He was a man from a different era, with different values and ideals.

He was his own man and knew what people wanted, particularly motorists.

And, to a large extent he was right. But not always.

There were 15 million Model T's produced between 1908 and 1927, so credence must be given to his ability to supply a product that people needed and wanted.

The success of the Model T was due to a number of factors, not the least that as volume grew Henry reduced the price of the Tin Lizzie.

Not by a few cents, but by hundreds of dollars, even though the price was well under a thousand dollars when the T went on sale.

Immediately after WW1 there were great advances in car technology and people like John Willys, who produced the Willys Overland, a competitor to Ford, kept his cars up to date with the latest innovations.

He was one of many.

This left the Model T as the cheapest, but poorest equipped car on the market from around 1916 onwards.

As competitors could not compete on price, they tailored their advertising to highlight the features they had and often highlighted what the T Model lacked.

Eventually, the motoring public woke up to the fact the T Model was indeed outdated and started looking elsewhere.

This was a personal slap in the moosh for Henry, and in particular for his stubborn attitude to utilising technology.

As far as he was concerned there was nothing wrong with the good, simple and economical Model T.

But the storm clouds were already on the horizon and several US states were talking of banning the Model T as it was too dangerous for modern traffic conditions.

By now many cars has hydraulically operated brakes, some even had brakes on all four wheels, while the Model T stood with a lever operated handle than only worked on the rear wheels.

With Model T sales starting to lag in the mid 1920s he was at last convinced it was time to do what other makers did, and release a new model.

In July 1926 he decided to replace the Model T and by March 1927 there was a rolling model of the new Model A Ford.

The Model A owes its mechanicals to Henry and the exterior design to his son Edsel.

There was no smooth transition between models: Ford simply shut down his 36 factories for six months, laying off its workforce, and started refitting the factories with new tooling to begin mass production of the Model A.

What this hiatus produced was an unprecedented demand for the new car.

Despite its shortcomings, the Model T even then was iconic. More than half the world's cars were Ford, and they only had the one model.

So, the anticipation was at fever pitch when the car finally made it to showrooms in 1928. One in five Americans visited a showroom to take a look at the new car ... more than 25 million people in the first week.

While the Model T was known as the Tin Lizzie, the new Model A was soon christened the `Baby Lincoln', no doubt a back-handed compliment.

The Model A was the bane of many an opposition dealers woes.

While Ford was without a new car to sell, other dealers had cars, but people were waiting to see what the new Ford looked like and whether Ford had played catch-up with technology.

History new tells us the Model A sold more than 4 million units between December 2, 1927 and 1931.

The changes to the Model A were extensive and included a three speed transmission which used a lever operated sliding gear unit complete with clutch.

Gone was the magneto of the Model T, replaced by a battery and coil system, four wheel brakes were now part of the car and even a water pump to cool the engine.

(If you ever see an old movie with a Model T involved, it will often have have steam pouring from the front of the car)

The Model T used a thermo-syphon system.

Edsel has achieved a great job of the exterior design and the Model A is a proud vehicle in appearance.

We found this example at the Gold Coast Restorers Association Australia Day display.

It's in magnificent condition with a terrific two tone paint job.

The Model A was fitted with a four cylinder engine of just more than 200 cubic inches, producing 40 horsepower (30 kW).

It could cruise at 40 (64 kmh) to 45 (72 kmh) miles per hour and had a top speed of around 65 miles an hour (104 kmh).