That honor goes to German Karl Benz in 1885, and the first “modern” American car was made by Charles and Frank Duryea, of Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893. As a side note, the first electric vehicle, which was more of an electrified wagon, was made in about 1890 by a chemist from Des Moines, Iowa.
The Model T was truly the car that changed the world, but it wasn’t the first “production” car in the country either. That distinction belongs to the 1901 Oldsmobile Curve Dash. It’s said that Henry Ford didn’t create any of the methods used in the manufacturing of the Model T but saw what others didn’t see in other industries to produce consistent parts routinely for assembly line production. This meant that assembly line workers didn’t need to be skilled laborers.
This issue’s car doesn’t look much like the Model T that Henry Ford sold for $260. Ford enthusiast Don Rose, of Fremont, bought it in 2017and, this is his third classic Ford vehicle. When he bought the car, it looked pretty much like it does today, but like many classic car purchases, there were some surprises.