EEVAC

Did You Know?

 

1910

  • Henry Ford opens a production plant in Highland Park near Detroit to produce the Model T.

  • William Durant founds Chevrolet.

1911

  • Charles Kettering develops first electrical self-starter and sells 8,000 to Cadillac.

  • Painted center lines begin appearing on highways.

  • Louis Chevrolet drives a Buick in the Indianapolis 500.

1912

  • Cadillac is the first U.S. car to feature an electric starter, along with new lighting and ignition devices.

  • Standard Oil Company opens its first gas station in Cincinnati, Ohio.

  • The price of a Ford Model T, introduced in 1908, drops to $575.

1913

  • Ford's Highland Park plant, the "Crystal Palace," becomes the first to use a moving assembly line to produce over 1,000 cars per day.

1914

  • Ford engineers John and Horace Dodge start their own company.

  • The first stoplight and the first stop sign appear in Detroit.

  • Henry Ford announces a 40-hour work week at pay of $5.00 per day, up from $2.34 per day. The Ford Model T has nearly half the market.

  • Cadillac develops the V8 engine

1915

  • The Budd Co. produces an all-steel body for Dodge.

1916

  • Stoplights, rear-view mirrors and mechanical windshield wipers appear on some cars.

  • Work begins on a nation-wide coordinated highway system.

1917

  • Henry and Wilfred LeLand leave General Motors to found the Lincoln Motor Company.

1918

  • In 1918 Sunday driving is banned to conserve gasoline during World War I.

1920

  • The 1920 Duesenberg introduces hydraulic brakes.

  • LeLand's Lincoln luxury car appears in September.

1921

  • W. M. Folberth invents the automatic windshield wiper.

1922

  • Ford buys the bankrupt Lincoln Motor Company for the bargain price of $8 million. The Leland brothers leave six months later.

  • George Frost invents the car radio.

  • Instrument panels feature gasoline gauges.

  • The 1922 Essex features an affordable, closed car for year-round driving.

  • Some car models feature back-up lights.

1923

  • Firestone introduces the automobile balloon tire.

1924

  • Henry Ford lowers the price of his Model T to $290.00

  • Vincent Bendix markets a four-wheel brake system.

  • Purolator develops an automotive oil filter.

  • Walter Chrysler leaves General Motors's Buick division to form Chrysler Motor Corporation

  • Nash installs electric clocks in its dashboards.

1925

  • Front and rear bumpers become standard equipment.

  • The first interstate highway, the Lincoln Highway (today's Interstate 80), opens between New York and San Francisco.

  • Walter Chrysler adds the Maxwell-Chalmers Motor Corp. to his year-old Chrysler Motor Corporation and changes the company's name to Chrysler Corporation.

1926

  • Route 66, a paved highway from Chicago to Los Angeles, is opened.

1927

  • Ford ceases Model T production after 18 years and more than 15 million cars.

  • Harley Earl designs the LaSalle for Cadillac.

  • Chrysler produces the first Plymouth and DeSoto motor cars and buys Dodge

1928

  • In 1928 Ford introduces the Model A.

1929

  • In 1929 the Cord features front-wheel drive.

1930

  • In 1930 Motorola introduces the first commercial car radio; and Cadillac develops the V16 engine.