Have you ever seen something for sale and just thought, I have to have it? Well you’re not alone. In the early 20th century, there was one product that dominated the fantasies of the modern consumer. In fact, it was so popular that it even helped shorten the gap of America’s once rigid class structures. Hi, my name is Gabe Bauer and this is Top Shelf History, where we combine great stories with great drinks.
This is the Tin Lizzie. It is the cocktail I have made for you based on the Model T Ford, a car that changed the car manufacturing industry AND launched a new era of affordable vehicles for the working man. It is made with Jägermeister, Jack Daniel’s, and Brut champagne.
Prior to the emergence of the Model T, cars were a luxury item built using the most novel technology available. In 1885, Karl Benz successfully designed the world’s first practical automobile running on an internal combustion engine in Germany. That same year, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach patented their design for what would later be recognized as the prototype for the modern gasoline engine. Four years later, Panhard et Levassor, the world’s first car manufacturer, broke onto the scene in France, and Peugeot, a company still in existence today, quickly followed in 1891. There was a lot of forward motion, but only for the select few. That is, until 17 years later, when Henry Ford entered the scene with his famous Model T.
As the world of automobiles was expanding among the wealthy families of Europe and America, Henry was tinkering with engines. After coming home from his day job as the chief engineer at Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit, Henry spent his nights building a new engine that… didn’t work. Until Christmas 1893 when, like a present from Santa, the engine ran. For about 30 seconds. It was enough for Henry. He kept at it and in 1903, the Ford Motor Company was born.
Henry saw the landscape of car manufacturing before him. He had studied what his competitors were doing. It was clear what made a car company successful in the early 20th century. Luxury. But he had a different vision–he wanted to make a car for the everyman. The rich would keep their luxury cars. Everyone else would get a Model T. When he finally released his automobile in 1908, it was priced at $850, what would be around $26,000 today. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: “Henry needs to rethink what the ‘everyman’ can afford.” But actually, despite its high cost, it actually was one of the cheapest cars available. Remember this was the early 1900s. Cars were not common. At least not yet. His competitors were charging anywhere from $2000-$6000 for their offerings. Today that’s a range of $63,000-$188,000. The everyman wouldn’t even be able to dream of a car that expensive.
Henry knew he could make a cheaper car, and he did, by cutting customization out of the process. Inspired by the assembly lines in slaughterhouses (or maybe I should say, the disassembly lines in slaughterhouses), the Ford Motor Company broke the manufacturing process down into 84 steps. By using standard parts for every car, all of the pieces were interchangeable and could be easily replaced if there was an issue. It was an entirely new concept to the art of automobile construction.
The process was so efficient, they were able to cut end-to-end production time down from 12 hours to 93 minutes. A benefit that was transferred to the customers. By 1924, the price of the Model T had fallen from $850 to $260, around $4,400 in today’s money. That’s basically a down payment for a car today!
Suddenly cars weren’t just accessible, they were affordable. Despite them being deprived of what would normally qualify as luxury, the very fact that people could get them brought an air of luxury to the life of the average consumer. Ford Motor Company also worked to elevate their workers by setting new wage standards at the plant. For an 8-hour shift, laborers would be paid $5/day–doubling the industry’s standard. It was a good system for the company. With workers making more money, they could buy the cars they’d built. With the pay being so much higher than competitor offerings, the company found a committed labor force of skilled workers. As far as Henry was concerned, it was a win-win.
Under this new system, the middle class began to boom and other businesses started to take notice. So while he may be most known for the invention of the Model T, in my opinion it was establishing a new standard for employer-employee relations that was his most profound impact.
So at Ford Motor Company, you built cars. At Top Shelf History, we build drinks. Let’s get started making the Tin Lizzie.
