On this day in 1896 Henry Ford test drove his first vehicle, the Quadricycle. It was named such due to the fact that it used four bicycle tires. He rolled the 2 cylinder, 4 horsepower vehicle out of his workshop after more than two years of experimentation. It featured a 2 speed transmission, without reverse, and a chain driven, ethanol powered engine. During his initial test drives he hit a whopping 20 miles per hour! Today the original Quadricycle is at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Ford sold his first Quadricycle for $200 in 1896 to Charles Ainsley. He later built two more Quadricycles: one in 1899, and another in 1901. He later bought his first one back for $60. The success of the vehicle led to him founding the Ford Motor Company in 1903. The rest, as we know, is history!
