Car Articles

The Model T Ford most accurately reflects the nature of Ford's gift to the world. In October 1908, on the Model T's birthday, Henry Ford had said, "I will build a motor car for the great multitude." In 1913, Henry Ford doubled his workers daily wage to $5.00 and it meant that the people who built the cars could also afford to buy them. A revolution in the true sense! The Model T, according to Henry Ford, was available "in any colour you choose, so long as it's black." What put the world on wheels? It is the Model T Ford which also created the American suburbs.

Traditional automobiles of the day carried the typical two-box design, with most of the weight over the rear wheels and the weight distribution became further imbalanced when loaded with passengers. Handling was thus difficult and unsafe on slippery roads. Chrysler built a wind tunnel and tested at least 50 scale models to discover the most efficient shape created by nature that could suit an automobile. In the commercial sense, Chrysler's early experiment of building an aerodynamic car that would efficiently slip through the air flopped. But the company's use of wind tunnel testing was futuristic and is now in common practice.

It is hard to imagine that the loveable VW was first designed to be the populist vehicle of the volk of Hitler's Third Reich. Only with the financial backing of the Third Reich was the Beetle able to be mass produced for the public. Hitler wanted a car to be available to the people for the average price of a motorcycle. This car was designed to transport two adults and three children. However, before this began, war broke out and the order was given to produce the Beetle for military use. The tough little Bug, however, long outlived that ancestry to become the best selling single car model of all time.

Styling awards? None. But it's not just a pickup truck. It's a Ford F150. This automobile has been North America's best seller for years. About half of Ford's sales come from the F-Series. One of the best in towing, the word "Can't" isn't in its vocabulary. Impressive power, payload, fuel efficiency and innovation is what one can expect from the F-150.

In the 1940s, Chevy cars were driven only by old grannies. It was in 1955 that General Motors launched an all new car which was also the costliest; the Bel Air. That was a revelation. Not only did it offer the now legendary small block V8 engine which is effectively still in production, but also its styling, particularly on its Ferrari-like grill, was so wonderful that it was copied for years.

This was the first car that proved that Japan too was going to be a serious player when it came to cars. When everyone was down due to the oil crises of the 1970's, the reliable and well-finished Honda Civic was an intelligent choice, and made economic sense too. This car outperformed the gas-guzzling American monsters. The Civic is the second-longest continuously-running nameplate from a Japanese manufacturer in the U.S.