1907 Ford Model N

In the closing years of the 19th century, Henry Ford created his first gasoline buggy. It was a primitive quadricycle powered by a twin-cylinder engine. Commercial motorcar production began years later, in 1903 when the Ford Motor Co. was founded. Production was established in a disused wagon works in Mack Avenue, Detroit. The early vehicles were twin-cylinder engined Model As, with the engine positioned under the passenger seat, driving to the rear axle by chain.

Unlike the Oldsmobile, the Ford Model A had wheel steering with buggy-type suspension.

Henry Ford - following the success of the flat-twin powered Model A, C, and F - introduced the a new Ford Runabout in 1906 powered by a four-cylinder motor, with heads cast in pairs, and featured a familiar twin speed planetary transmission. By 1906 Ford was building his own engines and all manufacturing processes were performed in-house.

The Model N wore two-seat bodywork, with Vanadium steel construction and listed for an attractive price of $500. This made it $150 less than the Oldsmobile and a quarter of the price of Ford's own preceding Model F.

The Ford Model N remained unchanged for 1907 except for the price which rose to $600. They had an 84-inch wheelbase which it shared with the Model N, R, and S. The 149 cubic-inch engine offered around 15 brake horsepower.

by Dan Vaughan

Runabout
Chassis number: 4502

This 1907 Ford Model N sold for $500 and was produced in Ford's Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan. These Models were produced from 1906-1908, with a total of 7,000 cars being manufactured, including the Model R and the Model S. These models were the same automobile, except with different accessories. These Ford models were the predecessors of the famous Model T.

The N was found to be quite sturdy and reliable while boasting two important innovations - the first Ford to be constructed of tough, but lightweight vanadium steel, and Ford's first attempt to employ methods of mass production at its Piquette factory. The 15/18hp liquid-cooled in-line 4-cylinder engine propelled the car upwards of 40mph. Of interest is the stylish boattail rear deck; quite novel for a low-price automobile in 1906. Advertising copy was created to appeal to doctors and suggested that a Model N . . . 'would enable them to visit three times as many patients daily as with a buggy.' Production continued through 1908 when Ford introduced the Model T.

This car featured a 4-cylinder engine, while most other manufacturers were only producing 1- and 2-cylinder automobiles at this entry price point. It was designed with a 3-point suspension to handle the primitive roads of this era.

The Ford Model N was introduced in 1906 and served as a successor and a further evolution of the Model A, C, and F. It was an inexpensive, entry-level vehicle that was powered by a four-cylinder engine that offered a modest 15 horsepower. Production would continue until 1908 with a total of around 7000 examples produced.

The Model N, R, and S introduced several key technical advancements such as a bevel-topped radiator with tall neck, foot-operated planetary transmission, and 'backwards dish' steering wheel with column-mounted spark and throttle controls. The soon-to-be introduced Model T would have a cast en block engine (with vanadium steel) and removable cylinder head, thermosyphon cooling and transverse-leaf springs. The Model N, on the other hand, had cylinders cast in pairs and cooled by a complicated water pump embedded in the bottom of the radiator. The rear suspension was comprised of longitudinal full-elliptic springs.

by Dan Vaughan