Every new car starts as a design. Designers make big clay models of a new car. They cut and shape the clay by hand.

A car has thousands of parts. Big machines called presses squeeze flat metal into the shape of a door or a side panel.

Henry Ford wanted to make cars that ordinary families could buy. At first, a Model T cost $850.

In 1913, a rope and winch pulled each Model T along a short track. Workers added parts as the car passed.

Each worker did one job. The moving line cut the time to build a Model T. It went from more than 12 hours to about an hour and a half.

Later the price of the Model T fell to $260. That meant many more families could buy one.

Paint goes on a car in layers. Primer goes first. It makes the surface smooth and even, so the color goes on well.

Then comes a base coat. It gives the car its color. A clear coat goes on top to protect it.

Early Model Ts were not always black. They came in red, green, blue and gray.

A robot called Unimate went to work in a car factory in 1961. It took over a hot, dangerous job that people did not want.

Old cars are recycled. Their steel is melted and made into new steel. It can become cans, buildings or new cars.

Words to know

• primer: first paint layer
• winch: rope puller
• recycled: used again