The Myth about Model T

There are two myths associated with Model T car of Henry Ford, which became the harbinger of assembly line mass production systems. First is the one that associated the color black with the Civil War in US in the nineteenth century, signifying that the capitalists had not taken kindly to the abolition of slavery.

The second was that Model T represented the triumph of the manufacturer over the market. Henry Ford was reported to have remarked that the customers could have Model T in any color that they wanted, so long as it was black.

I visited the Luray caves near Washington DC in Jan 09 and saw the Model T in the vintage car museum that stands next to the Caves. The information board clearly mentions that Model T was available in other colors as well and thus explodes the myth about Ford's supercilious remark.