The Flivver King: A Story of Ford-America

A Detroit child, Abner Shutt, tells his mother about a neighbor, Henry Ford’s, attempts to build an automobile: “Mom, there’s a feller down the street says he’s goin’ to make a wagon that’ll run without a hoss” (1). Abner’s mother responds that Ford sounds like a “crank” (1).

All the neighborhood boys make regular visits to Ford, who works at the electric company during the day and tinkers with his project in his shed until late at night. The neighborhood adults are surprised that Ford even works on Sunday, the “Lord’s day” (3), but eventually grow accustomed to his habits. However, only the children believe that the car will ever run.

Ford’s car resembles an oversized baby carriage built for twins, with four bicycle wheels and a handle for steering. Ford explains the principles of the engine he is attempting to build to the children and says that attaching it to the axles should allow it to move the car. However, something usually goes wrong and the car does not run. The rudimentary two-cylinder combustion engine makes a loud noise and emits “a grey smoke of disagreeable odor” (2) that startle both the neighbors and Ford himself.