1901Reputable sourceWell documented
The Oldsmobile Curved Dash: The First Mass-Produced Car
On the timeline · around 1901 ·
What happened
In 1901 Ransom E. Olds began building his little gasoline 'Curved Dash' runabout on a stationary assembly line, using interchangeable parts and passing each chassis from one work station to the next. The technique let Olds turn out cars in numbers no rival could match, and the Curved Dash became the best-selling automobile in America in the years that followed — the first true mass-produced car.
Why it matters
Olds proved that automobiles could be built quickly and cheaply in quantity, a full decade before Ford's moving line. The Automotive Hall of Fame calls him 'the Patriarch of Mass Production,' and his methods pointed the way to the affordable car.
Sources
- Automotive Hall of Fame. Ransom E. Olds · Reputable source