It might surprise you to learn that Henry Ford did not build the first American cars. The first model of that which could be considered a car was a horse drawn buggy that had a 4HP single cylinder engine. It needed the horses to get started, but once up to speed, it could travel along without assistance. The Duryea brothers, Charles and Frank, first manufactured this prototype for the engine in 1892.
These early models were little more than horse carriages, but they paved the way for multi-cylinder engines that we now use in our automobiles today. Early Americans were thankful for this type of horse drawn carriage, as it provided faster transport than a horse, and of course, the motorized buggy did not get tired after just a few hours of riding.
It was not long before these automobiles began to take shape into the engines we all know and love today. Multi-cylinder engines became the new way to get around, with a clutch and transmission to make the ride as smooth as possible. All of these developments were tightly controlled from the cab of the car with the steering wheel and brakes. In the short period of the 1900s before World War I, modern advancements were made with many American cars that can lead them to be called the forefather of the modern car that we have today.
Despite the early advances that were made in turning a motorized horse drawn carriage into a full on automatic car, there were several challenges that Americans needed to overcome in order to perfect their invention. Tires were a real problem, as they wore out quickly and were quick to blow out. Gasoline was not as refined as it is today, so it left build up in the engines that severely hampered their performance. The same could be said about oil, which had the texture and density of molasses in the early 1900s. Because of this, driving in the cold was something you could rarely do, as the oil and gasoline simply would not be practical for the car.
Early engine maintenance on these American cars was a nightmare, as valves were constantly grinding the rings and bearings and they needed to be replaced every few months, instead of years like modern cars. Sparkplugs were how the ignition switches worked, just like in modern cars, but these older sparkplugs were unreliable and often were the main cause of problems for these vehicles not starting when they should. Back then; if you owned an automobile, you were a rich man with disposable income for such a high maintenance gadget.
The developments made by Henry Ford are what revolutionized the automobile industry. His Model T, which was introduced in the early 1920s, combined several mechanical faults from the forefathers of the automobile, but Henry refined them and worked with them so that they were trivial when compared to his competitor’s product. So, what propelled Henry Ford into success, even though his cars featured many of the defaults of cars of the time? The secret is assembly line production. Because Ford was able to manufacture millions of cars in a relatively short period with slight changed to design, the price of owning an automobile significantly dropped, making them more affordable to people all around the country. This endless flood of cars also had another positive effect, as since they were so plentiful, obtaining parts for the problem areas of a car was no longer such a hassle. With so many interchangeable parts available, patching up the Model T to keep it running was something just about every American dad knew how to do.
With the refining of the American car through Henry Ford, the foundation for getting America a set of wheels was laid. As the Model T began to see more and more improvements, gasoline and oil were refined to help make them better products for keeping engines running. One of the biggest developments for American cars came in 1923, when ethyl was added to gasoline. This allowed better fuel performance for the cars that it was used in, making it a better option than horses for the first time in history.
The ’20s also saw the first body style change of the car. The original Model T was little more than a stylized motorized buggy, designed after the same buggies that had been pulled behind horses for ages. The only difference was the horses were replaced with a four-cylinder engine that was capable of carrying up to five passengers comfortable. Body styles slowly began changing into sedans that would be more beneficial for families. Aside from this, some of these early cars featured luxuries like a heater for the winter.
Later on down the line in the ’30s, Ford would eventually introduce his six and then eight cylinder engine which provided even more horsepower to the common working man. In addition to larger engines which operated better, hydraulic shocks were added to the Model T, and better tires were developed to help withstand the rough conditions of many of America’s roads back then.
Since the introduction of the car in the 1920s, each decade has brought about something new to the line, all the way up to the cars that we drive today. While the American cars of today are a far cry from what they were in the early 1920s, the ingenuity of carmakers is a testament to just how much America has come to rely on this sort of transport for getting around. Body styles have changed nearly every decade, some more memorable than others. From the massive fins of the ’50s to the sleek design of today, American cars have undergone so many changes in just under a hundred years. There is no telling what the next hundred years has in store for the industry, but if Hollywood has their say, it seems likely we will all have hover cars, flying cars and maybe even space cars when the year 2100 rolls around.
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