On July 15, 1903, the newly formed Ford Motor Company took
its first order from Chicago dentist Ernst Pfenning: an $850 two
-cylinder Model A automobile with a tonneau (or backseat).
The car, produced at Ford’s plant on Mack Street (now Mack
Avenue) in Detroit, was delivered to Dr. Pfenning just over a
week later.
Dr. Pfenning’s order turned out to be the first of many from
around the country, launching Ford on its way to profitability.
Within two months, the company had sold 215 Fords, and by
the end of its first year the Mack Avenue plant had turned out
some 1,000 cars.
Dr. Ernst Pfenning
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947)
