The idea of the motor car as personal transport had already taken hold of the human imagination when, on October 1, 1908, the first Model T Fords appeared in United States showrooms.
Americans had arrived in the 20th century with an adventurous reputation and the mobility provided by the motor car fitted that template perfectly.
Suddenly the car, described recently by the Wall Street Journal as having the biggest influence of all, was available and accessible.
The Wall St newspaper said: ``Henry Ford's Model T put America on wheels, created mass mobility and revolutionised mass...