How did the Ford Model T get its name?

Ford designated his prototypes by letter. The model T was the twentieth model in his development series.

Related Information:

The just as famous, but later Model A, was the first of a new series of development.

The Model T was first built in 1908 although it was sold as a 1909 model. Henry Ford gave it an alphabetic designation instead of a name. Ford and his engineers used the first 19 letters of the alphabet to designate their automobiles, although some of the cars were experimental and never reached the public. The most successful of the early production cars was the Model N -- a small, light, four-cylinder machine which went on the market at $500. A $2,500 six-cylinder luxury car, the Model K, sold poorly.

The Model A letter code was later reused on the successor to the Model T.