About This Quiz
Henry Ford was an experienced car builder by the time he started the Ford Motor Company at the turn of the 20th Century.Â
Having built his first car in 1896, Ford quickly took his company to the top of the pile, thanks to his love of innovation. Not only did he help institute much of the processes in car manufacturing as we know them today, but he also looked after his workers, often paying them two times the minimum wage. He also ensured they worked no more than eight-hour days, and through that built a loyal workforce.
But it was a legendary Ford model that became a legend and a car of the people. It put Ford at the forefront of motoring in America and soon after, the rest of the world.
During World War II, Ford turned his factories into beacons in aid of the Allied war effort, building aircraft, engines, and vehicles for Allied forces right around the world.
At the turn of this century, when the Chevy and Chrysler needed bailouts from the government, Ford didn't.
But let's see how much you truly know about the Ford Motor Company, shall we?Â
Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company on June 16, 1903.
Henry Ford's first foray into the world of the automobile saw him form the Detroit Motor Company in 1899. He dissolved it in 1901 after poor sales. Ford believed the cars were too expensive and not that well made.
The Monte Carlo is a Chevrolet model. The other three are all considered to be Ford classics.
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Named after Henry Ford's son, the Edsel was a massive flop and only sold between 1958 and 1960. It's not that the car was bad, it was just really overpriced. And that always turns people away!
Ford's first car, the Model A, sold for $850. It had a two-cylinder engine that allowed it to reach 30 mph.
Bill Ford has served as chairman of the Ford Motor Company since 1999. He is the great-grandson of Henry Ford.
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All early Ford cars were painted black. This was to keep costs downs, and black dried quicker.
Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were firm friends. When Edison died, his son captured his last breath in a glass vial which he gave to Ford as a gift. A little macabre to say the least.
The oval logo was first used in 1907, four years after the company was established. It was introduced in Great Britain.
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Arguably the most iconic muscle car ever, the Mustang was first released in 1964. It was one of the most popular debuts ever and within a year, 400,000 units had been sold, which quadrupled Ford’s sales estimates.
Ford made 94,000 Mustang pedal cars just in time for Christmas!
Jim Morrison owned only one car in his lifetime and it was a Shelby GT500. Not a bad choice, really.
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Incredible, isn't it? Henry Ford brought down the price at which he produced the car so much, he could lower the asking price from the public. If only businesses operated like that today.
Although Ransom E. Olds had used an assembly line to build his cars, it was stationary. The one introduced by Ford moved and instead of taking 728 minutes to bolt together the parts of a Model T chassis, it took only 93.
Wait... what? That's simply astounding!
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For the era in which this happened, essentially the birth of motoring, that is an astonishing number.
The Ford Quadricycle was powered by a four horsepower engine, was steered using a tiller system, and included a gearbox.
Although this sounds very far fetched, it is true. The humanitarian in Ford also believed he could provide jobs to local people.
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That's right,​ Fordlândia. He could have come up with a better name. Logistically, it was far more difficult than Ford ever thought, although the land and site remain to this day.
The first generation of the GT40 won the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour endurance race for four straight years, from 1966 to 1969, which included filling out the top three positions in 1966. Only 105 were produced.
The Ford F-Series has a range of models. It's the F-150 that is extremely popular and has been for decades.
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That's a staggering amount of money to have taken in in the United States alone. It's those F-150s for sure!
Again, that's big money for sure! The revenue numbers for the U.S. remain the most impressive for us, however.
Ford first bought into, and then took over the Stout Metal Airplane Company. From 1925 to 1933, the company built 199 examples of the Ford Trimotor. After an accident in which his personal pilot died, Ford pulled out of the aviation business.
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Believing that he could put wood off-cuts from car production to good use, Henry Ford formed The Kingsford Company with E.G. Kingsford. Originally, the name was Ford Charcoal so, yes, you could buy packets of charcoal with the Ford logo on it. Strange, but true.
The Ford Ka (we are also not sure how to pronounce it) was a popular product in many overseas markets and was first introduced in 1996. This small vehicle was featured in the city car segment.
Ford built 277,896 GPW-designated Jeeps for Allied forces. During the same time, Willys built a little more than 300,000 MB Jeeps.
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A deal was reached for Ford to buy Ferrari but Ferrari owner Enzo Ferrari pulled out at the last minute.
Under German control, Ford factories continued to produce vehicles used by Axis forces. Examples included the Ford Maultier, a German half-track vehicle.
A utility coupe produced by Ford from 1957 to 1979, the Ranchero was adapted from a station wagon design. More than 500,000 Rancheros were sold in the 22 years during which the model was produced.
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People who drove the Ford Model T affectionately called it Tin Lizzie.
That's an amazing statistic. The Model T certainly helped, along with the fact that Ford could churn them out so fast.
Front disc brakes became a standard feature on all Ford models from 1970 onward.
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It had to be the Model T, didn't it? It was the vehicle that revolutionized motoring as we know it.
Another one of Ford's big selling models, the Taurus first entered production in 1986. Currently in its sixth generation, the car competes in the full-size car segment. In the last five years, more than 400,000 units of this model have been sold in America alone. T​he seventh generation Taurus is currently only available in China.