Ford Owners Introduction to Parts and Accessories
Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company envisioned a method that would allow factory workers to get higher wages while producing affordable automobiles en masse, thus allowing all its employees to eventually but the very products they just assembled. This proved to be successful during the birth of the Ford in 1903 and the crucial years of its growth, using methods such as the first moving assembly line, which cut car production dramatically, and providing the blue print for the 40 hour work week and minimum wage law in the United States. The business practice was later coined as Fordism after the company’s founder.
After a century, the Detroit, Michigan-based automaker finds itself as the third largest automaker in the world, with global revenues of $160.1 billion, which pegs it at number 7 among publicly owned companies on the Fortune 500 list of 2007. Ford is well known for various pickup truck lines, pony cars, SUV’s and American muscle cars.
Ford has also entered into other ventures, acquiring other car brands to tap into the global markets, providing financial services like the Ford Motor Credit Company, which deals mainly with auto loans, as well as producing and distributing auto parts through its Motorcraft brand.
While the company has established Motorcraft, which provides Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) replacement parts as well as aftermarket parts, most of the parts sold under the brand are those of a functional nature. Although Motorcraft’s inventory comes with all the necessary components, such as oil filters, spark plugs and the like, it has little in the way of customizing the exterior of Ford’s various automotive models. With the sudden rise of customization amongst classic and modern automobiles thanks to the hobby gaining prominence in popular culture (movies like the Fast and the Furious and TV shows like MTV’s Pimp My Ride ), other companies have popped up to contend with Ford’s Motorcraft not only in offering interior car parts such as engine related parts and electronic gadgets, but aesthetic aftermarket components as well.
Iconic cars like the Ford Mustang are a common choice for such enhancements. Outside of the usual racing upgrades for the sports car, body paint and replacement or addition of non-horsepower related parts are not unheard of. Replacing Ford Mustang tail light covers to look more Euro (while it may be considered blasphemous due to the Mustang’s as a symbol of American engineering) are just one of the few ways to go about customizing the legendary pony car.
On the other hand, protection of classic or limited edition cars (i.e. Those that have been continued production) like the various classic Mustangs or the Ford Probe, preserves the cars and keeping its vintage appeal. A Ford Probe hood protector, mud flaps, visor and other such accessories will allow Ford collectors the luxury of driving the car inexpensively. Total overhaul and replacements are not out of the question if one feels the need to be a bit more unique.
