100 year Anniversary (2014, auto, coupes, engines)

[stilldriveem]

Well in 2014 we are celebrating 100 years of new Automotive innovations. 1914 was the first year that Henry's Heap was available in any color you wanted as long as it was black, because Black Japan Enamel was the only paint that dried fast enough to keep up with production. 1914 was also the first automotive rebate. 'Ol Henry announced that if he sold over 300,000 Model T's that year each customer would receive between 40 and 60 dollars back. That year they sold 308,854 cars and Henry decided on $50 bucks and mailed out over 15 million dollars. Essentially Ford Motor's profit for the year! Also in January 1914 Henry announced that the minimum wage in his plants would be $5 a day for a 8 hour day at a time when other plants were paying $2.34 for a 9 hour day. Cartoonist's at the time drew pictures of Ford worker's in mink coats and top hats in the back of their Model T's asking their chaffeur's to go retrieve their paychecks. However things were not as they seemed. You had to stay on the job for 6 months to receive that wage, and you also had to pass muster with the new for that year "Socialogical Department". At first it had a noble purpose of teaching newly arrived immigrants English, basic math, how to make a household budget, how to put some back for savings, etc., etc. However in a few years is degenerated into a private police force of thugs that could come into your house anytime under any pretense and generally cause you some trouble, including losing your job, getting beaten up, etc., etc. At first though it was a noble and needed experiment. Also 1914 is 100 years of Dodge. The two brother's John and Horace got started supplying Ford begining in 1903 with frames, engines, and transmissions.

[wit-nit]

However, in the first years of production from 1908 to 1913, the Model T was not available in black[22] but rather only grey, green, blue, and red. Green was available for the touring cars, town cars, coupes, and Landaulets. Grey was only available for the town cars, and red only for the touring cars. By 1912, all cars were being painted midnight blue with black fenders. It was only in 1914 that the "any color so long as it is black" policy was finally implemented. It is often stated that Ford suggested the use of black from 1914 to 1926 due to the cheap cost and durability of black paint. During the lifetime production of the Model T, over 30 different types of black paint were used on various parts of the car.[22] These were formulated to satisfy the different means of applying the paint to the various parts, and had distinct drying times, depending on the part, paint, and method of drying.
Ford Model T - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Da Grouch]

There is also another auto manufacturer that will celebrate its 100th year in 2014. It was started by four brothers: Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, and Ernesto. Maybe you'd recognize their last name - Maserati.


Photo by Julio LaTrioni

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Ron

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