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THE HISTORY OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY
On July 30th, 1863, a child was born in Dearborn MI. That child would grow up to be the father of the modern automobile industry. His name was Henry Ford. It took Ford some 33 years, but in 1896, he drove his first “automobile”, the Quadracycle, on the streets of Detroit. A few years later he found investors who would underwrite his first automobile company, and named it Detroit Auto Co., but that business venture soon failed. Two years later, he entered the Quadracycle into an automobile race with Alexander Winton and after winning said race, interest came from some new perspective investors. These investors helped Ford form Henry Ford Co., but less than a year later, Henry withdrew from his position, and the remaining board of directors renamed the company Cadillac.
Once he left what was now Cadillac, Ford Motor Company was founded by the Malcomson Group, and the Model A was produced in 1903 in a rented Mack Avenue (Michigan) plant. The company built the Piquette Ave. plant (which is still standing and being restored) and Ford of Canada was chartered in Windsor, Ontario. In 1906, only 3 years after the introduction of the Model A, Ford Motor Company surpassed Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac combined as the largest automobile maker in the United States, and Henry Ford became the official president of FMC (Ford Motor Company).
In 1908, the Model T was introduced from the Piquette plant, but was later moved to the newly built Highland Park plant. It was this plant, which in 1913, integrated the moving assembly line. This revolutionary setup made assembly much smoother and more efficient, but made for long and tedious days for the workers. So a year later, FMC began paying their employees an unheard of five dollars a day and shortening shifts. As the company continued to grow very rapidly, land was purchased for the Dearborn plant, and coincidentally, this same year held the honor of seeing the one millionth Ford to be built. 1922 brought the five millionth Ford, and a short time later, Lincoln Motor Co. was acquired. In 1925, the first Ford truck was introduced, the Model A was re-introduced, the Model T ended its long run with the building of its 15 millionth unit, and FMC stopped production for a brief time to remodel and update their facilities.
Even with the seemingly booming success of FMC, in 1933 they officially fell to 3rd place in the American market behind General Motors Incorporated and the Chrysler Corporation. To combat this, FMC released their first mid-priced car, the Lincoln Zephyr, in 1935, and in 1938 the Mercury was released as FMC’s second mid-priced car. In 1939, the Lincoln Zephyr-Continental began production. Two years later, FMC focused its efforts on war production, with roughly 8,500 B-24 bombers being built by the end of the war. Civilian automobile production resumed in 1945.
With Henry Ford Sr. aging, his son returned from the war, and quickly took over FMC, building a new executive group comprised of younger members of the Army Air Corps and recent college graduates. This new group launched an all-new lineup of post war cars in 1948, shortly after the death of Henry Ford Sr. This new lineup helped to ease FMC past Chrysler to number 2 most popular auto maker in the country. To continue to bolster the resurgence of FMC, the Thunderbird was released in 1954, and the Continental Mark II was released in 1955. In 1957, FMC introduced the Edsel line, only to be discontinued in 1959. However, that same year held the production of Ford's 50 millionth car, which was a Ford Galaxie.
In 1964, Ford launched a car that would form the Ford Company’s aim over the next 40 years, the Mustang. In 1966, FMC introduced the Bronco in U.S., first Ford sport/utility vehicle. 1971 brought forth the release of the first FMC sub-compact, the Ford Pinto. To go along with the craze for smaller vehicles, FMC introduced the “downsized” Mustang II in 1974, and in 1976, the sub-compact front-wheel-drive (FWD) Ford Fiesta in Europe. To complement their smaller cars, FMC released the “Panther” chassis large body-on-frame cars, which is still the basis of Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car today. In 1979, Ford obtains initial 25% interest in Toyo Kogyo of Japan, later renamed Mazda. 1981 brought the release of the Ford Escort “world car”, and in 1982 the introduction of '83 Ranger compact pickup. The following year introduced the first of the “jelly-bean” styled cars, ‘83 Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar, and the introduction of FWD midsize '86 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable.
In 1987, with FMC doing so well, and the corporation began branching into different markets, so they acquired the Hertz Corp, a rental car company. In 1989, FMC acquired financial service company The Associates, and Jaguar Cars. With the desire of the American market shifting in the early 90s, FMC adapted, as always, to meet demand. In 1991, the Ford Explorer SUV was released, followed by the Mercury Villager minivan - a joint venture with Nissan in 1992, and the introduction of the Ford Windstar in 1994. In 1997, FMC introduced the Lincoln Navigator SUV, and in 1998 Ford of Europe released the Focus compact car. 1999 brought forth the acquisition of Volvo Cars and TH!NK electric car. Later that year and into early 2000, FMC introduced the Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type models, and acquired Land Rover from BMW. In 2001 Ford revisited its roots and re-released the retro-2-seat Ford Thunderbird. In 2003 the hugely successful F-150 began a complete overhaul, which was for the 2004 model year. In 2002, the concept design for the much anticipated retro looking 2004 Mustang was released, which actually debuted in 2005 and is a throw back to the Mustangs of the 60's and 70's.
The Ford Motor Company has been a powerhouse for over 100 years. With the foundation Henry Ford laid out, it will stay a powerhouse for many centuries to come.
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