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1. Ford Model T
The car that started it all and ushered in the era of the assembly line, Ford’s Model T has to go down in history as the most influential vehicle of all time. It literally influenced every car that came after it—every single one. And the Ford Model T was extremely popular in its day. With the then-new invention of the assembly line, Ford was able to produce 15 million Model T’s between 1908 and 1927. The “Tin Lizzy,” as Henry Ford called the Model T, was also designed to be affordable to the masses. Originally priced at $850 per vehicle, the cost dropped steadily as Ford simplified the manufacturing process and passed the savings onto customers.
By the time it went out of production in 1927, the Model T sold for $260. With a 20 horsepower four-cylinder engine under its hood, the car was capable of a top speed of about 45 miles an hour—considered dangerous in the era of the horse and buggy. Not only did the Model T forever change the way people traveled, it also revolutionized the American landscape, ushering in highways, gas stations, garages and roadside motels—all of which were built to serve the needs of the Model T and a new class of American motorists.
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