Autoblog

Bill Ford Jr. brings oldest surviving Ford back into family fold

Zach Bowman — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 08:00:00 EST

We're quickly approaching the 150th anniversary of Henry Ford's birth, and the company he founded is celebrating in a number of ways. Great-grandson Bill Ford Jr. did his part by purchasing the oldest known Ford vehicle, a 1903 Model A, and returning it to its birthplace.

While the Model A was purchased at auction back in October, the red Rear Entry Tonneau just recently received an official unveil at an employee event. Ford partnered with the MotorCities National Heritage Area and the Henry Ford Heritage Association to create a year-long calendar of events celebrating Henry Ford and his company.

This particular Model A is car number 3, chassis number 30. Prior to rejoining the Ford family, it had enjoyed just five owners in its 109-year history. Originally sold to a butter maker from Iowa for the princely sum of $850, the Model A was sold to a Swiss Ford dealer in 1961. The dealer displayed his purchase in the Ford European Center in Cologne, Germany until 2001, when it was finally sold to John O'Quinn in 2007 before Ford Jr. took possession this year.

Check out the both press releases below, along with a full schedule of the planned celebrations. You can also head to the anniversary mini site for more news.

Continue reading Bill Ford Jr. brings oldest surviving Ford back into family fold

Bill Ford Jr. brings oldest surviving Ford back into family fold originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Dec 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oldest remaining Ford is up for sale... yet again

Chris Tutor — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Ford

For the third time in five years, the oldest known surviving Ford is for sale. The red, meticulously restored, 1903 Ford Model A is one of Ford Motor Company's first three cars ever produced and over the past 109 years, has had only five owners.

You could be the sixth owner at the RM auction in Hershey, Pennsylvania next month, but be warned: the last time this car changed hands in 2007, it sold for $693,000. For a car that originally sold new for $850, and without adjusting for inflation, that's a more than 81,000% appreciation.

The car's original owner was Herbert L. McNary, a butter maker from Britt, Iowa. Another Iowan, Harry E. Burd, acquired the Ford from the McNary family for $400 for it in the 1950s. Burd had the car restored and sold it to a Swiss Ford dealer in 1961. It remained there until 2001, when it was bought anonymously and shipped back to the States. John O'Quinn was the well-heeled buyer at the aforementioned 2007 auction. His estate offered it up again in 2010, but it was a no-sale when bidding topped out at $325,000.

So, what will bidders in Hershey be going after? Model A Chassis No. 30 is a 72-inch wheelbase four-seater, powered by a horizontally opposed, 100-cu.-in. two cylinder with a whopping 8 hp. That's eight horses, probably less than your lawnmower. But that probably doesn't matter since it's not likely the next buyer will do much cruising in this one-of-a-kind machine.

Oldest remaining Ford is up for sale... yet again originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford to celebrate 110 years of racing heritage at SEMA

Drew Phillips — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, SEMA Show, Classics, Ford

On this day in 1901, Henry Ford took his home-built race car named "Sweepstakes" and entered a 10-mile race at the Detroit Driving Club against the favored Alexander Winton. Ford ended up winning the race and the victory garnered attention from investors that would help launch the Ford Motor Company just a couple of years later. Since that first race, Ford has achieved a multitude of successes in a variety of motorsports including wins at the Daytona 500, Indy 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Baja 1000 and more.

As part of their celebration of 110 years of racing, Ford will be bringing together some of their more historic race cars to display at the upcoming SEMA show in Las Vegas next month. The lineup is truly impressive, including the Le Mans-winning 1967 GT40 MkIV, Parnelli Jones' 1970 Mustang Boss 302, Jim Clark's Lotus that won the 1965 Indy 500, various John Force Funny Cars and the winning race car from this year's Daytona 500 just to name a few.

Next month, we'll bring you live coverage of the historic display of Ford Racing cars as well as the rest of the 2011 SEMA extravaganza. Until then, follow the jump to read more about Ford's 110-year racing history.

Continue reading Ford to celebrate 110 years of racing heritage at SEMA

Ford to celebrate 110 years of racing heritage at SEMA originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Early Ford Model T factory may become a museum but needs your help

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Plants/Manufacturing

The Ford Model T was a game-changer, allowing middle-class America to finally afford a horseless carriage. As the public began taking to the roads in greater numbers, our nation began its transformation into a modern motoring society.

The Model T was first produced in 1908 and enjoyed a successful sales through 1927. In 1925, production hit its peak and Ford was turning out 9,000 to 10,000 cars per day. That adds up to an annual run of around two million cars.

One of the first assembly locations for the Ford Model T is the Highland Park plant, which is located steps from Woodward Avenue. It's a building with a rich history and it may get another shot at life.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Woodward Avenue Action Association has nominated the Highland Park building in a national online competition. The National Trust for Historic Preservation runs a competition where they provide $25,000 in grant money to help preserve buildings of historical significance. The WAAA, if they win, plan to use the cash as seed money for an interesting project. Their goal is to turn the Highland Park assembly plant into an area Welcome Center. Visitors would have the opportunity to learn past and present information about Woodward, Detroit, and Michigan. To further entice visitors, the Henry Ford Museum has expressed interest in supplying exhibits for a small display.

If you think the Highland Park factory should win the contest, head over to the National Trust's Community Challenge page and cast your vote.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Early Ford Model T factory may become a museum but needs your help originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: 15% of Tata Nano reservations being cancelled due to slow fill rate

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, India, Tata

Tata Nano Europa in Geneva - click above for high-res image gallery

When you're talking about the Tata Nano, you're talking about the cheapest car in the world. And on the Subcontinent's booming economy, lots of folks are looking for their first automobile. When we say "lots" we mean millions, maybe tens or even hundreds of millions. All of which would make the Nano a highly logical choice, sort of like when Americans couldn't stop buying Ford's Model T. Only thing is, old Hank Ford ensured that there was a very steady stream of cheap cars for people to buy. Tata appears to be struggling with a different approach.

As a result of slow deliveries, the Hindustan Times notes that 15% of Tata Nano orders placed so far have been canceled. To put that in perspective, just over 200,000 people have placed orders for the bare bones transportation device. Meaning slightly more than 30,000 people have canceled their orders. Unlike the Model T, India's market is currently flooded with alternatives. Sure they cost more, but as one dealer points out, "People don't mind shelling out a bit more to get their car immediately." For their part, Tata is blaming capacity issues at its Pantnagar plant, but officials say they will deliver 100,000 cars by Q4 2010.

Gallery: Geneva 2009: Tata Nano Europa

[Source: Hindustan Times]

REPORT: 15% of Tata Nano reservations being cancelled due to slow fill rate originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet 29-year-old Henry Ford III, the next scion in line for the crown

Chris Shunk — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Ford

Ford Motor Company is a publicly traded company with a catch: the Ford family permanently holds 40% of the company's voting shares. That means the Ford family has an awful lot of pull, and if someone carrying the family name wants a job, there's a 100% chance they're going to get one.

The latest Ford family member to take a place at the company built by his great grandfather is Henry Ford III. The 29-year-old son of Edsel Ford is fresh off a summer internship at Galpin Ford, where he told AutoWeek that he sold five Fords and a Volvo. He is also getting his MBA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a.k.a. MIT, and he's getting ready to join the Ford team back in Dearborn. Henry III has been working at the company with his name on the door for some time, having already participated in the all-important labor contract negotiations in 2006 and 2007. He also worked as a junior high school math and English teacher, so his background is rather diverse.

While it's tough to argue that the Ford name hasn't helped Henry III tremendously (he did, after all, reportedly meet with then-CEO Bill Ford and other Ford execs in 2006 to discuss which job he'd receive), the newest Henry does appear to have his head on straight. Does he have a family right to one day run the company? We hope any promotions will come with actual accomplishments, but it may ultimately be too hard to ignore someone named Henry Ford.

[Source: AutoWeek | Image: Mark Vaughn]

Meet 29-year-old Henry Ford III, the next scion in line for the crown originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Ford continues to refuse paycheck from board

Chris Shunk — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:02:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Ford, Earnings/Financials

Ford Chairman Bill Ford hasn't been compensated for working at his great grandfather's company since May 2005, and he doesn't intend to cash in until the Blue Oval makes a sustained profit. Ford's board of directors decided that nearly three years was too long to work pro bono and tried to pay the Ford family scion, but the chairman again refused to reneg on his pay-free pledge. Mr. Ford has, however, agreed to receive payment retroactive to 2008 once the Dearborn, MI automaker achieves a full year of profitability.

It's impressive that Blue Oval Bill has foregone between $25 million and $33 million in salary over the past few years, but Henry Ford's sweat and guile made him wealthy beyond his wildest dreams before he was even born. Those of us living in Michigan would be far more impressed if Bill pledged to give up the Detroit Lions if the automaker misses its target to regain profitability in 2009.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

Bill Ford continues to refuse paycheck from board originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Henry Ford disputed as father of mass production

John Neff — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:03:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

Henry Ford's historical standing as the father of mass production has come under fire by a new paper published by Dr. Paul Nieuwenhuis and Dr. Pete Wells of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at the Cardiff Business School. The paper posits that Philadelphian Edward G. Budd (shown at right) first implemented the use of the pressed steel car body and mass production. The doctors don't dispute the fact that Ford was responsible for developing mass production of certain mechanical componenets and sub assemblies, but at the time Blue Oval cars were built around a wooden framework that significantly slowed the assembly process. Supposedly Budd was the first to hold a patent in 1914 for a steel pressed body that required no wood, thus making assembly faster and cars more safe, durable and, of all things, easier to paint. It appears the intent of the paper is to shine some light on an early innovator in the automotive industry that historians, for one reason or another, have failed to acknowledge for his contributions.

[Source: Autocar.uk]

Henry Ford disputed as father of mass production originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Fields: Ford is inclusive

Erin Mays — Fri, 05 May 2006 10:07:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Ford

Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford may have been associated with anti-semitism, but Ford exec Mark Fields told a congregation of Jewish business leaders that he encountered no discrimination as he rose through the ranks at the company. In fact Fields said in answer to a question from a member of the audience that he was amazed at everything Ford does to promote diversity among the ranks of its employees, from a strong interfaith support network to an environment that supports inclusions of all types of people.

Fields was the guest of honor at a luncheon by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Mark Fields: Ford is inclusive originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 May 2006 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read Bill Ford's lips: No bankruptcy for Blue Oval

Chris Paukert — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 09:07:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Earnings/Financials

Ford Motor Company's Chairman and CEO Bill Ford is ruling out bankruptcy for the Blue Oval. The Henry Ford scion believes that the company's 'strong liquidity' ($31 billion in the coffers), downsizing efforts and profitable overseas operations will buoy the No. 2 automaker's fortunes.

Ford has turned in three straight years of profits globally (including $2 billion in 2005), but that's a 42-percent decline over 2004, and the Blue Oval lost $1.6B in North America, with market share down to 18-percent (it was 26-percent just ten years ago).

Ford did acknowledge that American auto industry is facing unprecedented challenges: "We've never had these kinds of wind buffeting us."

The company's NYSE shares fell 11 cents on Wednesday to close at $7.57.

[Sources: Associated Press via Newsday; Stern.de]

Read Bill Ford's lips: No bankruptcy for Blue Oval originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Apr 2006 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Piquette plant becomes National Historic Landmark

Joel Arellano — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Classics

With apologies for the late notice, last month, U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton designated the Ford Motor Co. Piquette Plant, birthplace of the Model T car, as a National Historic Landmark. Said Norton in a statement: "National treasures are exceptional places that shed light on our history and help explain our past."

Less than 2,500 sites have received the National Historic Landmark designation. The Model T Automotive Heritage Complex, aka 'T-Plex', was pleased with Secretary Norton's announcement.

"That area is the cradle of the automotive industry," said Jerald Mitchell, founder and CEO of T-Plex. "It's already in a city historic district, a state historic site, and on the National Register of Historic Places. The landmark status is the most exclusive."

We at Autoblog can't help but agree and offer our congratulations.

[Source: Detroit News]

Ford Piquette plant becomes National Historic Landmark originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Mar 2006 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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