1908 Ford Model T Touring Car

Photo by Cliff West

In 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T, which would go on to be one of the best-selling automobiles of all-time. The Model T first went on sale on October 1, 1908, and 305 were built by the end of the year. By the time production ended in 1927, over 16.5 million would be built.

The Model T was powered by a 20-horsepower in-line 4-cylinder cast iron engine with a 2-speed manual planetary gearbox. It could reach a top speed of 42 miles per hour. The Model T used quarter-elliptic leaf springs for its suspension instead of semi-elliptic to reduce costs, resulting in a rough ride on its wooden wheels and solid tires.

Despite Ford's famous statement that a customer could buy the Model T in any color as long as it was black, early Model Ts were made in a variety of colors, including blue, green, gray, and the red shown here, though only touring cars were available in red. Not until 1914 was black the only color available. In addition to the Touring Car pictured here at the Towe Ford Museum (now the California Automobile Museum) in Sacramento, California, in March 1992, the other initial body styles available were the Runabout, the Coupe, the Landaulet and the Town Car.

1908 Ford Model S Runabout

1908 Ford Model S Runabout

Photo by Cliff West

The immediate predecessor to the Ford Model T was the Ford Model N, which was built from 1906 to 1908 and was powered by a 15-horsepower 4-cylinder engine. With the success of the new model, Ford began to offer customers upgraded options, such as the Model S Runabout shown here. The Model S was introduced in late 1907 and used the same chassis as the Model N, but featured extras like full fenders with running boards. This 1908 Ford Model S Runabout was on display at the Towe Ford Museum (now the California Automobile Museum) in Sacramento, California, in March 1992.