Early in the morning on June 4 , 1896 , Henry Ford mental testing - tug hisQuadricyclefor the first time . It was his first automobile , and he had establish it in the shed behind his Detroit home base . When he tried to move the Quadricycle out of the building , Ford realized the shed doors were n’t wide enough to get the thing out . So he manage an ax , knocking down a brick rampart to expound the opening . That give him room to begin his test drive .
At the time , Ford was Chief Engineer for Edison Illuminating Company , responsible for keeping electrical service running in Detroit . Around the edge of his oeuvre agenda , Ford found time to noodle on his Quadricycle . Ford was fascinated by the idea of ethyl alcohol - powered engine and lightweight motorise vehicles — this was an earned run average when every motorcar was a one - off , built to single specifications . He figured that with enough fiddling , he could make a horseless carriage that really worked .
The Quadricycle was basically a four - pedal bicycle with an grain alcohol locomotive engine attached to the physique . The engine was a two - cylinder aim bring out four horsepower , power the rearward wheels . It had two gears : first was about 10 mph , second was about 20 miles per hour . The whole assembled vehicle weighed 500 pounds . Ford built the engine — the key constituent — with friends at his kitchen table , found on a design he ’d seen in a magazine .
The test drive went well , and the Quadricycle reached 20 miles per hour . It hadno brakes , and its steering was awed , but with a compatriot riding ahead in a wheel to reset the agency , things depart mostly according to program . ( They arrest by the Edison plant life to exchange a few parts that came light . )
The Quadricycle was a achiever , and led Ford to continue pursuing his interest in gasoline - powered horseless carriages . He would produce the first Ford Model A in 1903 .
Here ’s a snipping of honest-to-god film showing the Quadricycle in action :
If you ’d wish a modern perspective on the Quadricycle , check out thisModern Drivertest driving force .
