ESCAPE ROADS: 1911 Ford Model T Touring Car Evolution of a revolution

03/10/2008 19:38. On Oct. 2, 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T and changed the world forever. But the change didn't come as suddenly as you might think.

By 1906, Ford's rugged two-cylinder, chain-driven Models A, C and F had already made him America's largest auto-maker. That same year, he launched the four-cylinder Model N, which, at $600, undercut the price of the fading single-cylinder Oldsmobile. More significant was that the N borrowed torque-tube drive from the bigger Fords B and K and introduced the transverse-leaf front suspension and three-pedal planetary transmission that would become iconic symbols of the Model T.

Detail changes marked the Models R and S of 1907. In comparison, the Model T was an all-new car, built on a longer, 100-inch chassis, its four cylinders cast en bloc with a... // AutoWeek