Ford Motor Company By 1920, the immense scale Henry Ford's international fame could be matched only by the size of his financial assets and the magnitude of his ego. Though Henry would not wrest sole control of Ford Motor Company--the automobile manufacturer he founded with twelve investors in 1903--until the 1920s, the wild success of the car maker was attributed entirely to his individual genius. During Ford's early years, the company was virtually indistinguishable from its …showed first 75 words of 1782 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1782 total…to enhance the company's image--Ford re-emerged during the 1980s with the Escort, a functional, economy car designed for the growing legions of suburban Americans. The Escort was the best-selling car in the world for a number of years during that decade and it helped catapult Ford into a period of renewed profitability. With the Escort, Ford returned to its roots, using the principles of functionality and reliability to once again capture a mass consumer audience.