![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
![Image](http://www.motor.com.co/noticias_precios/revista_motor/28demayode2008/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-3867603-1.jpg)
Ford held a contest among Detroit university students to develop a vehicle for under 7.000 dollars. It must be able to cruise for 200 km. This is the design that won, by Dong Trang:
Are these hard rubber tyres and a suspension very similar to Manchild design for "dampening spokes"? Mmmmm... we should talk to him, Manchild patented the idea
![Image](http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/05/05-ford-model-t-contest-ccs/_Ford-Model-T-by-Dong-Trang-1.jpg)
http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/20 ... ntest-ccs/
It features an electric powertrain, solar panels, and an energy recovering suspension (we talked a little about that when estimating the energy spent in suspension movement, a year or so ago) with a high clearance, like the original Model T:
![Image](http://www.motor.com.co/noticias_precios/revista_motor/28demayode2008/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-3867629-1.jpg)
Model T used a curious "automatic" gearbox (we already talked about it somewhere
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
![Image](http://www.motor.com.co/noticias_precios/revista_motor/28demayode2008/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-3867626-1.jpg)
It was a truly rugged adaptable car...
![Image](http://www.motor.com.co/noticias_precios/revista_motor/28demayode2008/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-3867630-1.jpg)
... not that bad for racing (in the epoch).
![Image](http://www.motor.com.co/noticias_precios/revista_motor/28demayode2008/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-3867628-1.jpg)
It was the first car that opened private transportation for the masses. When Henry Ford conmemorated his 10 millonth car, 9 in 10 cars in the world were Fords. In 1921 this car was 57% of the world production.
![Image](http://www.motor.com.co/noticias_precios/revista_motor/28demayode2008/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-3867632-1.jpg)
Ford deserves all the credit and titles for this car, but it's worthy to explain that the technical design was made by Childe Harold Wills, supported by the hungarian engineers Joseph A. Galamb and Eugene Farkas.
Harry Love, C. J. Smith, Gus Degner and Peter E. Martin participated in its design.
The factory working line we owe to the genious of William C. Klann, who tought about this kind of production system when he visited a slaughterhouse. Klann suggested the process to Peter E. Martin, who accepted it against all odds.
This year GM will also commemorate its first centenary. Expect some parties at the somewhat dismayed north american auto industry this year.
If I used a hat, I would take it off to Mr. Klann and Mr. Wills memory. If vanadium steel had not been developed in 1905 and Ford weren't able to produce a 300 dollars car, we would not be cheering the cars at Monaco, but still producing cars like airplanes are done: one by one.
Thinking a little about it, it deserves drinking a rum this weekend in the name of these giants of the auto industry: Klann, Wills and Ford.