Henry Ford Company

Background

The Detroit Automobile Company was founded in 1899 and made its first vehicle in January 1900.

Subsequent history

Cadillac

Cadillac's first car, the Cadillac Runabout and Tonneau, was completed on October 17, 1902, the 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) Cadillac. Based on Henry Ford's design (except for the engine, designed by Leland & Faulconer), it was practically identical to the 1903 Ford Model A.

Located in Detroit at 450 Amsterdam Street, at the intersection of Cass Avenue and Amsterdam Street, the original manufacturing plant was designed by architectural firm George C. Mason & Son, and remained in operation under Cadillac until 1921, when the Detroit Assembly factory was built at Clark Street. The factory after Leland made some improvements, was 275,000 square feet, with its own forge, a machine shop, and a foundry for both iron and brass. The factory ran 24 hours a day, producing 40 Cadillacs in that time period. The original location is approximately 2 miles east of the current Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly, where Cadillacs are currently built. It is approximately half a mile southwest from Cadillac Place, GM's headquarters from 1922 until 2001, when GM moved to the GM Renaissance Center next to the Detroit River.

Ford

Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and began producing the Model A that year. The Model A was successful, returning a profit for the Ford Motor Company and securing its financial well-being. Ford expanded with the Model B and Model C in 1904, expanding its lineup to seven models by 1907. Ford adopted mass production with a new model, the Model T, which it introduced in 1908. It proved wildly successful, and by 1914 Ford had produced almost 90 percent of the world's automobiles. By the time it ended production in 1927, more than 15 million had been sold. In 1999, a panel of 126 automotive experts, combined with the votes of the general public, named the Model T as the Car of the Century.