Contrary to popular belief, Henry Ford did not invent the automobile or the assembly line; but he did see the economies of scale made possible with assembly line production of his cars. It certainly helped that he maintained a focus on quality, building the Model T cars out of a metal alloy that he found was used in the French race cars. A reliable car at a fair price was Ford’s promise and his product, which explains why more than 15 million of his Model T cars rolled out during the model’s lifetime.

On this day, May 31, in 1927 the last of the Model T cars rolled off the line. Ford’s Tin Lizzie fell victim to its own success, as year after year of standing still allowed challengers from General Motors to catch up and race ahead.

In the 15 years of the car’s production Henry Ford got quite set in his ways, refusing to entertain any talk of change to his beloved vehicle. Not even his own son, Edsel, the president of the Ford Motor Company, could sway the founder’s mind. Henry had only two men he counted among his closest advisers, and neither one had the vision for change needed to keep the Ford brand in the lead.