Ford Model K
Encyclopedia
Ford Model K was an upscale automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 produced by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

. It was introduced in 1906 and replaced the earlier Model B
Ford Model B (1904)
See also Ford Model B Ford Model B was an upscale touring car introduced in 1904. It was Ford's first car to use the front-engine layout, with a large 24 hp 4-cylinder engine positioned at the front behind a conventional radiator...

. The model K was aimed at the top end of the market and featured an inline-6 (the only Ford six until 1941
1941 Ford
The Ford car was thoroughly updated in 1941, in preparation for a time of unpredictability surrounding World War II. The 1941 design would continue in an aborted 1942 model year and would be restarted in 1946 and produced until the more modern 1949 Fords were ready.The two previous Ford car lines,...

) giving 40 hp (30 kW). The wheelbase was 114 in (2896 mm) and could be ordered either as touring or roadster.

The Model K was a failure, something that can be attributed to both the high price (between $2500 and $3000 - between $ and $ today) and poor quality. Ford was also known to make inexpensive cars and people who wanted a more luxurious car bought other brands. Production ended in 1908 after 900 cars had been made. The failure of the upscale line, including the Model B and K, caused two critical changes at the Ford company: it would focus for the next two decades on entry-level volume models like the Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...

, and led to the departure of Alexander Malcomson, one of the founding partners, leaving Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...

as the majority shareholder. Also, Ford himself cared very little for the expensive Model K.
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