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Ford History is long and fascinating in its windings and deviations and make great reading. Here in this Ford parts and automobiles article, we'll bring you a brief overview of that long and prosperous history.

Better still, we decided that rather than bury this really important article in our archives forever, better to move the main body of it into its own page so that you'll easily be able to find in from the navigation bar on the main page of this Ford Parts site. So here it is:

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1863 : The birth of Henry Ford, father of the Ford Motor Company

1896 : Ford runs the Quadricycle experimental car on Detroit streets

1899 : Persuades investors to underwrite Detroit Auto Co., quits Detroit Edison. The venture fails

1901 : Jobless, Ford moves his wife and son back into his father's home on Detroit's Grand Boulevard;

Henry Ford, driving own car, beats Alexander Winton in automobile race, which attracts investors who go on to form Henry Ford Co.

1902 : Ford withdraws and the company becomes Cadillac

1903 : The Ford Motor Co. is founded by Malcomson group;

Model A Ford is produced in a rented Mack Ave. plant

1904 : Company builds Piquette Ave. plant at corner of Beaubien; still standing and being restored; Ford of Canada chartered in Windsor, Ontario

1906 : Ford overtakes Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac combined to become No.1 automobile manufacturer in U.S., Henry Ford becomes company president and majority owner

1908 : Ford introduction of legendary Ford Model T

1909 : Offer from Billy Durant to buy out Ford and merge it into General Motors fails when NY bankers won't provide the cash up front Henry demands

1910 : The Highland Park plant opens and assembly of Model T transferred from Piquette, which closes

1911 : First overseas assembly plant is opened in Manchester, England; Ford wins Selden patent suit

1913 : Moving assembly line inaugurated at Highland Park

1914 : Announcement of the $5 workday at Ford

1915 : 1-millionth Ford motor car is built; Purchase of land for Rouge plant in Dearborn

1918 : Henry Ford loses the Senate race as a Democrat

1919 : Henry Ford buys out minority stockholders

1921 : 5-millionth Ford automobile is built

1922 : Ford Motor Co. acquires the Lincoln Motor Co.

1925 : Ford of Germany is established; First pickup truck is introduced to the range

1927 : Model T production ends with the 15-millionth car built; Model A introduced after 6-month shutdown for retooling

1932 : Introduction of the Ford V-8 engine and the English Ford Model Y

1933 : Ford Motor Co. falls to third place behind GM and Chrysler

1935 : Lincoln-Zephyr introduced, the first medium-priced Ford car

1937 : 25-Millionth Ford automobile is built

1938 : '39 Mercury introduced as 2nd medium-price vehicle

1939 : Edsel Ford impresses friends with the custom-built Lincoln-Zephyr Continental, so production begins

1941 : War production begins with the quarter-ton GPs at Dearborn and the B-24 bombers at Willow Run, of which 8,485 are built by war's end in 1945; First UAW contract is signed

1943 : Death of Edsel Ford, Henry Ford elected president, Henry Ford II is released from the Navy to help run the company

1945 : Civilian production resumes and Henry Ford II is elected president

1946 : Henry Ford II begins restructuring the company with former GM executives under Ernest Breech, "Whiz Kids" from Army Air Corps and college graduate trainees

1947 : Death of Henry Ford

1948 : Introduction of 1949-models, the company's first all-new post-war cars

1950 : Ford overtakes Chrysler to regain 2nd largest auto manufacturer in US

1954 : Introduction of '55 Thunderbird

1955 : Introduction of '56 Continental Mark II

1956 : Sale of Ford Motor Co. common stock begins; new Central Office Building opened (later World Headquarters and now Henry Ford II World Center) in Dearborn

1957 : Introduction of '58 Edsel

1958 : Introduction of 4-seat '58 Thunderbird

1959 : 50-millionth car, a Ford Galaxie; Edsel discontinued

1960 : Introduction of '60 1/2 Mercury Comet "luxury compact," '61 Econoline "compact truck"; Henry Ford II elected chairman of the board, replacing retiring Breech

1962 : "intermediate" Ford Fairlane and Mercury Meteor introduced; Ford acquires Philco Corp.

1964 : Introduction of Mustang "pony car"

1965 : Introduction of Ford Transit van in Europe, the first transnational European design; Introduction of '66 Bronco in U.S., first Ford sport/utility vehicle

1967 : Ford of Europe formed

1968 : Semon Knudsen from General Motors hired as president

1969 : Company reorganized with Henry Ford II as chairman, Lee Iacocca as president of Ford North America Automotive Operations

1970 : Formation of Ford Motor Land Development Co.; Introduction of sub-compact '71 Ford Pinto; Lee Iacocca becomes president

1972 : Henry Ford II announces plans for the Renaissance Center on Detroit waterfront

1973 : Introduction of the "downsized" '74 Mustang II

1976 : Introduction of tiny sub-compact front-wheel-drive (FWD) Ford Fiesta car in Europe

1977 : Introduction of "Fox" chassis compact cars

1978 : Introduction of "Panther" chassis large body-on-frame cars, still basis of Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car; Phillip Caldwell named president; 150-millionth Ford vehicle worldwide is built

1979 : Henry Ford II retires as CEO, succeeded by Phillip Caldwell; Ford obtains initial 25% interest in Toyo Kogyo of Japan, which is later renamed Mazda

1980 : Phillip Caldwell named board chairman and CEO with Donald Petersen as president and chief operating officer; Introduction of '81-model Ford Escort "world car"

1982 : Introduction of '83 Ranger compact pickup; Henry Ford II retires as company officer and employee; Introduction of �83 Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar

1985 : Donald Petersen succeeds Caldwell as chairman and Harold Poling elected president; Introduction of the FWD mid-size '86 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable

1987 : Death of Henry Ford II; Introduction of '88 Lincoln Continental; Hertz Corp. acquired by Ford and a partnership

1988 : Edsel Ford II and William Clay Ford Jr. join William Clay Ford as family members on the board of directors

1989 : Ford sells Rouge steel, acquires financial service company The Associates and the British company Jaguar Cars

1990 : Harold Poling succeeds Petersen as chairman and Philip Benton Jr. elected president; Introduction of the '91 Ford Explorer SUV

1992 : Introduction of the Mercury Villager minivan, joint venture initiated with Nissan

1993 : Introduction in Europe of Ford Mondeo "world car"; Alex Trotman succeeds Poling as chairman and CEO

1994 : Introduction of the '94 Ford Windstar minivan

1996 : 250-millionth Ford vehicle built

1997 : Ford sells heavy-truck business to Freightliner; Introduction of Lincoln Navigator SUV;

1998 : Lincoln-Mercury headquarters moved to Irvine, CA; Edsel Ford II resigns as president of Ford Credit; Introduction in Europe of Focus compact car

1999 : Bill Ford Jr. becomes chairman and Jacques Nasser becomes president and CEO; Acquisition of Volvo Cars and TH!NK electric car

2000 : Introduction of Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type models; Acquisition of Land Rover from BMW; Visteon Corp. parts-making organization spun off

2001 : Nasser resigns as president, replaced by Nick Scheele; Bill Ford Jr. assumes active management role as CEO, fourth generation of the founding Ford family; Introduction of retro 2-seat Ford Thunderbird

2002 : New design unveiled for the '04 Mustang

2003 : F-150 redesigned; Rouge plant overhaul nears completion en route to 2004 startup with multi-platform capability

That's as far as we go for now - more to follow...

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