From 1909 to 1927, the Ford Motor Company built more than 15 million Model T cars in a wide range of models. At the beginning, putting a Model T chassis together by hand took a little over 12 hours. By the end of 1913, when the first moving production line started, that time dropped to 93 minutes. When the last Model T came off the assembly line, Ford had been building one every 24 seconds.

In the beginning, a hand built, 4-seat open touring Model T cost $850, while competitors of the time were charging two the three thousand dollars. With the implementation of the production line in 1913, the price dropped to $550 and in the closing years for the car, anyone with $290 could drive away with a Model T.

The Model T’s engine was designed to run on readily available fuels, which in rural areas would include grain alcohol made from crop leftovers.

Gasoline being produced in that time could be scarce and usually had a projected octane rating in the range of 20 to 40. The values are projected because today’s standard test method was not invented until the late 1920’s. Despite today’s emphasis on Flexible Fuel engines, Ford was building them a hundred years ago.

As well, Ford actively recycled waste materials from the factory. Wood scraps were converted into charcoal, requiring a production plant of its own. A relative of Henry Ford, E.G. Kingsford, was tasked with finding a location for the charcoal plant and the product was later renamed Kinsgford Charcoal.

The video below will take you back a bit to see some of what went on in that era, including a few lost arts, such as assembling wooden spoke wheels.