The first car produced by the Ford Motor Company was the Model A, which began production in July 1903. However, Henry Ford's very first automobile was a personal project called the Quadricycle, completed in his workshop in June 1896. This distinction is key: the Quadricycle was the prototype that started it all, while the Model A was the first car sold to the public by the newly incorporated Ford company.
The Quadricycle was a simple gasoline-powered buggy. It featured a lightweight frame, four bicycle tires, and a two-cylinder engine that produced around 4 horsepower. Ford sold the original Quadricycle in 1896 to fund his further automotive experiments, which eventually led to the founding of the Ford Motor Company on June 16, 1903.
The company's first product, the Model A, was a more refined vehicle. It was a two-seater runabout equipped with a two-cylinder, 8-horsepower engine located under the seat. It could reach a top speed of about 30 mph. The success of the Model A, with over 1,700 units built between 1903 and 1904, provided the capital needed to develop subsequent models, ultimately leading to the world-changing Model T in 1908.
| Vehicle | Year Introduced | Engine | Horsepower | Production Volume | Key Significance |
|---|
| Quadricycle | 1896 | 2-cylinder | ~4 HP | 1 unit | Henry Ford's first working automobile prototype. |
| Ford Model A | 1903 | 2-cylinder, under-seat | 8 HP | ~1,750 units | First production car sold by the Ford Motor Company. |
| Cadillac Model A | 1903 | 1-cylinder | 6.5 HP | ~2,500 units | Illustrates competitive landscape at the time. |
| Oldsmobile Curved Dash | 1901 | 1-cylinder | 5 HP | ~19,000 units | The best-selling car in the US before the Model T. |
| Ford Model T | 1908 | 4-cylinder | 20 HP | Over 15 million | The car that truly popularized automobile ownership. |
