Founded in 1903, the Ford Motor Company follows the history of America.
From the city to the countryside, the Model T first connected the country, and revolutions in manufacturing churned out popular, affordable cars across America.
Now developing electric vehicles and looking ahead to a season of F1 racing, this is the story of the Ford Motor Company.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford had a passion for cars running through his blood. Ford walked out of school and into the Michigan Car Company at age sixteen.
His father's anger soon gave way to support, and Ford stepped out of the Car Company again and became an apprentice mechanic at the James Flower and Brothers Machine Shop.
Still living and working near his Minnesota home, it was clear that Henry Ford's first shot at entrepreneurship would begin in Detroit, and in June 1903, the Ford Motor Company was founded.
Flickr/Roger W
Part of the company's objective was to create a reliable automobile accessible to the vast majority of the American public.
The Model T was the company's first effort to do this. A self-starting vehicle with a four-cylinder engine, the $850 vehicle flew off the production line.
By 1927, most middle-class Americans owned a Model T Ford, and it began connecting communities across rural America.
The Moving Assembly Line
Did Ford invent the assembly line?
Certain myths surround the rise of the Ford company, one of which claims Henry Ford made the first automobile.
Whilst this is untrue, he revolutionized the way they were made ten years into the company's formation.
The moving assembly line positioned workers around a rolling conveyor belt - the work would come to the workers rather than the other way around.
As the vehicle progressed, it would become ever more built-up. It became so fast that the Model T could be made within 90 minutes.
Ford Corporate
While the moving assembly line increased the speed of the production process, many workers found it dull work and hard to perform all the necessary tasks on the vehicle before it was transported further down the line. Employees began to leave the conveyor belt for work in other automobile companies.
This led to perhaps the most interesting of Ford's initiatives: the $5 day.
Henry Ford decreased the time in shifts while increasing their wages.
This allowed Ford to hire another group of workers, thus making a 24-hour working warehouse, which increased rather than lessened the overall profits of the Ford company.
Ford vs Ferrari
Perhaps the most famous of Ford's rivalries was that with Ferrari.
Did Ford try to buy Ferrari?
It all began when Enzo Ferrari turned down an offer from Ford to buy his company.
The American company had reportedly offered Ferrari an eight-figure sum for the company, but they were turned down.
The fire was lit, and Henry Ford II became determined to write this slight on the race track.
Why did Ford race in Le Mans?
There was no left but to topple their speedy competitors on the fastest race in the world: "You go to Le Mans and beat his ass," demanded a furious Henry Ford II.
The only problem was developing a car fast and sturdy enough to do this.
Le Mans is a 24-hour race of tight corners and flat-out racing in an endurance test that would eradicate most cars.
And then, the Ford GT40 was invented.
However, the GT40 was not just a race car but a desperate attempt to save a sinking company struggling after a succession of failed products, including the Edsel, made all the worse by increasingly successful competition across the auto industry.
Wikipedia
So, perhaps rather misguidedly, millions of dollars (nearing 25 million) were channeled into this new rivalry, and the renowned race-car driver, Ken Miles, was drafted in to test the Ford GT40.
When did Ferrari lose to Ford?
In 1964 and 1965, the Ford car failed to even cross the finish line, then in 1966, Ford's dream came true, with the GT40 Mark II finally surpassing Ferrari at Le Mans.
Not only did this victory satisfy Henry Ford II's desire for success, but it also repositioned his company as innovative.
Such innovation ultimately led to Ford's progression to Formula 1 racing today.
Ford and Formula 1
Was Ford ever in Formula 1?
Despite beating Ferrari in 1966 and splitting from F1 in 2004, Ford still sits behind its competitor as the third successful engine manufacturer in F1 history.
Wikimedia Commons
By 2004, Ford had secured 174 Grand Prix Victories.
Ford played a fundamental role in the development of the sport through its investment in Cosworth's DFV engine throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
The DFV engine is the most successful in F1 history and has led 155 race teams to victory across 15 years.
Is Ford going to have an F1 team?
Now, twenty years after its dramatic departure from F1 racing, Ford is hungry for more racing success.
It has announced its role as a strategic partner to Oracle Red Bull Racing for the 2026 season.
This collaboration is mainly due to the effort of F1 to become more sustainable, with a change in regulations set for 2026.
Ford will, therefore, provide expertise in battery cell and electric motor technology as strategic and technological advice.
Is Ferrari vs Ford a true story?
Rolling Stone
From the start line at Le Mans to its Hollywood adaptation (complete with A-list stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale), and now with a possible race team in its sights, Ford has used the race track as a place not only to test its cars but to consolidate its reputation, too.
An Emerging Competitor
What is the #1 car brand in America?
Ford kept his number 1 car seller position in America until 2004, according to car manufactures annual reports, when they were surpassed by Chevrolet and turned into the 3rd most selling company in 2006, surprised by Toyota that took the number 1 spot in 2007.
In 2008 Ford regained its throne and has kept it until 2020, they’re still in the fight though against Chevrolet and Toyota.
Despite being loved throughout its home country, Ford has faced competition from Toyota ever since their arrival from Japan.
Toyota expanded its production into the US in the 1980s after Japan imposed restrictions on exportation.
To ease its transition into the US, Toyota initially entered into talks with Ford, proposing a joint venture with the motor company.
Envato/YuriArcusPeopleImages
These talks broke down in 1981, and Toyota set out to build the largest manufacturing facility in the world in Kentucky - an accolade it still holds today.
The F-150 Pick-up Truck
If there is one Ford vehicle that can chart the often-tumultuous story of the company (and that of the 20th century), it is the F-150 pick-up truck.
First introduced in 1948, the F-150 is now in its fourteenth generation, and its popularity doesn't seem to be ebbing.
It is designed to drive like a car but with the capacity of a pick-up truck. Its pleasant driving experience increased in the 1960s with the addition of air conditioning and radio.
Then, in 1975, the US was reeling from the global fuel crisis. Reacting to this, a new F-150 was introduced, but this time classed as a heavy-duty truck, allowing it to avoid emission regulations.
Ford's capacity to react quickly to changes in the market (and to global events) has been critical to its success as a brand that continues to reach international markets.
Envato/mohdizzuanbinroslan
What's the number 1 selling car in America?
This is also why it has been the best-selling pick-up truck line in the United States since 1977.
From Ignition to Lightning
The latest chapter in the story of the F-150 is all about electricity. And it is no surprise that Ford has become an innovator in electric vehicles.
As early as 1903, Henry Ford was kept up-to-date with the newest battery technologies by his friend Thomas Edison, and in 1914, Ford began working on his first low-cost electric car.
Is Ford making hybrid cars?
Though it wasn't until the 2000s that hybrid vehicles became popular, with the success of the Toyota Prius, Ford began a line of hybrid cars still in production today.
Does Ford have any fully electric cars?
Pexels
Then, Ford turned its attention to the full electrification of their vehicles, and the F-150 Ford Lightning was formed.
However, it hasn't been a straightforward journey for this latest iteration of the F-150.
How big is the Cybertruck compared to the F-150 Lightning?
Ford currently loses money on every Ford Lightning it sells, and to compete with Tesla's vast offering of electric vehicles, it has knocked the price down further.
This has been echoed in the markdown of Tesla's Cybertruck pick-up.
- The Cybertruck is 9 inches shorter than the F-150 Lightning but is taller.
- Ford's truck comes with two motors to Tesla's three and offers the largest battery of the two trucks.
However, Ford is playing the long game here. President Biden announced in 2021 that 50% of all vehicles should be electric by 2030.
Ford's gamble is that electrified vehicles won't be a sustainable choice in a few years but a necessity for many Americans.
But Ford isn't hedging their bets just yet. Unlike rivals including GM and Volvo, Ford hasn't pledged to cut out diesel and gas-powered vehicles completely.
Ford Media
This, says CEO Jim Farley, forms part of the company's fight against climate change, recognizing that many customers who drive larger, heavier vehicles over great distances need a wide range of options.
The business has now separated into two manufacturing divisions: EV and gas. The former will focus on technology and growth, and the gas division will focus on maximizing profits.
This strategy is designed to separate distinct skills and expertise to focus on developing both sectors.
Talking to NPR, Farley stressed the importance of exploring different avenues: "We can't just look at it like it's internal combustion and all EV - there are all these possibilities in the middle."
An Unexpected Partnership
Despite Biden's announcement on the future of electrified vehicles, sales of EVs are still fledgling.
This has created an environment where collaboration between car manufacturers could be better for business than complete competition.
What is the Ford Tesla EV deal?
Wikipedia
Ford Motors, General Motors, and Tesla agreed that all EV owners could access Tesla's Superchargers and that the manufacturer's charging technologies would be gradually integrated into the bodies of GM and Ford vehicles.
Can Ford use Tesla’s chargers?
This is beneficial for both Tesla and Ford. Currently, the unique proprietary plug design used in Tesla EVs is incompatible with many charging stations across the U.S. Rolling out a more consistent charging practice means customers across all three brands can power their vehicles when needed.
Conclusion
Over 100 years of a car manufacturer's history is tricky to encapsulate in such a short blog.
Henry Ford saw the blossoming of the automotive industry and helped pioneer vehicles as we know them today.
He successfully produced the first affordable car in America, and his son introduced his vehicles into the glamor of sports racing, whether driven by a misguided ego or a genuine desire to revolutionize the company.
Wikimedia Commons
Now firmly back in the hot seat, with F1 partnerships and a relationship with Tesla, Ford is looking to the future.
