I think it would be fair to say that the Ford Model T was the most successful car ever. Ford Motor Co. sold the almost completely unchanged Model T from 1908 through 1927, but it wasn’t the first “modern” car built.
That honor goes to German Karl Benz in 1885, and the first “modern” American car was made by Charles and Frank Duryea, of Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893. As a side note, the first electric vehicle, which was more of an electrified wagon, was made in about 1890 by a chemist from Des Moines, Iowa.
In those early days, a good way to get attention was through publicity stunts, and Henry Ford was a master at capitalizing on events featuring the Model T. In 1911, a Ford dealer in Scotland challenged his son to drive a Model T to the top of the highest mountain in the British Isles at 4,411 feet. If he accomplished that, he would receive his allowance, but if not, no allowance.
The son was successful (or I wouldn’t be telling you this story), was greeted by a cheering crowd, and drove the Model T back to his father’s dealership. After that event, Ford Motor Co. sold more than 14,000 Model T cars in the United Kingdom, and Henry Ford didn’t think more publicity stunts were necessary to sell his cars.
The Model T was truly the car that changed the world, but it wasn’t the first “production” car in the country either. That distinction belongs to the 1901 Oldsmobile Curve Dash. It’s said that Henry Ford didn’t create any of the methods used in the manufacturing of the Model T but saw what others didn’t see in other industries to produce consistent parts routinely for assembly line production. This meant that assembly line workers didn’t need to be skilled laborers.
One of Ford’s famous quotes is that customers could get any color car they wanted “as long as it’s black.” It turns out it’s not the color of the paint per se that’s important, it’s the speed at which the paint dries, and black dried faster than other colors.
The first Model T that went on sale in October 1908 sold for $850. Ford wanted to not only build cars efficiently but price them as low as possible so the common man could afford one. By the time this issue’s featured car was built in 1927, the last year for the Model T, one could buy a new Model T for as little as $260.
This issue’s car doesn’t look much like the Model T that Henry Ford sold for $260. Ford enthusiast Don Rose, of Fremont, bought it in 2017and, this is his third classic Ford vehicle. When he bought the car, it looked pretty much like it does today, but like many classic car purchases, there were some surprises.
“The tires were dry-rotted, so the first thing I did was put new wheels and tires on it,” Rose said. “The starter went out, the headlights were pitted and the high beams didn’t work, so I ordered new headlamps for it. I put a new exhaust system on it (to quiet it down). But otherwise, it just been mostly routine maintenance.”
Looking at this Model T, many would call it a “hot rod,” but it’s really more of a “street rod” with most of the creature comforts of modern cars. Henry Ford would probably turn over in his grave if he knew his inline four-cylinder, 20-horsepower engine has been replaced with a Chevy 283-cubic-inch, 220-horsepower V8 engine with a matching Chevy 350 three-speed automatic transmission.
It has a tilt steering wheel but doesn’t have or need power steering, as the car only weighs 2,200 pounds. It does have power brakes with disc in front and drum in the rear. It also has air conditioning, and with the small interior it cools down in a hurry. It’s a two-seater with very comfortable bucket seats. Rose found his Model T at a Good Guys Car Show at the Alameda County Fairgrounds and paid $20,000 for it.
“To me it seems like it was meant to be for several reasons,” he said. “One, my brother had one. Two, it’s 1927 and my lucky number is ‘7.’ And three, it was in my price range. Also, a previous owner etched roses in the glass and my last name is Rose.”
He brought the car home that day and has loved it ever since. Rose isn’t too interested in displaying his car at auto shows, but it is a head-turner. He gets his enjoyment from driving the car locally and watching people’s reaction to this bright yellow machine and getting a lot of thumbs-up signs. As of this writing, he has no plans to sell and claims he isn’t lusting for anything else.
Have an interesting vehicle? Contact David Krumboltz at [email protected]. To view more photos of this and other issues’ vehicles or to read more of Dave’s columns, visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz.
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