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HENRY FORD
In 1847 at the height of the great famine in Ireland, a man left Ballinascarthy, near Bandon in County Cork in search of a better life for himself, his wife and family for United States of America. It was a decision which would have a far reaching affect on the world of transport in the form of the motor car we know today. The man’s name was John Ford who subsequently bought a farm in Dearborn, Michegan. One of his sons William was employed in a nearby farm owned by another Corkman named John Ahern. In time, William married John’s foster daughter and on July 30th 1863, a son was born to the couple and named Henry.
Henry did not express a great interest in farming and when he was 16 took his first job as an apprentice machinist in Dearborn. During his week end visits home, he set up a small machine shop where he did various mechanical repairs. In 1876, Henrt saw a traction engine for the first time. He said later it was that engine which took him into the world of automotive transportation. In 1896, after much experimentation, Henry built his first successful car – a quadricycle. On June 16th 1903, Henry founded the Ford Motor Company.
It was 1907 when the first Ford motor cars appeared at the Irish motor show in Dublin. By then Ford was the biggest car manufacturer in America. At that event, the Ford exhibit was the Model N, the first low priced four cylinder car to be produced by the company and was to be the direct ancestor of Ford’s most successful car, The Model T. The T began production in 1908 and continued until May 1927 when the last od the fifteen million Ts rolled off the assembly line. Interestingly, production of the T continued on until 31st December 1927.
The first Irish Ford agent who started with a six car contract and the arrival of the new Model T in 1909 was an immediate success with sales doubling year on year until 1913 when they reached a level of 600 Fords sold in Ireland.
During the summer of 1912, Henry Ford spent two months visiting Ireland and Britain including a visit to his father’s homestead at Ballinascarthy, County Cork. On his return to America he set about establishing a Ford motor plant in Cork. By the end of 1913, Ford ws producing 50% of all cars in US and by 1918 half of all the cars in the world were Model T Fords.
FORD – THE CORK CONNECTION
When Henry Ford’s Irish links are discussed, most people know of his ancestry being traced to Ballinascarthy where today a stainless steel replica of a 1909 T stands by the roadside. What many people do not know of is that Henry Ford named his Dearborn mansion “Fairlane” after the name of the street in Cork City where his mother’s family came from, and also, the fact that in 1955, the Ford Motor Company also used the name Fairlane for a new model of Ford car and with that name Fairline is enshrined in automobile history. Of course the most important piece of history for us in Ireland is the fact it was Cork’s Marina was the choice made by Henry Ford when he established the first Ford manufacturing facility outside the US in 1917. Although this plant ceased production in 1984, it had an enormous impact on the life of Cork City and County both economically and socially. To many it was thought that the setting up of an entirely separate tractor company which was named Henry Ford and Son Limited was very much a personal decision given the family roots in West Cork. But there was also the crucial factor which was the first world war. Cork had the advantage of its wonderful harbour and that enabled the ease of transportation of the finished product. Whatever the reasons behind the decision, the history books have shown the enormous contribution that Henry Ford made to automobile transport in the earlier part of the 20th century in Ireland and elsewhere.
Details of the Model T
| Engine |
20 horsepower, 4 cylinder in line L-head side valve with detachable cylinder head and 3 bearing crankshaft.
Bore/Stroke: 3 ¾ by 4” Displacement: 2896 cc (177 cubic inches) |
| Gearbox |
Integral with the engine. Foot operated 2 speed and reverse epicyclic transmission foot-brake. |
| Transmission |
Torque tube driveshaft to live rear axle. Hand-brake to rear wheels. |
| Ignition |
Flywheel magneto, producing an alternating current, operating four trembler coils via a low-tension distributor (commutator or timer) |
| Chassis |
Finest quality vanadium steel was utilised throughout to create a tough lightweight construction with three point suspension to both front and rear axles. Transverse leaf springs and radius rods. |
Initially, Model Ts had acetylene headlamps and oil side and rear lamps and needed to be hand cranked to start the engine. Over the years, improvements were made including electric starters, lighting and horns. Instruments were minimal with speedometers optional and ammeters standard on later cars.
Body
The most popular body styles were two and five seater open touring cars however a very wide variety of bodies were available over the years including closed cars, vans and 1-ton truck versions. Special bodies and many other parts were available from accessory suppliers, so it was possible to convert your Model T car to anything from a 25 seater Charabanc or taxi to a racing car or tractor.
Where Built
It is not clear exactly how many Model Ts were built between 1908 and 1927 but there is no doubt that over 15 million were produced. The main factory in Dearborn near Detroit produced the vast majority of these but many were also built in other countries including Canada, England and Cork in Ireland.
Driving a Model T
A real experience!!! The accelerator is controlled by hand using a lever under the steering wheel. Forward gears are selected using the left of the three pedals, reverse by using the centre pedal and braking is achieved using the right pedal. The hand-brake , an ignition switch and an ignition advance lever and that's all! Normal cruising speed is 35 - 40 mph and fuel consumption is 20 - 25 mpg. There are no indicators or windscreen wipers, the air conditioning is natural and there's no stereo!
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