On June 4, 1896, Henry Ford tested his “Quadricycle,” his very first automobile. At the time, Ford was chief engineer for the electric company in Detroit. He used his free time to invent. His creation consisted of a light metal frame with four bicycle wheels, powered by a small gasoline engine. With his assistant bicycling ahead of him, Ford took it out and reached about 20 miles per hour, a good speed for anything of that day.
