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Ford Honors 1903 Model A Suppliers

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Chairman and CEO Bill Ford honored four supplier partners that helped Ford Motor Company build the first car it ever produced 100 years ago, the original Model A. The four suppliers – BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Holley and Rayl Industries – have been in business for as long or longer than Ford, and have been supplying Ford throughout its history.

"It's astounding that these suppliers who did business with my great-grandfather, Henry Ford, are still doing business with Ford today, under essentially the same name and providing essentially the same product," said Ford. "Our 100th anniversary is a great time for us to reach out to our extended Ford family to let them know how important they are to us. And that's especially true for our suppliers."

BFGoodrich got their start in the automotive industry in 1896 when BFGoodrich engineers began manufacturing pneumatic tires for “horseless carriages.” It was natural then that in 1903 Henry Ford went to BFGoodrich to outfit his first Model A. BFGoodrich Tires has been a development partner with Ford Motor Company throughout its history. Today, BFGoodrich Tires are found on the Ford F-150, F-250 and F-350, as well as the Mercury Marauder and SUVs, and will be on the all-new 2005 Ford Mustang when it is introduced in the coming months. The Ford-Goodyear partnership goes back not only to the supply of street tires, but also race tires. In fact, Goodyear provided special tires for a racecar that Henry Ford produced and drove himself in 1901. In the early 1960's, Ford engineers, in conjunction with Carroll Shelby and Goodyear, developed prototype cars and tires that resulted in the 7-liter GT MKII. With this car, Ford and Goodyear won Le Mans in 1966, 1967 and 1968.

Like Ford, Holley Performance Products is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. In 1903, Henry Ford asked George Holley to make a carburetor for his Model A and in 1904 it became standard equipment on all Ford vehicles. Throughout its 100-year relationship, Holley has supplied Ford not only with carburetors, but turbos, air pumps, and EFI components. Today, Holley carburetors power every Ford NASCAR and Pro Stock team as well as thousands of Ford sportsman racers around the world.

T. B. Rayl & Company was established in 1875 in downtown Detroit, selling hardware, shop supplies and builders supplies. Ford Motor Company’s early purchases from Rayl were supplies for facility maintenance and automobile assembly, and included material such as funnels, oil, wrenches, nuts, bolts and screws. Today, Ford continues to purchase very much the same materials from Rayl as it did one hundred years ago, including production sockets and hand tools, building supplies and automation presence sensing tools.
 
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