Model T + Mass Motoring (1908-1929)
The Model T turns cars from luxury into infrastructure. The moving assembly line, the $5 workday, 15 million Model Ts. Bugatti, Bentley, Duesenberg, Cadillac, Hispano-Suiza define luxury at the other end.
Part of Cars
20 moments in this segment.
- — General Motors Founded. September 16, 1908. William Durant founds General Motors as a holding company combining Buick + Olds. By 1929 the largest company in the world. The Alfred-Sloan multi-brand strategy defines auto industry structure for a century.
- — Bugatti Founded (Molsheim). 1909. Ettore Bugatti founds Automobiles Ettore Bugatti in Molsheim, Alsace. Type 13 wins races; Type 35 (1924) wins 1,000+ races in the 1920s — most successful racing car of all time by win count.
- — First Indianapolis 500. May 30, 1911. Ray Harroun wins the inaugural Indy 500 in a Marmon Wasp at 74.6 mph. The single most American racing institution. Continuous Memorial Day weekend event ever since (with WW interruptions).
- — Aston Martin Founded. 1913. Lionel Martin + Robert Bamford found Bamford & Martin. Named "Aston Martin" after Lionel's wins at Aston Hill. James Bond connection arrives in 1964 with the DB5.
- — Duesenberg Founded. 1913. Fred + August Duesenberg build the first American DOHC straight-8. The Model J (1928) is the most powerful + expensive American car of its era. Spawns the slang "it's a duesy."
- — Ford's $5 Workday. January 5, 1914. Ford doubles minimum wage to $5/day to reduce turnover + create customers for his cars. Press calls it "an act of social justice or shrewd business" — both true. Defines 20th-century mass-consumer template.
- — Maserati Founded (Bologna). December 1, 1914. The five Maserati brothers found Officine Alfieri Maserati in Bologna. Trident logo from Bologna's Neptune Fountain. Wins Indy 500 (1939, 1940) with Wilbur Shaw.
- — Morris Cowley — Britain's Model T. 1915-1939. The Morris Cowley + Oxford. William Morris's "bullnose" cars motorise Britain's middle class. By 1925, Morris is Britain's largest carmaker.
- — First 24 Hours of Le Mans. May 26-27, 1923. The first 24 Heures du Mans runs on public roads near Le Mans. Chenard et Walcker wins. The endurance format becomes the most prestigious race in the world for non-F1 enthusiasts.
- — Bugatti Type 35. 1924. Bugatti Type 35 debuts. Wins 1,000+ races in the 1920s. The aluminium-spoke wheels, horseshoe grille, ice-blue French Racing colour become permanent design icons.
- — Chrysler Founded. June 6, 1925. Walter Chrysler founds Chrysler Corporation. Acquires Dodge (1928). The "Detroit Three" lock-in (Ford + GM + Chrysler) shapes US auto for the next 80 years.
- — Detroit Becomes the Car Capital. 1920s. Detroit's population doubles (993K → 1.6M). Ford, GM, Chrysler all HQ'd there. By 1925: Michigan produces 80% of the world's cars. Single-industry-city template + eventual cautionary tale.
- — Nürburgring Opens (Nordschleife). June 18, 1927. Nürburgring Nordschleife (20.8 km, 73 turns) opens. "Green Hell" (Jackie Stewart 1968). Production-car lap time becomes the global supercar pissing-contest. Closes to F1 in 1976 after Lauda crash.
- — Enzo Ferrari. 1898-1988. Founded Scuderia Ferrari (1929) as Alfa Romeo racing arm, then Ferrari (1947). Single-minded obsession with racing; road cars existed to fund it. The greatest motorsport figurehead.
- — First Monaco Grand Prix. April 14, 1929. First Monaco GP runs through the streets. William Grover-Williams wins in a Bugatti Type 35B. The most prestigious + most-cliché street circuit ever; defines "glamour" in motorsport.
- — First Mille Miglia. March 26-27, 1927. The first Mille Miglia — 1,000-mile public-road race Brescia-Rome-Brescia. Ferdinando Minoia + Giuseppe Morandi win. Runs annually until the 1957 De Portago disaster.
- — Ford Model T Launched. October 1, 1908. Ford ships the Model T — $850 at launch, $260 by 1925. 15 million made by 1927. Single biggest product in 20th-century manufacturing; turned cars from rich-man's-toy into infrastructure.
- — 90-year-old Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix car driven on the limit!. Paired YT embed for "Bugatti Founded (Molsheim)". Query: Bugatti Type 35 racing 1920s
- — GENERAL MOTORS - THE HISTORY OF CREATION IN DETAIL. Paired YT embed for "General Motors Founded". Query: General Motors history documentary
- — Moving Assembly Line at Highland Park. December 1, 1913. Ford installs the first true moving assembly line at Highland Park. Model T assembly time drops from 12.5 hours to 93 minutes. Fordism reshapes manufacturing + middle-class wages globally.
