Photo of the Day

The car that put the world on wheels

Thursday 1 October 2026

Ford launched the Model T on 1 October 1908.

Black-and-white photo of a black open-top Ford Model T touring car with a folded hood, tufted leather seats, brass lamps and spoked wheels — Photograph · c. 1908–10

An early Ford Model T touring car, photographed in the model's first years (the Library of Congress dates the print to 1908). Tall, tough and cheap enough for farmers, it handled rutted country roads that stopped fancier cars, and turned the automobile from a rich person's toy into everyday transport.

Fun facts

Ford's moving assembly line, introduced in 1913, cut the time to build one from more than 12 hours to about an hour and a half. source ↗
It launched at $850. By the mid-1920s a basic Model T cost less than $300. source ↗
More than 15 million were built before production ended in 1927. source ↗
There's no gas pedal: the throttle is a lever on the steering column, and three floor pedals work the clutch, reverse and brake. source ↗

Image: Unknown photographer · Library of Congress
Licence: Public domain
Source: Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress