FORD MODEL T SUPPLIERS STILL HELPING PUT THE WORLD ON WHEELS

Related Topics:  History, Heritage
  • Nearly 20 automotive suppliers who helped Henry Ford build the Model T are still working with Ford Motor Company today.
  • Ford celebrates Model T supplier contributions then, and now.

DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 20, 2008 - They made the carburetors, spark plugs, windshields, sheet metal and bearings for the "car that put the world on wheels."   As Henry Ford's Model T reaches its 100th anniversary, Ford Motor Company is also celebrating the teamwork and ingenuity of the original Model T suppliers that are still part of Ford's extended family.

Ford continues to do business with nearly 20 automotive suppliers involved in the Model T, which first rolled off the assembly line at the Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit in 1908.

"The fact that these suppliers are still doing business with Ford Motor Company today speaks volumes about the relationships that Henry Ford created a century ago," said Tony Brown, group vice president, Global Purchasing.   "This longevity is a testament to both Ford and its suppliers.  Today, we salute these special companies and look forward to another century of innovative and cutting edge technology."

As the auto industry took shape in the early 1900s, the Model T played a pivotal role in how cars were developed and produced.  Among its distinctions, the Model T was the first low-priced, automobile with standard, interchangeable parts.  The moving assembly line Ford used for assembling the car went on to revolutionize manufacturing. 

"We are proud of these relationships and want to acknowledge the contributions made both then and now," said Brown.

Model T suppliers still partnering with Ford today, and the parts they made include:

  • BF Goodrich  (now part of The Michelin Group) -- tires
  • The Budd Company (now part of ThyssenKrupp AG) – sheet metal stampings
  • Champion (now part of Federal-Mogul Corp.) – spark plugs
  • Spicer Manufacturing Corp. (now Dana Holding Corp.) – universal joints/drivshafts
  • DuPont-Fabrikoid (now DuPont) – interior fabric
  • Federal-Mogul Corp. – metal parts
  • General Electric Co. – headlight bulbs
  • Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. -- tires
  • Holley Motor Co.  (now Holley Performance Products Inc.) -- carburetors
  • Kelsey Hayes Wheels (now Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc.) – wheels, car bodies
  • Ditzler Color Company (now PPG Automotive Refinish, a division of PPG Industries) – paint
  • Prestolite Electric Inc. – battery cell cover
  • AB SKF – generator ball bearing
  • Sears Roebuck and Co. – accessories and parts including springs, oil, mufflers, trunk racks
  • Texaco (now part of Chevron Corp.) – paint thinner
  • Timken Co. – front wheel bearings
  • U.S. Steel Corp. -- steel

Last month, hundreds of Model Ts and Model T enthusiasts from around the world gathered in Richmond, Ind., for a week-long celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of the Tin Lizzy.  The centennial celebration was the largest gathering of Model T's since the 1908 departure from the Piquette plant.  Model T owners from as far away as New Zealand attended the celebrations.  For more information regarding scheduled Model T events, go to http://media.ford.com and click on Model T/100 Years.

Model T Facts

  • Oct. 1, 1908 marks the anniversary of the introduction of the first Model T.
  • The Model T was the first low-priced, mass-produced automobile with standard, interchangeable parts.
  • The Model T was equipped with a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engine with a top speed of approximately 45 miles per hour, weighed 1,200 pounds, and achieved 13-21 miles per gallon.
  • The moving assembly line for the Model T revolutionized manufacturing in 1913.
  • More than 15 million Model Ts had been sold by May 26, 1927, when a ceremony marked the formal end of Model T production.
  • Henry Ford called the Model T "the universal car", a low-cost, reliable vehicle that could be maintained easily and could successfully travel the poor roads of the era.
  • On Dec. 18, 1999, the Ford Model T was named "Car of the Century" by a panel of 133 automotive journalists and experts who began with a list of 700 candidates in 1996 and sequentially narrowed the nominees through seven rounds of balloting over three years.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 229,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.