Sometimes 300 is more than it seems - 1906, 07 and 08 six cylinder production.

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Topic author
Rob
Posts: 1431
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 1:53 pm
First Name: Rob
Last Name: Heyen
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: Models B, F, K, N, Ford racer and 3 Model T
Location: Eastern Nebraska

Sometimes 300 is more than it seems - 1906, 07 and 08 six cylinder production.

Post by Rob » Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:50 am

I "grew up" reading Ford history, and developed my opinons accordingly. Then, ten or eleven years ago, my good friend the late Tim Kelly gave me a ride in his Model K. I already knew this was a "dead end" model. A Neanderthal for Ford Motor Co., and best forgotten in the annals of history. We left the hotel parking lot in Paynesville, MN., and within moments were racing down the street, over 50 mph. I looked over to Tim and said "I thought these cars weren't any good?" He replied "I know, right."

That began my transformation, passion and mission to rewrite a portion of accepted Ford history. I knew of a Model K that was for sale, and quickly closed the deal. A few members on this forum showed up on a wintry day and helped me load the (at that time) disabled big old car. By the next summer, I was attending tours with the first of the three Model K I've been fortunate enough to own. Many on this forum assisted with restoration, research and generally joy of these unique cars.

I've used a few newspaper sites to research, one being Newspapers.com. A while back I wondered (based on my search's), how many times is the Ford Model K referenced or cited "in the day," compared with the other leading six cylinder makers of the time. The six cylinder motor was a new and growing fad in 1906 - 1908. Henry Ford began his six cylinder design in late 1903 for his racer, completed in early 1905. Napier was probably the first and leading six cylinder maker at the time. Other European makers soon came on board with their own sixes, including the iconic Rolls Royce, who produced a smaller six for the 1906 model year, and brought the "Silver Ghost" out for the 1907 model year.

In the U.S., while Thomas and Olds had tried sixes, the first production sixes came out for 1906, produced by Ford, Franklin, Stevens and National. I thought, how do these makes compare in newspaper "hits?" How often are each referenced year by year. While Ford advertising referred to their "six" as a "Model K," most references involving peoples stories about the cars referenced the Ford as "Ford six cylinder," or "six cylinder Ford." Soooooo, that's how I conducted my search, searching domestic six cylinder makes as "_________ (fill in the blank) six cylinder" and "six cylinder ___________." My goal? Learn how often the press, and therefore reading public, read information about each of these cars. Would Ford, or Stevens, Franklin, Pearce, etc. be referenced most? Was Ford really the leading six maker in 1906 and 1907? While Ford claimed to be the first, and largest six cylinder producer in 1906 and 1907 (and this wasn't refuted by other six cylinder makers at the time), were they the "six" referenced most often. Below is what I found. This is what one does during a long pandemic winter........)

First, we need to set the stage. As Model T owners and enthusiasts we are used to Ford producing up to two million cars per year. But we need to change our perspective. Think of it this way, the first year of Model T production (and this was only a portion of a year, but still a way to gain context), 1908, only 300 Model T were produced. True, this was due to production delays and working out bugs, but still a way to gain perspective to early Ford, and automobile production in general.

In 1906, Ford brought out Models K and N. At the time, the company said they would build 1,000 K and 10,000 N. As it went, Ford produced just over 300 K, and just under 2,000 N that first production year. As with the T, both models were late coming to market due to production difficulties and "fixes."

Still, with 300 Model K on the road, Ford promoted the "fact" they were the largest six cylinder producer in the world. Below is one such article, dated April, 1907. The article touts the fact Ford produced "300 Ford sixes," "breaking all records."

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So, lets just see how much the "Ford Six" was in the public eye. Below are the 1906 newspaper articles I found, placing the leading six cylinder car maker names in front of, and behind "six cylinder."

For 1906, few automakers in the U.S. produced a six. The leaders, Ford, National and Franklin each claimed to be the "first." However, in terms of how often each were mentioned in the press, Ford was the hands down winner. This obviously isn't "scientific," but still was interesting (to me.......). The "Total Cars" in the right column refers to the actual individual cars referenced. These were cars purchased and described by reports, cars in competitions, or cars documented received by dealers (as demonstrators or eventually to be sold). In other words, this number is actual cars "on the road" referenced by news and advertising reports. Also listed were the retail prices of each model, as well as todays cost, were these cars listed at retail today. This puts the cost of the Ford K in perspective to competitors in 1906,07 and 08.

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Below, 1907, the banner year of the Model K. With extensive improvements, and a ramp up in production, Ford again led the world in six cylinder production. While the price was increased $300 per car, Ford still placed more Fords on the road than any other six cylinder maker.

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1908 shows how the rest of the industry continued to produce more sixes (there were many more six cylinder makers, I only show the top 7). Ford has "slipped' to being the 5th most mentioned. The Ford Six is about to slip into anonymity.
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But for a few years, it sure had a great ride............