When looking into the history of the automobile, there are few names more important than Henry Ford. The Ford Motor Company transformed the seemingly improbable dream of average families owning a car into an accepted reality.  Cars such as the Model T and the implementation of the assembly line would change the face of the United States in the early 20th century.  Although the success of the Ford company can be considered obvious, one of the company’s most important accomplishments took place in the company’s infancy, a mere six months after official incorporation.

On this day, January 12th, in 1904, the Ford Motel 999 set a new land speed record of 91.37 miles per hour on the ice of Lake St. Clair.  The Model 999 quickly gained the support of race car driver, Barney Oldfield, who toured the car around the country.  The efforts of Barney Oldfield would be a key contribution in making Ford a well-known brand throughout the United States.

Breaking the land speed record was one of Ford Motor Company’s many pioneering accomplishments, but the success of the Model 999 would stretch far beyond this record.  In 1904, the Model 999 ushered Ford into the public eye and a few short years later, Ford would be providing Americans with the first mass-produced, affordable automobiles.