6 Things You Didn’t Know About Ford

As one of the oldest automakers on the planet, Ford has enjoyed over a century of dominating the auto market, both foreign and domestic. However, even the most diehard Ford enthusiasts may not know some of the details of how the company came into existence or what’s happened over its 110-year ride. Here are just a few interesting things you probably didn’t know about Ford.

F-Series Success Story

Since its first model came out in 1948, the Ford F-Series pickup truck has sold more than 35 million units. This makes it the most sold vehicle in the United States during that time and one of the best-selling vehicles in the world. It’s also remained as the top-selling pickup for the past 35 years and the best-selling automobile for the past 30 years in America.

Ford Pulled Out Of the UK

In 2013, Ford ceased their car manufacturing operations in the United Kingdom, halting a 100-year production run in the country. Ford has yet to weigh in on the exact reason for the closure of the factories, but many experts cite high tax rates and expensive wages, which contributed to even smaller profit margins. No matter what business you’re in, those factors are hard to undermine.

The Ford Logo

Ford’s iconic blue oval has been in existence since 1907. Over the past 100 plus years, nothing has changed from the original, including the color scheme and the cursive writing. However, from 1903 to 1907, Ford had no official logo.

The First Commercially Available Automobile

Another lesser-known fact of Ford is that they actually produced the first commercially available, consumer-ready vehicle in the United States. In 1903, Ford unveiled its Model A, which put the wheels in motion for them to become one of the largest automakers in the world. Unfortunately, not many options were available. As Henry Ford said, “Any customer can have a car painted in any color he wants, so long as it is black.”

Ford Had a Stake in Mazda

Starting in 1978, Ford bought seven percent of Mazda’s shares. This number rose to 33.3 percent by the mid-2000s and resulted in many joint production and design ventures by the two auto giants. However, in the late 2000s, specifically due to a lack of profitability and the Great Recession, Ford slowly sold its interest in the company and now owns just 2.1 percent of the Japanese manufacturer.

Ford Mustang Sales and Pop Culture

Ford started producing the Mustang in the spring of 1964, and although it sold fairly well, it wasn’t until its inclusion in many popular films that sales really started to explode. Perhaps the most well-known early use of a Mustang in a movie is 1968’s “Bullitt” starring Steve McQueen. It’s widely regarded as having some of the best car chase scenes in cinematic history, and as a result, furthered the legend of the muscle car.

Today, Ford stands out as one of the top manufacturers of reliable, American-made cars. With such a great track record, it’s interesting to see what else will come out of the company in the next 100 years.