c1909 Ford Model-T Tourer

Description

When Henry Ford began building automobiles in 1903, few could have imagined the impact his cars would have on the motor industry or the enduring legacy of his most famous product, the legendary Model T. Ford’s earliest car, the original Model A, was a simple, twin-cylinder affair with the engine mounted under the seat and basic two-seater bodywork (known as a runabout) but the range rapidly expanded and diversified to include both four and six-cylinder cars by 1906. The Model T, affectionately known around world as the Tin Lizzie, was introduced in October 1908 and the rugged mechanicals, strong performance and great value made it a runaway sales success, putting motoring in reach of millions of Americans for the first time. Powered by an L-head four-cylinder unit of 176.7-cid displacement and developing 22 horsepower, the Model T employed a foot-operated planetary-type gearchange with two forward speeds plus reverse. Suspension consisted of a transverse semi-elliptic leaf spring at each corner, the wooden-spoked wheels were shod with pneumatic tyres and braking was carried out by expanding bands on the transmission and hand-operated brakes acting on the rear wheels. With prices ranging from $850 to $1000 in 1909, the Model T offered fantastic value for money and demand soon threatened to outstrip supply. Giving lie to the accepted wisdom that Model T Fords were only sold in black, early cars were actually offered in variety of shades, including green, grey and red (the latter discontinued from June 1909). A choice of body styles was catalogued, including a Two-Passenger Runabouts and Coupes, a Five-Passenger Touring and Seven-Passenger Landaulets and Town Cars, with the fender design slightly changed for 1909. Although the Model T is regularly credited with being the earliest mass-produced automobile, Ford’s revolutionary moving production line wasn’t introduced until 1913, with earlier cars built in the traditional labour-intensive manner. More than 15 million Model T Fords were built between 1908 and 1927, helping transform American society and the Ford is rightly regarded as the most influential automobile of the era. With relatively few survivors, brass-era Model T Fords – like the example on offer here – are highly prized by collectors today.