The Franklin Mint 1:6 Scale Precision Die Cast Model 1896 Henry Ford Quadricycle and Franklin Mint Hardwood Glass Display Case
Long since sold out, this is truly a unique collectible item you would be proud to display! These often sell close to $1,000.00 in this condition with the display case.
Kept in a smoke free home
Original tag
Contents are like new.
Free local pick up or will consider shipping at cost.
Brand: The Franklin Mint
Scale: 1:6
Model: Ford
Vehicle Make: 1896 Henry Ford Quadricycle
Vehicle Type: Car
Vehicle Year:1896
Material: Diecast
Case: base measures 15 x 10 with mirror
top measure 14 x 9.5 x 10” tall
The Ford Quadricycle was the first vehicle developed by Henry Ford. This first car was a simple frame with an ethanol-powered engine and four mounted bicycle wheels.
The earliest cars of the day were hand built, one at a time, very expensive and seen as toys for the rich. In the 1890s, the "horseless carriage" was a relatively new idea, with no fixed, concept of what a car should look like or how it should mechanically work. Most of the first car builders were inventors, rather than businessmen, working with their imaginations and the parts they had on hand. So, the invention of the Quadricycle marks an important innovation as a proto-automobile laying the foundation of the future, and more practical designs to follow.
June 4, 1896, Ford at the age of 32 in his tiny workshop on 58 Bagley Avenue Detroit behind his home had put in more than two years experimentation now put the final touches on his pure ethanol-powered motor and completed his first experimental automobile. He dubbed his creation the "Quadricycle,” because it ran on four bicycle tires and had chain drive rear wheels. The success of the little vehicle led to the founding of Henry Ford Company and then later the Ford Motor Company in 1903.
The Quadricycle 2 cylinder engine produces 4 horsepower and driven by a chain. The transmission had 2 gears first for 10 mph, 2nd for 20 mph and no reverse gear. The tiller-steered machine road on wire wheels had a 3 US gal fuel tank under the seat. Ford test drove it on June 4, 1896, after various test drives, achieving a top speed of 20 mph. Ford went on to found the Ford Motor Company became one of the world's richest men.