Perceptions #200137

"Ford and His Model T"

by Jerry Hodge

In his best selling biography, Ford: the Man and the Machine, Robert Lacy says Ford was a man who loved the Model T so much he didn't want to change a bolt on it. The man had a vision to see the automobile when no one else could. The man who implemented the assembly line and revolutionized manufacturing, suddenly believed he had arrived with his Model T.

In 1912, Ford, returning from a European vacation, visited a Highland Park garage to see a new design that had been produced by William Knudson. Knudson was Ford's ace production man who saw the sun setting on the 4 year old Model T. So he produced a low-slung version with red lacquered paint. After walking around the car 3 or 4 times, Ford finally removed his hands from his pockets and went berserk. He ripped off two of the four doors and began jumping up and down trying to damage the car as much as possible.

Knudson, a man with gifted discernment, decided that his model did not go over well with Ford, so he joined up with General Motors. Although his heart wasn't in it, Ford would later develop the Model A because of competitive necessity.

Remember Henry Ford the next time you get the feeling of arrival. The next time you have that thought that you can't improve your church, marriage, parenting skills, education level, or personal growth. Imagine our world today if everyone still drove a Model T.

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