2. Ford Motor Company (also known as simply
Ford, NYSE: F) is an American multinational
automobile headquartered in Dearborn,
Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was founded by
Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903.
The company sells cars and commercial vehicles
under the brand of luxury cars and Ford with the
Lincoln brand. In the past it has also produced
heavy trucks, tractors, and automotive parts.
Ford owns a small stake in Mazda of Japan and
Aston Martin of England. It is listed on the New
York Stock Exchange and controlled by the Ford
family, even though they have a minority
ownership
ford history
3. Ford introduced methods for large-scale
manufacturing of cars and large-scale workforce
management manufacturing industry uses a
complicated sequence engineered characterized
by moving assembly lines, 1914 This method is
known around the world as Fordism. Former
British child's Ford Jaguar and Land Rover, which
was acquired in 1989 and 2000 respectively,
were sold to Tata Motors in March 2008. Ford-
owned Volvo Car Sweden 1999-2010. [3] In
2011, Ford discontinued the Mercury brand,
under which it has marketed the entry-level
luxury car in the United States since 1938.
Ford is the second largest car-
based and the fifth largest in the
world based on 2010 sales of
vehicles [4] In late 2010, Ford is
the fifth largest car manufacturer
in Europe .. [5] Ford is ranked
eighth overall American-based
company in the list 2010 500
Fortune, based on global revenues
in 2009 of $ 118.3 billion [6] in
2008, Ford produced 5.532 million
cars [7] and employs
approximately 213,000 employees
in 90 plants and facilities
worldwide.
4. The “Fox body” Mustang had been in
production since the 1979 model year and
conventional wisdom was that no one cared
about performance anymore. The most
powerful V-8–powered 1981 Mustang used a
crummy 4.2-liter version of Ford’s classic small-
block, wheezing out a measly 115 horsepower.
But the Mustang GT roared back in ’82 with
the return of the High Output 4.9-liter small-
block (marketed, duh, as a “5.0”) with a two-
barrel carburetor and rated at 157
horsepower. That’s modest by 21st-century
standards, but it started a horsepower war
that, almost 33 years later, is still going strong.
It was a small step forward but a big turning
point.
1982 Mustang GT
5. A straightforward attempt to leverage the
Mustang formula in Europe, Ford’s Capri was
basically a sexier body fitted to the mechanical
bits of the Ford Cortina. And it was quickly
embraced as an affordable platform for
modification. Through two generations, it was
sold in the United States by Mercury dealers,
ending in 1978.
1969 Capri
6. The original two-seat Thunderbird was the first
truly glamorous Ford. After three years it
would bloat into a four-seat mess, but the
sight of an original T-Bird today is an instant
trip back into a supposedly happier and pastel-
rich past.
1955 Thunderbird
7. Ford conspired with Carroll Shelby to build a
whole new chassis under the AC Ace body and
shove in the outrageous 427-cubic-inch (7.0-
liter) “side-oiler” V-8. With between 425 and
485 horsepower it has set a high bar for the
performance cars that followed it.
Shelby Cobra 42
8. After the hideous 1958–1960 Continental,
Elwood Engel’s gorgeous ’61 Continental saved
the entire Lincoln brand with its clean sides
and flat hood and trunk. Influential beyond
Ford, the four-door flagship inspired a
generation of clean, muscular cars. And the
suicide rear doors were way cool, too.
Lincoln Continental 1939
9. It would be produced for two short model
years, but the Ford GT announced to the world
that the company was still capable of
audacious designs and daring engineering. The
styling was sort of a 13/10ths-scale version of
the GT40, while a 550-hp, 5.4-liter
supercharged DOHC 32-valve V-8 sat in the
GT’s midsection feeding a six-speed manual
transaxle. The GT is already a 21st century
legend.
FORD GT
10. It’s the GT40 of off-road pickup trucks.
Suspension travel and aggressive looks
produce something no other manufacturer has
yet dared to build. The SVT Raptor is rumored
to be the most profitable vehicle Ford
currently builds.
F-150 SVT Raptor
11. More than just a powerplant, this all-new DFV
engine designed by Cosworth for Ford in the
first Formula 1 car of note that used the
engine as a stressed member of the chassis. In
short, it was a revolution. The Lotus 49 would
finish second in the constructors’
championship for ’67 while versions of the 49
would win the title in ’68 and ’70. Meanwhile,
the DFV engine would take drivers to 12
Formula 1 world championships and power
cars to 10 constructors’ titles. Beyond that,
DFV variants would win the 24 Hours of Le
Mans twice and the Indianapolis 500 a full 10
times.
Lotus 49 Ford-Cosworth
12. Young Edsel Ford’s personal car became a
spectacularly stylish, V-12–powered coupe and
convertible. The first Continental remains the
ultimate Lincoln.
Lincoln Continental 1961
13. This was a completely new full-size car that
ditched leaf springs for coil springs in the rear
suspension, setting new standards in ride
comfort and quietness. Elements of this car’s
engineering—including its front suspension—
would become the standard building blocks of
NASCAR stock cars. And 46 years later, when
the 2011 Ford Crown Victoria finally left
production, so did the last remnants of this
design.
Ford Galaxie and LTD
