Return to Library

When the Ford Motor Company began production in 1903, he started with Model A. There were also Model B and C versions of this two cylinder car offered. As time progressed, Ford offered other models.

There was then the B, C, F, K, N, R and S. Henry Ford and his engineers used the first 19 letters of the alphabet to name their automobiles, although some of the cars were never sold to public.

The Model K was a big six cylinder car that Henry Ford himself was opposed to, but his stockholders insisted he build. Ford kept experimenting with various models.

Not all models were offered for sale. He progressed to Models N, R, and S which were similar cars that had obvious external differences.

In 1908, Ford offered an improved car that became the Model T. Then, in 1928, Ford started the alphabet again with the Model A to symbolize that the new Model A had no connection to the Model T.
 

The most successful of the early production cars was the Model N -- a small, light, four-cylinder machine which went on the market at $500.

A $2,500 six-cylinder luxury car, the Model K, sold poorly.

Ford started naming his early cars with the Model A, and this letter code was later reused on the successor to the Model T.