Henry Ford was building and racing cars of his own design as early as 1901 and it was the good publicity from this that enabled him to raise the US$28,000 needed to found the Ford Motor Company in 1903. The first production car was the 8HP Model A (also sold in England) but it was the Model T introduced in 1909 which garnered worldwide acceptance and sold over 16 million vehicles during its 18 year production run. By 1921, Ford had over 50% of car sales in America. Until 1932 Ford Great Britain only produced right-hand drive versions of the American models, but with the opening of a plant at Dagenham, Essex a whole range of UK-specific cars were produced. The range of models needs little introduction as many have become household names, but the racing success of certain models such as the Lotus Cortina and the Escorts of all marks is noteworthy.