When discussing the history of the car, what defines a “car” needs establishing. For example, would you consider what amounts to a steam-powered buggy a car? What if it took 30 minutes to start and rather than using a key to fire up the engine, you’d use a crank that often broke people’s arms? Those early steam-powered buggies moved slower than horse-drawn carriages and couldn’t travel half as far. Therefore, would you really call them cars?
The 35 hp Mercedes racing car of 1901, the first "Mercedes". (myautoworld)
The earliest cars invented that actually resemble the space ships we whizz around in today came in 1901. It was dubbed the Mercedes and designed by Wilhelm Maybach for Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. Shortly after that Henry Ford made his mark and the world was never the same. This is the history of the first cars.
The 1901 Mercedes
The first real "car" and not a modified stagecoach.
The very first car featured a 35 horsepower engine and weighed just shy of 500 pounds. Some model airplanes weigh more than that today! However, thanks to its incredibly light design, the first car could reach 53 miles an hour. Although, it also felt like it was on the verge of falling to pieces at that speed as well. Eight years after Mercedes' invention, Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft was ranked as the most integrated automobile in Europe. They employed over 1,700 workers to produce less than a thousand cars annually!
The American Equivalent
Ransom E. Olds and his "car."(autonews)
Before Henry Ford came along and radically changed the motor industry, America fell laughably behind Europe when it came to cars. While the Mercedes turned heads with its powerful petrol engine combined with a tailored steel chassis and lowered center of gravity, Americans made due with what amounted to a motorized horse buggy.
The Challenge
Going from this to a real car that didn't cost a fortune was America's challenge.
The Ransom E. Olds of the same era utilized a single-cylinder, three-horsepower engine that steered more like a boat than a car. Still, the antediluvian Olds only cost $650, making it affordable for most middle-class Americans. To bring the United States into the 20th century, car manufacturers needed to integrate the price of the torpid Olds with the advancement of Europe’s Mercedes. Melding those two conceits became America’s biggest contribution to the motorized world.
The Model T
The paradigm shifting Model T. (britannica)
In 1908 two paradigm-shifting events occurred: Henry Ford unveiled the Model T and Wiliam Durant established General Motors. The 15 horsepower, four-cylinder Model T might not sound like a cataclysmic shift but for just $600, it radically changed the game. Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal described the Model T as “the very first instance of a low-cost motor car driven by a gas engine. It had cylinders enough to give the shaft a turning impulse each shaft turn which is well built and offered in large numbers.” From a performance perspective, it still lagged behind the Mercedes but a number of regional factors led to it becoming the first iconic car.
A Motoring Nation
The godfather of modern cars.
Unlike Europe, America’s vast landscape of isolated towns and settlements necessitated automotive transportation. Consequently, the American demand for cars far outstripped Europe’s. The United States also enjoyed a higher income per capita and a more even distribution of wealth.
In the fine tradition of American manufacturing, cars were produced cheaper and faster. Car companies also didn’t have to concern themselves with tariffs like Europe and could sell their vehicles from sea to shining sea. By standardizing manufacturing, America produced an astounding volume of cars. In 1913, America turned out over 485,000 vehicles off their assembly lines. That accounted for the vast majority of the roughly 600,000 cars produced worldwide that year!
The Future Of Cars
Where the magic of the Model T began. (britannica)
Overwhelmed with orders, Ford continued to improve their manufacturing process to the point that over 100 cars could be delivered daily. As the cash rolled in, Henry Ford improved on the Model T’s design, calling it the “car for the great multitude.” The newer Model T featured a beastly 20 horsepower, a two-speed planetary transmission, and a detachable cylinder head. The latter two additions made the Model T much easier to drive and repair. Ford also added a higher chassis for better ground clearance on rural roads.
Ford's Innovation
Ford shoved the world of cars forward.
By constantly streamlining production like the modern mass production techniques found at Ford’s Highland Park in Michigan, the plant assembled more cars at lower costs. Thanks to that innovation, the Model T cost just $575 in 1912. Not coincidentally, that figure was less than the average annual income in the United States. When the Model T was finally replaced in 1927, it cost just $290 and had already sold over 15 million units.
