The Ford Quiz

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60 PLAYS

By: Robin Tyler

6 Min Quiz

Image: Wiki Commons

About This Quiz

Henry Ford was an experienced car builder by the time he started the Ford Motor Company at the turn of the 20th Century. 

Having built his first car in 1896, Ford quickly took his company to the top of the pile, thanks to his love of innovation. Not only did he help institute much of the processes in car manufacturing as we know them today, but he also looked after his workers, often paying them two times the minimum wage. He also ensured they worked no more than eight-hour days, and through that built a loyal workforce.

But it was a legendary Ford model that became a legend and a car of the people. It put Ford at the forefront of motoring in America and soon after, the rest of the world.

During World War II, Ford turned his factories into beacons in aid of the Allied war effort, building aircraft, engines, and vehicles for Allied forces right around the world.

At the turn of this century, when the Chevy and Chrysler needed bailouts from the government, Ford didn't.

But let's see how much you truly know about the Ford Motor Company, shall we? 

When was the Ford Motor Company started?

Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company on June 16, 1903.

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This, however, was not his first motor company. He had formed one in 1899 that lasted until 1901. What was its name?

Henry Ford's first foray into the world of the automobile saw him form the Detroit Motor Company in 1899. He dissolved it in 1901 after poor sales. Ford believed the cars were too expensive and not that well made.

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Which of these is NOT a Ford model?

The Monte Carlo is a Chevrolet model. The other three are all considered to be Ford classics.

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As with all businesses, Ford has had some failures in its time. The biggest one cost the company more than $2 million. What car model was responsible for this?

Named after Henry Ford's son, the Edsel was a massive flop and only sold between 1958 and 1960. It's not that the car was bad, it was just really overpriced. And that always turns people away!

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What was the price tag on the first-ever Ford sold?

Ford's first car, the Model A, sold for $850. It had a two-cylinder engine that allowed it to reach 30 mph.

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Who is the current chairman of the Ford Motor Company?

Bill Ford has served as chairman of the Ford Motor Company since 1999. He is the great-grandson of Henry Ford.

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Henry Ford once said of the Model T, "You can have it in any color, as long as that color is_____."

All early Ford cars were painted black. This was to keep costs downs, and black dried quicker.

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Henry Ford was a great friend of one of the world's greatest inventors. Who was it?

Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were firm friends. When Edison died, his son captured his last breath in a glass vial which he gave to Ford as a gift. A little macabre to say the least.

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Ford's blue oval logo is one of the most recognizable in the motoring world. When was it first introduced?

The oval logo was first used in 1907, four years after the company was established. It was introduced in Great Britain.

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Introduced in 1964, which Ford model is considered one of the greatest muscle cars ever?

Arguably the most iconic muscle car ever, the Mustang was first released in 1964. It was one of the most popular debuts ever and within a year, 400,000 units had been sold, which quadrupled Ford’s sales estimates.

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The following g Christmas, kids too could own their own Mustang in the form of a ________.

Ford made 94,000 Mustang pedal cars just in time for Christmas!

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A 1967 Shelby GT500 was owned by which of these legendary rock singers?

Jim Morrison owned only one car in his lifetime and it was a Shelby GT500. Not a bad choice, really.

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When the Ford Model T was launched in 1908, it cost $950. In 1927, its final year of production, how much did a new one cost?

Incredible, isn't it? Henry Ford brought down the price at which he produced the car so much, he could lower the asking price from the public. If only businesses operated like that today.

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What did Ford introduce in 1913 that enabled the cost of its vehicles to come down significantly?

Although Ransom E. Olds had used an assembly line to build his cars, it was stationary. The one introduced by Ford moved and instead of taking 728 minutes to bolt together the parts of a Model T chassis, it took only 93.

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Toward the end of its production, Ford could produce a Model T in how much time?

Wait... what? That's simply astounding!

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Reducing production time to under 30 seconds certainly pushed up the number of Model Ts significantly. How many were eventually made?

For the era in which this happened, essentially the birth of motoring, that is an astonishing number.

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Henry Ford built his first car in 1896. What was it called?

The Ford Quadricycle was powered by a four horsepower engine, was steered using a tiller system, and included a gearbox.

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Henry Ford tried to build a village in Brazil, the Amazon to be exact, in the late 1920s. What was his reason for this?

Although this sounds very far fetched, it is true. The humanitarian in Ford also believed he could provide jobs to local people.

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What was the village going to be called?

That's right,​ Fordlândia. He could have come up with a better name. Logistically, it was far more difficult than Ford ever thought, although the land and site remain to this day.

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Which Ford model ended Ferrari's dominance at the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race in the mid-'60s?

The first generation of the GT40 won the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour endurance race for four straight years, from 1966 to 1969, which included filling out the top three positions in 1966. Only 105 were produced.

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Name the best-selling truck series that remains at the forefront of sales and has done so since 1982?

The Ford F-Series has a range of models. It's the F-150 that is extremely popular and has been for decades.

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What was Ford's American revenue​ in 2017?

That's a staggering amount of money to have taken in in the United States alone. It's those F-150s for sure!

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What was Ford's worldwide revenue in the same year?

Again, that's big money for sure! The revenue numbers for the U.S. remain the most impressive for us, however.

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What other business did Henry Ford and his son, Edsel, get involved in in the later 1920s and '30s?

Ford first bought into, and then took over the Stout Metal Airplane Company. From 1925 to 1933, the company built 199 examples of the Ford Trimotor. After an accident in which his personal pilot died, Ford pulled out of the aviation business.

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That's not the only industry that Ford branched out into. Can you name another?

Believing that he could put wood off-cuts from car production to good use, Henry Ford formed The Kingsford Company with E.G. Kingsford. Originally, the name was Ford Charcoal so, yes, you could buy packets of charcoal with the Ford logo on it. Strange, but true.

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Which of these is a Ford model?

The Ford Ka (we are also not sure how to pronounce it) was a popular product in many overseas markets and was first introduced in 1996. This small vehicle was featured in the city car segment.

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True or False? Ford built Jeeps during World War II.

Ford built 277,896 GPW-designated Jeeps for Allied forces. During the same time, Willys built a little more than 300,000 MB Jeeps.

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Which famous Italian marque did Ford try to buy in the 1960s?

A deal was reached for Ford to buy Ferrari but Ferrari owner Enzo Ferrari pulled out at the last minute.

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True or False? Ford's German factories continued producing vehicles used by the Nazis during World War II.

Under German control, Ford factories continued to produce vehicles used by Axis forces. Examples included the Ford Maultier, a German half-track vehicle.

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Name the utility coupe produced by Ford between 1957 and 1979.

A utility coupe produced by Ford from 1957 to 1979, the Ranchero was adapted from a station wagon design. More than 500,000 Rancheros were sold in the 22 years during which the model was produced.

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What was the Model T's nickname?

People who drove the Ford Model T affectionately called it Tin Lizzie.

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By 1922, more than __________ of the vehicles produced in the United States were Ford.

That's an amazing statistic. The Model T certainly helped, along with the fact that Ford could churn them out so fast.

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In 1970, Ford was the first company to introduce which of these to each and every production vehicle?

Front disc brakes became a standard feature on all Ford models from 1970 onward.

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In 2000, a group of more than 100 journalists picked the car of the 20th Century. What Ford model won the accolade?

It had to be the Model T, didn't it? It was the vehicle that revolutionized motoring as we know it.

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Which of these is made by the Ford Motor Company?

Another one of Ford's big selling models, the Taurus first entered production in 1986. Currently in its sixth generation, the car competes in the full-size car segment. In the last five years, more than 400,000 units of this model have been sold in America alone. T​he seventh generation Taurus is currently only available in China.

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