268 }}
*{{Cite book | last = McCalley | first = Bruce W. | year = 1994 | title = Model&nbsp;T Ford: The Car That Changed the World | publisher = [[Krause Publications]] | location = Iola, WI, U.S. | isbn = 0-87341-293-1 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Nevins |first=Allan |title=Ford: The Times, the Man, the Company |year=1954 |location=New York |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |lccn=54-6305 |url=https://archive.org/details/ford00nevi/page/n4/mode/1up |pages=385–590}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Nevins |first1=Allan |last2=Hill |first2=Frank Ernest |title=Ford: Expansion and Challenge 1915-1933 |year=1957 |location=New York |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |lccn=57-9695 |url=https://archive.org/details/fordexpansioncha0000alla/page/n8/mode/1up}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Pripps |first1=Robert N. |last2=Morland |first2=Andrew (photographer) |year=1993 |title=Farmall Tractors: History of International McCormick-Deering Farmall Tractors |series=Farm Tractor Color History Series |publisher=MBI |location=Osceola, WI, U.S. |isbn=978-0-87938-763-1 }}
*{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Irwin |url=http://www.gasenginemagazine.com/letters/fords-fabulous-flivver.aspx |title=Ford's Fabulous Flivver |work=Gas Engine Magazine |date=November 1974 |access-date=August 11, 2016 }}
*{{Cite book | last = Sedgwick | first = Michael | author-link = Michael C. Sedgwick | year = 1972 | orig-year = 1962 | title = Early Cars | publisher = Octopus Books | isbn = 0-7064-0058-5 | url = https://archive.org/details/earlycars00mich }}
*{{Cite book | editor-last = Ward | editor-first = Ian | year = 1974 | title = The World of Automobiles | volume = 13 | publisher = Orbis | location = London, UK }}
*{{Cite book | last = Wik | first = Reynold M. | year = 1972 | title = Henry Ford and grass-roots America | publisher = University of Michigan Press | location = Ann Arbor, MI, U.S. | isbn = 978-0-472-97200-5 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/henryfordgrassro0000wikr }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ford Model T|nowrap=yes}}
*[http://www.fordmodelt.net FordModelT.net – Resource for Model T Owners and Enthusiasts]
*[http://www.mtfca.com Model T Ford Club of America (USA)]
*[http://www.modelt.org Model T Ford Club International]
*{{imcdb vehicle|make=Ford|model=Model+T|Ford Model T}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150928085718/http://oldrhinebeck.org/ORA/collection/ground-vehicles First] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20150929071410/http://oldrhinebeck.org/ORA/collection/ground-vehicles-2/ second] web pages of Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's vintage vehicle collection, featuring five Model T-based vehicles

{{Henry Ford}}
{{Early Ford cars}}
{{Ford}}
{{WWI US Soft Vehicles|state=collapsed}}
{{WWI British Soft Vehicles|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1900s cars]]
[[Category:1910s cars]]
[[Category:1920s cars]]
[[Category:Brass Era vehicles]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1908]]
[[Category:Convertibles]]
[[Category:Ford vehicles|Model T]]
[[Category:Full-size vehicles]]
[[Category:History of Detroit]]
[[Category:1908 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States]]
[[Category:Pickup trucks]]
[[Category:Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles]]