Ford Model T

Unveiled in October 1908, the Ford Model T answered Henry Ford’s ambition to build “a car for the great multitude”. Tough, simple to drive and to repair, it was designed for the difficult roads of rural America.

Its 2.9-litre four-cylinder engine produced around twenty horsepower, and its high ground clearance let it go anywhere. But its real revolution was industrial: in 1913, Ford introduced the first moving assembly line at Highland Park. The time needed to assemble a chassis fell from over twelve hours to under two, and the car’s price dropped year after year.

Produced until 1927, with more than 15 million built, the “Tin Lizzie” put America on wheels. To speed up production, it was long offered only in black, hence the famous line attributed to Ford: “any colour, so long as it is black”. It was voted Car of the Century in 1999.