“I want to build a motorcar for the great multitude, it will be large enough for the family, small enough for the individual to run and care for.<\/em><\/p>\n It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired after the simplest design and modern engineering can devise, but it will also be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one………..great open spaces\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Henry Ford 1907<\/em><\/p>\n “Unless you can see a thing, you cannot simplify it; and unless you can simplify it, it\u2019s a good sign you cannot make it\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The most beautiful thing in the world \u201cFord said a quarter of a century later “are those forms which all excess weight has been eliminated”<\/em><\/p>\n “I refuse to recognise the impossible”<\/em><\/p>\n Henry Ford <\/em><\/p>\n “Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them “<\/em><\/p>\n Henry Ford:-<\/em><\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n The Ford story is extremely important in our understanding of Chapman and Lotus.<\/p>\n In this article we shall examine in some depth its origins and in particular the T from which later small capacity Ford side valve engines derived. We shall look primarily at Henry Ford’s life during which he established Ford in Britain and from which Chapman and Lotus would benefit.<\/p>\n Ford in Britain with Chapman provided:-<\/p>\n On December 19th<\/sup> 1999, the Ford Model T was named “Car of the Century\u201d by the Century International Jury.<\/p>\n “The Model T has two stories .The obvious one is that it was a sound, utilitarian device that motorised the USA. It was free from many of the quirks of other early cars , was thoughtfully engineered , and from time to time , was relatively easy to drive thanks to a semiautomatic epicyclical transmission ………….the model T has equally great significance as a symbol and advertisement for production line techniques ”<\/p>\n Henry Ford is considered to have put the world on wheels. His significance has to be measured across many disciplines and these interrelate and overlap. They include:-<\/p>\n All of which provide educational opportunities and many academic subjects beyond engineering; notably economic geography.<\/p>\n Henry Ford like Chapman was complex man with some obvious ironies in his character. We will attempt to study these briefly.<\/p>\n The story of Ford is complex and we ask subscribers to stay with us in our attempt to provide breadth and depth. Henry Ford like Chapman has had his detractors and it\u2019s important to try and avoid over simplifications and stereotypes. Attempting to explain the evolution although essentially chronological can miss the extreme importance of the homogeneity of the product specification, the market, retail price and the realisation of all these through extreme economy of complex mass production techniques.<\/p>\n Here we attempt to jig the emphasis towards the guts of the means of meeting market demands.Becasuse of the overlapping nature of the subject and focus there is a little repetition, but we hope this supports clarity and emphasis towards the delivery objectives Ford made.<\/p>\n Henry Ford like Chapman and Carnegie used the skills of collaborators to an extent not always credited. This use has a beneficial and creative purpose and can enable better products to reach the market and satisfy customers than otherwise might.<\/p>\n We approach the subject from a perspective of motivation and purpose, not merely the technical aspect of the T. We consider this a better manner to analyse and evaluate the greater achievement of Ford and indeed Chapman.<\/p>\n Subscribers might like to see the directly relevant and integrated A&R pieces that complement and help structure this article:-<\/p>\n Context and background<\/strong><\/p>\n “The automobile would descend not from the horse and wagon but from the bicycle, the supple mechanically sophisticated and above all light\u201d<\/p>\n This is an important observation although it has to be acknowledged [ and we will develop the idea ] that the Model T provided massive advantage over the horse and cart that predominated in rural America and the turn of the century [ see comparative costs below \u2013wages income running costs etc.]<\/p>\n By the time that Henry Ford introduced the T America was already conducting forms of mass production in various industries [see below]<\/p>\n Rural background<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry Ford was born into a farming family and community. He possibly early on grasped some of the drudgery, seasonal aspects, dependency on weather low productivity and the relative complications of horsepower to sustain life. Having experienced these first hand might have attempted to bring about improvements to productivity, hence to income, quality of life etc.<\/p>\n We can only guess if he also factored in the car would increase mobility freedom, ability to travel, widen horizons and contribute to leisure and wider cultural interactions.<\/p>\n Natural Mechanic<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry Ford’s mother thought of her son as a natural mechanic. We believe this is true. Although Henry was also an engineer, this was not theoretical or academic .His practicality and functionality was a strength but as we might deduct in certain areas it might have limited his conceptualisation and liberal approach to culture and people.<\/p>\n Chalkboard and Patents<\/strong><\/p>\n Ford benefited from the chalkboard for scheming ideas and parts [see quotation above].<\/p>\n He fought a patent fight regarding the concept of the car in America and won.<\/p>\n It\u2019s believed the company held other patents.<\/p>\n Weight and high grade materials<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry Ford was committed to a light weight construction and used high grade materials to contribute to this. These include vanadium steel.<\/p>\n The early T’s are estimated to have weighed 1100 \u20131,200 lb.<\/p>\n Study and Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n In 1884 he attended business school.As stated he was not academically minded but a school he might have acquired entrepreneurial vision and learnt of other mass production techniques present in the USA and perhaps read European papers \/ magazines and engineering assessments of the automobile.<\/p>\n Imagination, Inspiration, motivation<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry Ford was a man who possessed the courage of his convictions and held remarkable foresight. Although he only had a humble start in life.<\/p>\n He tapped into the pioneering spirit of America post the Civil War.<\/p>\n “He never forgot his farm boy roots and wanted to produce a car of extreme practicality, the flexible well sprung model T was at home on the unmade rural roads that covered America at the time\u201d<\/p>\n Henry Ford has been credited with remarking American culture<\/p>\n \u201cThe greatest demand today is for an inexpensive car with sufficiently powerful motor , manufactured from the best materials ……….it must be strong enough for American roads and capable of driving wherever horse drawn carriages are able to pass without the driver having fear for his car ”<\/p>\n Perhaps Henry Ford ought to be credited with a homogeneity of conceptual thinking and execution:-<\/p>\n The Model T was not only cheap it was also user friendly into which Ford incorporated:-<\/p>\n The T in some respects seems crude but this conceals the fact the car was dictated by assembly economies and the avoidance of bottlenecks in production.<\/p>\n The T was the manifestation of a design determined by integration, flow and logistics.<\/p>\n The engine for example had very few parts. It was easy to assemble. However as in other aspects this concealed the advanced technology required to support the primary objective.<\/p>\n Likewise the gearbox clutch mechanism were intended for a mass market and ease of driving by wide base ownership \/skill level [see Appendix below]<\/p>\n It\u2019s believed that Henry Ford had aspirations for his car to be launched into an international market.<\/p>\n The T had high ground clearance for obvious reasons, it was light at c 1,200lb .It was given a high strength, alloy steel chassis. It was offered with adaptable body work including car and truck.<\/p>\n The T “little self-conscious aesthetic, effort was expended on its design; the car is dramatic, graceful and pure example of what a wheeled machine should look like\u201d<\/p>\n The editors suggest that in some respects the T possessed the functionality of the Jeep.<\/p>\n In summary it was the epitome of:-<\/p>\n Racing and Publicity<\/strong><\/p>\n Although Ford not particularly identified and only spasmodically with racing until Total Performance <\/em>in 1960’s Henry produced two race based cars around turn of the century. He also won a race in 1901<\/p>\n The more famous of the two known as “999” [capable of 90mph?] and Arrow.<\/em><\/p>\n The cars were massive one being 8.8 L and 2 cylinder the other 19L and 4 cylinder.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth looking at American competition in this era which included fairgrounds, dirt, board and limited duration races.<\/p>\n Ford later flirted with racing see V8 below; Indy car.<\/p>\n Business, Mass production, assembly, synchronisation technology and related<\/strong><\/p>\n Mass production was in existence USA by the turn of the century. Henry might have grasped practice techniques in some of the following:-<\/p>\n In 1909 Ford took the decision to manufacture only one type of car, the model T. Initially it took 14 hours to assemble a model T. By improving his mass production methods, Ford reduced the time to one hour 33 minutes lowering the cost of each car and enabling Ford to undercut the price of alternatives.<\/p>\n Early experiments used rope and windlass to drag cars along production line. This was soon replaced with sophisticated moving track.<\/p>\n Ford’s moving assembly line adopted c 1913 [in response to ever \u2013increasing demand] and resulted in reduced price which increased demand further. Methods “brought about a dramatic increase in production coupled with a steady decrease in price \u2026……..sales price dropped from $950- 1,000 to 360 over same period and $290 by 1923\u2026……….for many years he resisted working on aesthetic considerations ”<\/p>\n Black paint was used simply because it dried fastest!!<\/p>\n Budget breakdown retail and Running costs associated with early T<\/strong><\/p>\n Sales price $850<\/p>\n Manuf cost $604<\/p>\n Contingency $46<\/p>\n Profit per car $200<\/p>\n C 1899 Ford suggesting the cost of running his car was approximately 1 cent per mile.<\/p>\n Collaborators<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry ford benefited from networking and his collaborators contributed possibly more than has been credited .These included<\/p>\n We invite subscribers to study these individually .Space here precludes detail explanation of each contribution significant as they were.<\/p>\n European and US manufacturers at Turn of century<\/strong><\/p>\n From Otto to Duryea.<\/p>\n “In the early 20c there were few cars and they were unreliable. Only very rich people could afford them \u2026…….<\/p>\n In USA c 1908 typical car prices ranged from $2,000 to 7,500. [The model T c $850.<\/p>\n There were a few low cost marques in the USA at the turn of the century but because cars were expensive to build the greater tendency was to address higher income groups.<\/p>\n Ford was recommended to focus on this strategy but he steadfastly addressed the volume market and this sense of democracy [or consumer sovereignty] ought not to be ignored as it contained some idealism as well as commercial sense.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting at the time that electric cars existed. This is another means to examine history and compare with the present.<\/p>\n Sociological and markets <\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s been estimated that 64% of all Ford T\u2019s went to farmers or rural workers. In the process its estimated that the T remodelled the social life of the nation , caused a sociological evolution and an age old isolation of the farm [ serious students will wish to study the impacts and distances involved and also examine the impact of isolation on health welfare and education along with entertainment .]<\/p>\n The T was possibly easy enough for women to drive and hence become independent, mobile and not require to harness and control horses to transport family, commodities and conduct business and leisure.<\/p>\n Subscribers are directed to the museum in America where it\u2019s possible to experience driving at T today. This is forensic and any serious student ought to make the effort to comprehend the product in the widest context. [The proposed CCM&EC is committed to similar forensic objectives]<\/p>\n 1906 San Francisco earthquake<\/strong><\/p>\n The model A made a significant contribution to saving life in this event.<\/p>\n Ford Advertising and straplines<\/strong><\/p>\n Ford did not undertake huge advertising as the product itself achieved this although there were some early attractive straplines.<\/p>\n Customer service and dealer network<\/strong><\/p>\n This was an important innovation and consistent with the product. These networks have relevance for today and subscribers might wish to examine Chapman and Lotus past and present from this perspective.<\/p>\n Irony and Contradictions<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry Ford was a very complex man and this needs to be understood. He could be elusive and had an unusual mixture of practical mechanic and entrepreneur. His fundamental believe was that his cars ought to be simple, strong and created with common sense. His products were both simple and sophisticated. He was a devoted husband who had a loyal and supportive wife. He perhaps was not so good with his only son.<\/p>\n He enjoyed the benefits of many gifted employees like Andrew Carnegie around the same time.<\/p>\n Henry Ford had many contradictions. He was a pacifist during the 1st<\/sup> WW and possibly believed consumerism was the way to peace and a basis of democracy. He was believed to harbour anti-Semitic sentiments particularly towards his stereotyping of bakers\/ financers.<\/p>\n He was authoritarian in work practice but round the time of the Russian Revolution almost doubled the wages of his work force with the belief that they might then be able to purchase his cars [cf UK Robert Owen?] and developed form of profit sharing? However he used Harry Bennett to intimidate workers and labour union.<\/p>\n Litigation<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry Ford again like Chapman had run- ins with law over patents and other issues. He was articulate and powerful and won in most cases<\/p>\n Time line<\/strong><\/p>\n Henry Ford and the “universal car”<\/strong><\/p>\n DATES: 1863-1947<\/p>\n PRIMARY DESIGNS<\/p>\n “Ford’s “universal car” was the industrial success story of its age. Model T Ford cars pervaded American culture. The central role that the Model T had come to play in America’s cultural, social and economic life elevated Henry Ford into a full-fledged folk hero.<\/p>\n Henry Ford invented neither the automobile nor the assembly line, but recast each to dominate a new era. Indeed, no other individual in this century so completely transformed the nation’s way of life. He transformed the automobile itself from a luxury to a necessity.<\/p>\n “I’m going to democratize the automobile, I will build a motorcar for the great multitude,” Henry Ford had said in 1909. “When I’m through, everybody will be able to afford one, and about everybody will have one.” Such a notion was revolutionary. Ford set out to make the car a commodity.<\/p>\n Henry Ford was born in 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan, on the farm operated by his father, an Irishman, and his mother, who was from Dutch stock.<\/p>\n Ford devoted himself to making a working automobile. On weekends and most nights, he could be found in a shed in the back of the family home, building his car. So great was his obsession that the neighbours called him Crazy Henry. In 1903, he formed the Ford Motor Company in association with Alexander Malcomson and about a dozen other investors.<\/p>\n Prickly, brilliant, wilfully eccentric, he relied more on instinct than business plans. With a few colleagues, he devoted two years to the design and planning of the Model T.<\/p>\n The car that finally emerged from Ford’s secret design section at the factory was simple, sturdy, and versatile. That little car was doomed to excite the public imagination and change America forever. The car went to the first customers on October 1, 1908. In its first year, over ten thousand were sold, a new record for an automobile model. Between 1914 and 1916, the company’s profits doubled from $30 million to $60 million.\u201d<\/p>\n “Again in the case of Henry Ford we have to make distinctions. Henry Ford created a dynasty through the Ford Motor Co and contributed significantly to global manufacture and consumerism. However he was not first and foremost an engineer or designer.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible that most of his creativity was directed to volume production and this in turn might be allied to his principles in democracy, consumerism and its potential contribution to world peace. Seen of the time this was an ethical consideration.<\/p>\n Henry Ford grew up on a farm from a humble start. He showed some mechanical empathy by dismantling watches and rebuilding them.<\/p>\n Around 1890 he had been a machinist and progressed to engineer. He started experimenting with engine and car design. With the help and support f C.Harold Wills he undertook racing c 1901<\/p>\n Henry Ford provided support for Indianapolis.<\/p>\n The Model T was built around 1908 with the assistance of a team of engineers including Wills, Galamb, Faras and others.<\/p>\n Ford conception of mass ownership might have led him into mass production and from there the consistent development of production economics and financing. Precision was perquisite of mass production and this allied with assembly line production contributed to lowering costs which of course returns the circle to increasing demand. Ford introduced vertical integration offered high wages to his employees and reduced labour turn over. It\u2019s also believed that he offered profit sharing to the work force.<\/p>\n Form the net:-\u201cSome of these latter individuals wanted Ford to build upon its success by branching upmarket where \u201cthe money\u201d was known to be. A business and production genius just like Bill Gates a hundred years later, Ford saw the bigger picture in infinitely more success to be had by producing a really good product to sell to the millions whose lives it would revolutionise. The untapped market was then huge and the key lay in new production techniques, scale economies arising from unprecedented volumes, and passing on cost reductions achieved by these techniques back to the customer in progressively dropping the price of the car. Each time that was done, car ownership was opened up to a few million more ordinary folk. If the profit on each car was small it hardly mattered when Ford came to be producing up to 10,000 Model T\u2019s PER DAY worldwide in the early twenties. Forget that which Volkswagen may tell you about the Beetle production figures, they were all exceeded by Ford except for the absolute total, but it took VW longer to exceed Ford\u2019s Model T figure\u2026\u2026.The time became ripe for Henry Ford to have his way. The Models N, R, and S, plus the Model K, were still in production when Model T design started. Like the smaller earlier Fords, lightness, a whippy chassis, planetary transmission and a four cylinder side valve engine were all used. Just about everything else was thought out from scratch to address earlier known problems. Very unusually for the time, literally all of the mechanism except the fan drive and valves of the Model T were enclosed. The latter became enclosed within a couple of years. The one-piece cast iron cylinder block was cast integral with the upper part of the crankcase and the cylinder head detachable. This latter is thought by the author to be a worldwide first in a production car?”<\/p>\n Figure 1.editors photographs<\/p>\n “Three-point mounting for the unit of the engine and gearbox, plus transverse springs only mounted to the chassis at their upper centres, made the car fit to cope with any type and any amount of rough and muddy ground. The farmer\u2019s son and essentially down to earth practical man knew exactly what would cope with America\u2019s then appalling rural roads, and keep on doing so. Lightness, simplicity, torquey power, good traction off-road and strength were all essential and built-in. So was ease of gear changing and total immunity to gear \u201cgrating\u201d because everything was in constant mesh? Vanadium steel, then new to American industry, was used irrespective of cost for all key components such as axles and steering gear. The front axle and steering gear on a Model T looked so spindly that it would break at the first hurdle. It didn\u2019t, the steel was tough beyond belief.\u201d<\/p>\n Figure 2.editors photograph. Note beam axle, cf 100E range<\/p>\n \u201cHenry Ford paved the way for the production of mass-produced cars by improving assembly line production methods. He added a conveyor system, whereby a car chassis was pulled along by a tow rope. Each worker had an assigned task along the line. Cars moved one after the other to each work station and each part of the assembly was done while the cars progressed through the line. Using this system, a Model T could be assembled in 90 minutes. The assembly line allowed Ford to make cars more quickly and more cheaply. When the Model T was first released, it carried a price tag of $850. The assembly line resulted in reduced production costs so Ford chose to pass the savings along to his customers. He later lowered his price to as low as $260 for the basic no-frills model.\u201d<\/p>\n Ford T<\/strong><\/p>\n Many engineers consider the Ford T one of the most significant automobiles of all time.<\/p>\n Although it was strictly utilitarian with extremely, limited specification it possess a high engineering content in terms of materials and construction. In fact its utility concealed considerable innovations.<\/p>\n The Ford T was simple, tough and cheap [on introduction circa $825 but reducing to $260 in the period 1923\/24 by which time considerable production had been achieved. Production techniques and limited accessories kept the price low but the Ford T was not cheaply made in fact it offered simplicity and dogged reliability combined with extremely good value for money.<\/p>\n Some sources have suggested approximately 15 million were made. It\u2019s believed the T retailed for the equivalent of \u00a3135 in 1914 and possibly as low at \u00a360-70 during parts of 1920’s.It has been estimated that the price achieved was due to the production line assembly adopted by Ford and that a workforce of 1,200 were producing 1000 a day?<\/p>\n Other statistics suggest that or generalize into a deduction that in 1920 approximately half the world\u2019s motor vechicles were model T\u2019s<\/p>\n Data from the net etc.:-<\/p>\n\n
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