Adventurer Francis Birtles spent many years showing fellow Australians how well suited the Model T was to our vast country. This obviously staged Ford PR shot shows how artists touched-up these photos with some well-placed Ford logos.
Ford’s legendary Model T - the simple, rugged and affordable car widely credited with putting the world on wheels - was many things to many people. Arguably the greatest contrast was between the US and Australia. In the States it quickly became a favourite amongst street and track racers, while in Australia it became the first mass-produced car to conquer the outback.
“Ts put the masses on wheels and the model became the backbone of early American racing,” wrote Dean Batchelor in The American Hot Rod.