1. Ford was the first automaker to introduce the moving assembly line, which revolutionized mass production and made cars affordable for the general public.
2. The company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903 with just $28,000 from 12 investors, including himself.
3. Ford’s Model T, introduced in 1908, was the first car affordable enough for the average American family, leading to over 15 million units sold by 1927.
4. Henry Ford’s first vehicle was actually a quadricycle, a four-wheeled bicycle powered by a gas engine, built in 1896.
5. Ford was one of the first companies to offer its employees the five-day, 40-hour workweek in 1926, aiming to improve work-life balance.
6. Ford was the first American automaker to offer a passenger car with a V8 engine, the 1932 Ford Model 18, which became a favorite of bootleggers and racers.
7. The Ford F-Series has been the best-selling truck in the United States since 1977 and the best-selling vehicle overall since 1981.
8. During World War II, Ford produced B-24 Liberator bombers at a rate of one per hour at its Willow Run assembly plant.
9. Ford’s logo, the blue oval, was introduced in 1927 with the release of the Model A, but the script font of “Ford” dates back to 1907.
10. Ford Motor Company owns the credit for the invention of the car radio, introduced in 1930 in collaboration with the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, later known as Motorola.
11. Ford was the first to launch a global vehicle lineup with the 1990 Ford Escort, designed to be sold worldwide with minimal changes.
12. The Mustang, introduced in 1964, was originally expected to sell 100,000 units annually but exceeded 1 million sales in its first 18 months.
13. Ford was one of the first major car manufacturers to produce hybrid vehicles, with the Ford Escape Hybrid launched in 2004.
14. The Ford GT40 was created specifically to beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and it succeeded, winning the race four consecutive times from 1966 to 1969.
