Ford Model A (1903)
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Production period: | 1903 to 1904 |
Class : | Motor car |
Body versions : | Phaeton , Tonneau |
Engines: | Gasoline:1.65 liters (5.9 kW) |
Transmission: | 2-speed planetary |
Wheelbase : | 1829 mm |
Curb weight : | 566 kg |
The Ford Model A was the first car produced by the Ford Motor Company in 1903 .
History
The automobile was built in a rented building on Detroit's Mack Avenue. Model names such as "Daisy" (one of the shareholders was the producer of a Daisy air gun) and "Fordmobile" (the latter was actually utilised for a brief period before "Model A" prevailed) were used in the beginning. The Ford Motor Company, which had just been created on June 16, 1903, developed the first automobile in 1903. On July 23, 1903, dentist Ernst Pfenning of Chicago, Illinois, became the first owner of a Model A. Between 1903 and 1905, 1,750 Model A and AC vehicles were produced.
The car was offered as a two-seater runabout or four-seater Tonneau model, optionally with hood, but always in the color red unlike later cars "so long as its Black". The tonneau construction with door in the rear was removable. The 2-cylinder boxer engine was centrally located in the vehicle and produced 6 kilowatts (8 hp). The rear wheels were driven via a 3-speed planetary gearbox, as later in the T model, The car weighed 562 kilograms and had a top speed of 72 km / h. The wheelbase was 72 inches (1.8 m). It cost $ 750 and could be equipped for $ 100 with a rear seat and a rubber top for $ 30 or leather for $ 50. The Model A, like all cars of the time, suffered from problems such as engine overheating and slippage of the drive.
For development, Ford had spent nearly all of its $ 28,000 total initial investment capital. Only $ 223.65 remained on the bank account when the first model A was sold. The success of this car model brought Ford Motor Company Profit, Henry Ford's first successful company.
