Henry Ford’s Model T

In Girl in the Glass, the Ford Model T is used as an example of how an inventor, or an ancient god, might possess a technology, but not be able to reproduce it. Declan asserted:

“A god shouldn’t need help figuring out his own technology.”

Direktor Schmidt counters:

“Henry Ford, a genius, introduced the Model T and revolutionized the automobile. Do you think he could build one by himself? Or even draw out the schematics of the engine?”

Henry Ford’s Model T, launched in 1908, was a revolutionary automobile that transformed American society by making car ownership accessible to the masses. Unlike the hand-built, expensive cars that came before it, the Model T leveraged innovative manufacturing techniques like the moving assembly line to drastically reduce production costs and time. The price, which started at $850 in 1908, fell to as low as $260 by 1925, making it affordable for the average American family. 

The Model T's impact was far-reaching: it sparked the growth of industries like oil and road construction, facilitated increased travel and the rise of suburbia, and influenced the very nature of work with the introduction of assembly line production and higher wages for factory workers. Its simple design, including a durable vanadium steel frame and a 20-horsepower four-cylinder engine, made it relatively easy to maintain and repair, further adding to its appeal. 

Though initially available in various colors, the Model T famously became synonymous with black as Ford standardized the color for production efficiency.

Ford Model T

Model T schematics

Model T "Doctor's Coupe" - a specific body style of the Ford Model T, popular among doctors in the 1920s due to its enclosed cabin and trunk space