Until well into the twenties automobiles in Europe were a privilege of the well-to-do classes. This was partly due to the costly production and the consequently high price. Another reason was that for a long time the automobile was not regarded as a real necessity in many countries and thus burdened additionally with high luxury taxes. In America, on the other hand, the Situation took an entirely different turn with Henry Ford's Model T which made the automobile into a means of transportation for the masses that almost everyone was able to afford.

The production of this legendary car Ford deliberately realized without all parts that were not absolutely necessary, such as speedometer and fuel gauge, and, additionally, was absolutely consequent in introducing progressive assembly. In 1914 the price for a Standard model was just under $ 500.00, in these days the equivalent of about four monthly wages of an industrial worker. In spite of this the firm still made a profit of $50.00 per car, which before long made Ford into a man rolling in money. For nineteen years the Model T remained the car with the largest production numbers in the world. A total of more than 15 million units were produced altogether, and many years had to pass before Volkswagen succeeded in breaking this record with the Beetle. The car shown at the Technik Museum Sinsheim is a typical series model of 1915 with a 2.9 l motor with an Output of 20 hp.