Modern life depends on it. Although concept automobiles were already being built in the late 1800s, it was only in the early 20th century, with the invention of the Ford Model-T, that cars really made an impact on the transportation market. To reduce to the time of making the Model T, Ford introduced the moving assembly line. They began with a list of 700 candidates in 1996. On October 1, 1908, the first production Model T Ford is completed at the company’s Piquette Avenue plant in Detroit. Car collectors and enthusiasts today are still excited about the Model T. Historians write about its impact on our modern life. (Social … Circa 1900, less than 1000 cars were manufactured in the US. Ford’s main goal with his assembly line was to make sure that the Model T would be available to a majority of the public. Even at 40% of the cost of other cars on the market, the $650 price tag was more than the annual income of a middle class family. Model T, automobile built by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 until 1927. Not 15 years later, in 1914, 1.7 million cars were sold. In 1903 when automobiles cost approximately $2,000, making them a luxury affordable only by the wealthy, he determined to build a car for the masses. Making a car can be a long, hard, and skill-demanding process. If you ever wonder why it was such a big deal, just imagine your life without your car. Henry Ford is rightly regarded as an icon of American society. Henry Ford was even able to reduce his prices to make the Model T affordable for many Americans. The Curved-Dash Olds and the Model T. In 1901, Ransom Olds marketed his curved-dash Oldsmobile to the middle class. Few inventions have had as profound an impact on the world as the car. "This system used conveyer belts to move parts and partly assembled cars from one group of workers to another." Trundle along in a modern car - even a gas-guzzling V8 - … Lasting Impact on Modern Life. In 1908 Henry Ford announced plans for his Model T. It was an invention that has not only change the way people lived, it’s influenced business and the economy in ways no one could have foreseen when Henry Ford put together a mass production operation for his Model T. Between 1908 and 1927, Ford would build some 15 million Model T cars… His low production cost enabled the final cost of the car to be lowered as well. The Ford Model T was by far the most popular car in the 1920s. More than 15 million Model Ts were built in Detroit and Highland Park, Michigan. Changes that were made in the manufacturing process lowered the cost to the point where the average American could own a vehicle. Conceived by Henry Ford as practical, affordable transportation for the common man, it quickly became prized for its low cost, durability, versatility, and ease of maintenance. Ford’s Model T was able to reach a speed of 25 mph with a 22 horsepower engine, with a gas efficiency of ten to twelve miles per gallon. On December 18, 1999, the Ford Model T was named the “Car of the Century” by a panel of 133 automotive journalists and experts. I would guess a Model T would return about 25mpg trundling along - but that's not the same as an EPA real-world estimated figure. How FordÆs Model T Changed American Society.