Designing the Model T Ford 1906 - 1908 John Duncan

Henry Ford’s design of the Model T automobile between 1906 and 1908 was an extraordinary achievement. The industry was, at the time, still in an experimental phase and yet this design lasted without major change for nearly two decades.

More than 15 million Model Ts were built: performance and price gave the car an edge. In this sense they were ‘popular’, yet owners were apologetic about owning one. Mr Ford had the audacity to provide the car people needed, not the car they wanted.

The reasons for the car’s success can be found in the details of the mechanical design. There is a vast technical literature available for the expert or the enthusiast and there are 20,000 Model Ts still on the road. This book provides a concise and fresh look at the design one hundred years later. It is not an engineering treatise or an owner’s manual; the aim is to get inside the mind of Henry Ford and to explain the design features that accounted for the car’s success and to do so in a way that will appeal to anyone who would like to know why it has generated so much enthusiasm. The story is as much about people as it is about nuts and bolts. The character of the engineer and his design are interwoven to a surprising degree, and the singular personality of Mr Ford is shown to be reflected in his car.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Duncan was born in Adelaide and educated in Victoria. He was an engineer in industry in the UK, USA and Australia until 1961, before moving to Manchester, UK, where he became a Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in 1968. In 1970 he was appointed Professor at McMaster University, Ontario. In 1986 he joined the University of Auckland as Head of Mechanical Engineering. His research has been in metal forming and his academic direction in the education of students in mechanical design. Since retirement his life has been divided between research with groups at the University of Michigan and Deakin University and life on a small farm near Auckland.

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Reviews

The sight of a Model T Ford chugging along the highway often brings smiles.  They look positively ancient, compared with today's cars.  But old Henry's design did much to shape the modern car.  Its cutting-edge technology and design - for its day - made it one of the most successful cars ever.
Fifteen million of them rolled off the production line over two decades.  At one time half the cars in the world were Model Ts and there are 20,000 of them still on the road.

The black paint is part of the legend: Black paint dries faster than other colours, allowing the production line to speed up. 

The key to the Model T's success is its design, the subject of this Australian-born Kiwi author's book.  Strong and light with a powerful engine were the secrets of its success.  Retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering Duncan tells us why.  Fascinating reading.'  Kevin Ball, Wairarapa Times-Age, April 2008.

Vintage Car Club of N.Z. Beaded Wheels Magazine Review >>

John Duncan on the ABC's "Late Night Live"

Review - Paint and Panel archives >>

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Read an extract from the book >>

SPECIFICATIONS
Size: 210 x 145 mm
Format: Cased with jacket
Extent: 128 pages
Illustrations: 20 line drawings; 8pp photographs
Fully indexed
Weight: 350 gms
Publication date: March 2008