*The information in this document is provided by History.com. The full citation is listed below along with a link for this information and more. The Model T, also known as the Tin Lizzie, was a remarkable feat in the history of the United States. Henry Ford and his famed assembly-line automobile production birthed many advancements in automotive technology. Efficiency in the factory drove automobile prices down, thus creating the first affordable car. The average American worker could now reasonably purchase a vehicle for personal transportation, something only the wealthy could do before. All in all, 15 million Model Ts were produced from 1908 to 1927, when the Model T was replaced by the Model A. Henry Ford’s extraordinary Model T was born in Detroit and Highland Park, Michigan, the birthplace of the Ford Motor Company. Plants in Manchester, England and continental Europe produced it as well. The Model T was cherished and honored for its low cost, strength, versatility, ease of use, and ease of maintenance. Advancements in technology and assembly-line production brought the cost of each unit down from $850 in 1908 to less than $300 in 1925. The Model T comprised, at times, nearly 40% of all vehicles sold in the U.S. Its widespread adoption became known as the “democratization of the automobile,” which truly realized the American middle-class dream of having an affordable automobile. All Model Ts were mounted on a uniform 100-inch-wheelbase chassis, although they were offered in multiple body styles, including a two-seat runabout, seven-seat town car, and five-seat touring sedan. Originally, color choices were offered for the car, but in 1913, that option was eliminated, and all cars would be painted black until 1925. The 1923 Model T presented at the Midwest Dream Car Collection sports the standard black color and is configured in the popular two-seat runabout style. The car’s 177-CID 4-cylinder engine ran on gasoline. It produced 20 horsepower for a top speed of 45 mph. The engine was built in-unit with the Model T’s novel planetary transmission. This transmission consisted of two forward gears and one reverse gear, controlled by pedals rather than a floor-mounted hand lever (which is common in most manual vehicles today). Hand levers, located behind the steering wheel, were used to control the spark and throttle. The fuel tank was located under the seat. Due to this location and the fact that the reverse gear offered more power than the forward gears, steep hills often had to be driven up backward to allow the gravity-fed fuel tank to deliver gasoline to the engine. The Model T was commonly talked about humorously because of its unattractive appearance, oddities, and unusual ride quality. It remains a legend in its own right, and it can be credited for many of the advancements we see in the automotive industry today. This simple car transformed the way Americans and people worldwide move—and it did that in some of the most revolutionary and time-changing ways possible.