Ford Model T cars were exclusively black from 1914 to 1925.
This black-only policy was a manufacturing decision closely tied to Ford’s mass-production system. Limiting the car to one finish simplified factory operations, reduced paint-handling complexity, and helped keep prices low. Black paint was also relatively inexpensive and durable for the materials and techniques then available.
The famous idea that every Model T was black is technically incomplete. Early cars, produced from 1908 through 1913, could be ordered in colors such as gray, green, blue, and red. Color choices returned near the end of Model T production, with 1926 and 1927 cars offered in additional shades. Henry Ford’s often-quoted line about customers choosing “any color” therefore describes the middle production period, not the entire model’s lifespan.