How do I find Quadricycle drawings?
Answer
In 1896, Henry Ford completed his first vehicle, the Quadricycle, in a shed behind his house on Bagley Ave. in Detroit. Our collections at The Henry Ford include the original Quadricycle, a scale drawing, as well as several photos and artifacts related to the vehicle. While the Benson Ford Research Center collections includes Ford Motor Company parts drawings from 1903-1957, we do not have the plans for the 1896 Ford Quadricyle, they are not known to have survived.
Between 1960-1963 George DeAngelis built a replica of the Quadricyle. To do so, he created a set of drawings and notes based on visual inspection of the original Quadricycle at the Henry Ford Museum. DeAngelis spent three years on the project, building most of the vehicle's parts from scratch. While the Henry Ford does not have DeAngelis' drawings and notes in our collections, they are available through the Early Ford Registry. These materials are available for no charge to Early Ford Registry Members; their website provides instructions to join the Early Ford Registry and order the Quadricyle plans and notes.