$850, by 1921 production was so efficient that the price dropped to $290. That year, the model T accounted for 55% of all new cars sold. For centuries a large house and fine animals were signs of wealth. In the 1900’s the motorcar began to be seen as a status symbol. In 1911 cars were fitted with electric starters, which made cars more popular with the ladies. It showed that cars were becoming simpler to drive and that anyone could operate one, even women! With the invention of the motorcar came the beginning of the motor theft. In 1905 the first car theft occurred in St Louis. There were no laws to say that car theft was illegal so people often stole cars without getting caught. In some cases, the crimes were traced to testers. They would test the cars to see if they were running correctly and drive off. Along with motor theft speeding was also a concern. In 1903 speed traps were used. Police would judge the speed of a vehicle by how fast they thought it was. This led to the invention of the speedometer in 1905 because of the many disputes between civilians and police. As time progressed cars became cheaper more affordable and were used for a wide range of services. Cars became more common and were accepted as a part of our lives. Without cars we may have still been travelling by horse and cart on un-paved roads and we may also still be using boats to travel overseas. Cars were a significant part of our lives because without them we may not have developed or achieved some of the things we have today....
