Today, the Michigan State Quarter Coin remembers the first Model T rolling off the production line at Ford’s Detroit plant on September 27, 1908.
The Ford Times magazine of early October 1908 provided insights into the Model T.
First, an article described Mr. Ford’s trip with the early Model T:
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1,357 Mile Tour In a New Car 67 Gallons of Gasoline and Never an Adjustment.
Mr. Ford, our own president, has just finished a ten day hunting trip, a trip that was made and for the most part spent in a Model T Ford car.
The first of these cars was ready for shipment about the time Mr. Ford wanted to go hunting in Northern Wisconsin.
With characteristic quickness of decision, Mr. Ford made up his mind to take this trip in this new car.
Notifying B. W. Scott, one of his old racing men, and Jim Nichols, a tester, to get ready, the start was made at 9 o’clock that same day.
The trip was via Chicago, to Milwaukee, to Iron Mountain, where several days were spent, then back again to Detroit, a total of 1.357 miles, speedometer measurement.
The car behaved admirably, requiring not even a single adjustment in the entire ten days.
A punctured tire sums up the difficulties encountered enroute.
The roads going were 6 inches deep in dust — returning after the rains the roads were wet and muddy, and the car when it arrived in Detroit looked as if it had been taking a mud bath.
An average for the tour of 20 miles per gallon of gasoline and 85 miles per gallon of oil.
It also shows a cost per mile per passenger of a little more than 1/3 cent or adding depreciation tire cost, etc., less than 2/3 cent per mile per passenger.
Messrs. Ford and Scott arrived in Detroit October 2nd, feeling fine and immensely enthusiastic over the remarkable performance of this new car, as Mr. Ford said: “It settled once and for all for me that for all around travel the light car is the right proposition and that this new touring car will do more than I ever knew a high priced heavy car to accomplish.”
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Later in the same magazine, the following proposed advertisement told of the benefits of the Model T and Mr. Ford’s plant efficiency:
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FORD PRICES
HOW IT IS POSSIBLE TO SELL SO GOOD A CAR FOR SO LOW A PRICE
Wright Bros, airships cost and must sell for more money than if they were manufacturing a hundred a week, simply because quantity makes price.
The demand is limited and it is demand that makes business.
It’s the same case with motor cars, quantity makes price.
The cost to build 20,000 cars is less per car than the cost per car where only 1,000 cars are built, no matter how many are promised.
The cost per car to sell 1,000 cars is greater than the cost per car to sell 20,000.
The total sales expense is nearly the same in each instance.
You cannot sell 20,000 cars unless you have the demand — Ford has it.
The profit per car on an annual output of 1,000 cars must be larger than the profit per car where the output is 20,000.
The manufacturer building 1,000 to 15,000 cars per season could not exist on the Ford profit per car, and very few manufacturers have an output of even 1,000 cars.
Is it any wonder their cars cost more?
The commission per car to the agent must be greater on limited sales than on the car for which international prestige has created an enormous demand and made sales relatively easy.
Any dealer would rather make 25% less per car if he could sell twice as many cars.
This added cost, added selling expense, added commission and added profit must all be added to the selling price of the car of limited output.
And “Every little bit added to what you’ve got makes a little bit more.”
That’s one reason for the lower price of the Ford Model T.
These cars will be built at the rate of 100 per day, and they are being ordered at a rate to correspond.
If we had to figure on building only 1,000 or 2,000 Model T cars in the next 12 months (and we repeat, that’s a big output for 98% of the car manufacturers), the selling price would be forced several hundred dollars higher.
Henry Ford has made it possible for any man to make a direct saving of the difference in price between this car and any other car he may have considered buying.
You save the difference in price plus the price value of the difference in quality.
For the simple reason that point for point, feature for feature, argument for argument, there isn’t a motor car manufactured that has anything on the Model T and if you will give us a chance we will prove to your satisfaction that the Model T has advantages not found in any other car regardless of price.
When you see the car this statement will not appear extravagant.
You owe it to your pocket-book to investigate this marvelous proposition, the first touring car at a right price, the first and only break in the regime of high price.
To investigate will cost nothing, only a ride in the car and an examination by you.
Not to investigate means several hundred dollars you might have saved — and didn’t.
Stop in our store to-day, ask to see the Model T. 3,000 persons thought well enough of it to order within three weeks after the first announcement.
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The Michigan State Quarter Coin shows with an image of the Model T Mr. Ford took on his hunting trip in 1908.
