Many early cars were little more than horse carriages fitted by engines, which is why they were often known as “horseless carriages”, but they soon (1. develop) into an exciting new form of transport. A steam-powered carriage had been built as early as 1769, but the real breakthrough in the development of the car came with the invention of the first successful gasoline engine by German engineer Nikolaus Otto in 1876. Soon, experimental gasoline cars were being built. In 1885, the first car (2. roll) out of the workshops of Karl Benz in Mannheim, Germany, and was sold to the public. This was Karl Benz’s three-wheeled Motorwagen. The Benz Motorwagen’s top speed was 10 km/h, not much quicker than a fast walking pace! The age of the automobile had begun.
Mass production
First sold in 1908, Henry Ford’s Model T was reliable and easy to drive. In 1913, it became the world’s first mass-produced car. By using new factory methods, Henry Ford made his Model T in such huge numbers that it could be sold very cheaply. At the peak of production, up to 10,000 cars left the factory each day, bringing the price down to a level that ordinary people could afford. The first Model Ts sold for about $850, but by 1925 the price had fallen to $260. From 1914 to 1925, all Model Ts were black. This was because black paint (3. dry) the quickest. Ford had built 15 million Model Ts when he (4. stop) making the car in 1927, a record number that was overtaken only by Volkswagen’s Beetle in 1972.
1. My uncle said he had just come back from the Caucasus.
2. He said he had spent a fortnight in the Caucasus.
3. He said he felt better.
4. He said his wife and he had spent most of their time on the beach.
5. He said they had done a lot of sightseeing.
6. He said he had a good camera.
7.He said he had taken many photographs while travelling in the Caucasus.
8. He said he would come to see us the following Sunday.
9. He said he would bring and show us the photographs he had taken in the Caucasus.