Ford was the only automaker that didn't need a US government bailout to keep from floundering in the harsh world of 2008. Because of this, it has leaped forward during the recovery and has now posted the best quarterly profits ever in the company's 113 year history. Before taxes, Ford made $3.8 billion dollars in the first quarter of this year, which sets the blue oval up to surpass last year's pretax profit of $10.8 billion. What exactly is helping the company that began with the humble Model T get these crazy figures?

Mass sales of popular cars sure aren't hurting. The Ford F-150 is the company's most profitable vehicle. When the F-150 was redesigned, Ford had to carefully plan out everything because it had huge amounts of money on the line if things went wrong. Luckily, the aluminum-bodied truck has been a smash hit. The Ford Mustang hasn't been doing too shabby either, racking up the title of best selling sports coupe in the world. The fact that gas prices are low is also a huge help because it means that consumers are not only more likely to buy a new car, but spend the cash on profitable trucks or SUVs. Expect this upward trend to continue for a bit longer, especially as Ford begins to roll out new cars targeted at the red-hot Chinese market.