It’s quite possible that the last running car on Earth will be a Ford Model T. Aside from needing an occasional squirt of gasoline (or some other combustible liquid), it’s a self-sufficient means of propulsion, as close to perpetual motion as we’re likely to get. It’s so simple that it’s not. A physicist could explain how it cools its engine using basic thermodynamics or how it makes its own electricity using basic electromagnetism, but you don’t need to understand any of that to drive it anywhere. The roadster is the most elemental of the Model T’s, offering room for a driver and a close companion in addition to the sparest of luggage. Humans tend to overcomplicate things, and nothing proves that better than a comparison between a Model T and anything else on the road. If you want to experience motoring at its most essential, this Model T is listed on craigslist and is located in Brooks, Oregon.
To drive your Model T, you’ll first need to forget everything you ever learned about driving aside from left and right. The accelerator is on the steering column; reverse is the middle pedal on the floor. You’ll shift with the pedal on the left (low and high only), and the moderately-effective-kind-of brakes are operated by the pedal on the far right, where the accelerator’s supposed to be. I know all this because my dad and I went back to school, Model T Driving School at Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan. Our instructors explained that their best students were young women who have never driven a manual transmission, because they have nothing to “unlearn.” The rest of us were a bit crossed up at first.
But you eventually get the hang of it, and the 20-horsepower four cylinder is surprisingly torquey in such a light little car; it will take a fair amount of ham-footed driving without stalling or complaining. People often scoff at the Model T’s 40-45 mile per hour top speed, but trust me…you don’t want to go much faster. That’s plenty.
You also want to forget about having any legroom; you just have to fit yourself behind the wheel and pedals the best you can, even if you’re slim. That’s the attraction of the Model T; it’s not comfortable, but it’s a history lesson and an adventure for a reasonable price ($10,500, in this case). This roadster has been sitting in dry storage for 20 years, but the selling family has rotated the engine and proclaimed that all is free; therefore, it should run. And they’re probably right.
They also say that it is all-original aside from tires and top. That may be difficult to prove, but it doesn’t really matter that much. Model T’s were made by the millions and are still well-represented in the collector community. Parts and clubs are easy to find and this one should clean up just fine. If you don’t want a roadster, it’s not that hard to find another bodystyle, but thanks to Zappenduster for sending this one our way.
Fantastic write-up, Aaron! I’d love to have this car, what a beauty.
This is a great write up!! And a great Model T!!! I like this body style, and it looks so solid for being for all intents and purposes a 110 year old car. Its cars like this that makes me feel like we are caretakers in a sense. The original owner ( this was their pride and joy probably) is long since passed on, yet here it still is, just waiting to be resurrected, and probably not for the first time either, who knows how many times this may have sat, was brought out, coaxed back to life for another care taker to enjoy it and keep it running for the next one. I didnt know there was a Model T driving school. I’d love to do that. Driving a midel T is on my bucket list.
Nice writeup, however, perhaps due to the age of the author and might not know,, a major distinction for this car was called a “Doctors Coupe”. Automobiles in 1915 were unheard of, especially in rural areas. Most, if not all, depended on “Old Dobbin” for transport, including emergencies. Not many made the trip. This vehicle changed everything and saved countless lives. It greatly reduced doctors travel time, that by horse would be too late.
My grandfather ( the Packard one) tried to explain the shifting to me once, yeah,, big gear jammer can’t drive a Model T, and you know, I don’t think I could today. He said, many would use the reverse band in a panic stop, ruining the reverse. I read, during this time, there were still many that thought the automobile was evil, and sabotage from horse owners( and dealers) was common. It’s a nice find, but who’s a gonna drive it, Charlie, much less start the dang thing? I never started a crank job, but old timers told me, “retard the spark, and always pull up on the crank”. Be comical seeing someone unfamiliar trying that.
Oh, just one more thing, what other automotive site goes from a freakin’ Boss 429, the most awesome car sold, to the humble Model T that started it all? Nobody, that’s who.
Have hand cranked a Model T and didn’t really care for doing it a second time. Did spend some time in a later model with an electric starter we used in high school football games half times for shows etc. My part time after school employer had two of them plus a ’33 Ruxton front wheel drive roadster that was 19 feet long, a ’48 MGT and a Devin bodied Fiat with a 4 cylinder Mercury outboard motor. Driving any of them was a chore and totally different from my ’32 5 window.
Wow, those 1933 Ruxton Model C Sedans are fine automobiles, beautiful. Just did a web search, sweet machines.
The old Tin Lizzy. Fun to learn to drive. And it has NO dickey.
An amazing garage find, I am actually surprised it still available. After the eye watering forest images of the Lotus the Model T is near mint.
You could park this car on my driveway and I would have a good time with it. That planetary transmission takes some getting used to. I’ve got a couple of friends with them and they taught me the basic rudiments of driving a flivver. “Give it a little throttle and at the same time, push the left pedal all the way down. When you get your speed up just ease off on the throttle and at the same time ease up on the pedal; it should shift into high–sort off.”
Yes, the RH pedal is the brake and there is a hand lever that operates what passed for wheel brakes on the rear wheels. To quote the author, Ralph Stein (Treasury of the Automobile), “To stop you tramped on everything; it didn’t matter what two pedals your feet hit.” Close quote.
The hardest habit to kill is the tendency to “Step on the Clutch” at the last moment before you come to a stop. That motion shoves the car into low and you make a leap forward.
The low and reverse bands were interchangeable and since Low was perpetually worn out, people got into the habit of switching Low with Reverse and getting along without a Reverse until you could get the band re-lined.
The story goes in our hometown about a local school teacher who was a cheapskate at best. He was single and loved to drive down to Shelby every Saturday night to visit the local “Pleasure Palace” on top of the hill. Well, his Low band went out, and then his switched-out Reverse went out so he needed a little bump-start to get in motion so he could drive around in High. He could always get the car stopped and he would hold the service brake until he got his special stick in place in front of the rear wheel.
Anyways, one day he parked in front of his house, put the stick in place and headed away on foot. The stick wasn’t put properly in place, allowing the car to skip over it, and it headed down the hill without a driver, crashing through the back door of the Holy Trinity Church.
It took quite a few husky men to get the car pried loose from the basement stairs and out of the church. Needless to say, our beloved teacher (who ended up teaching 3 generations in our town before he passed away) fixed the church building and then his car. I imagine he had to forego a few extra curricular weekend activities in Shelby to finance the job…
A most excellent story! All I have for the Model T are some tools on display in the garage. I have the most common ones that came in the tool wrap kit with every car sold. The new owners had to have them in those days, though the local blacksmith may have also been a mechanic. I do also have a few hearty looking specialty tools. Sometimes they still come in handy, even on modern vehicles.
If people ain’t coming here for the stories I don’t know what you’re looking for.
Sweet T.
Very cool. My brother in law restored a ‘26 coupe and a ‘15 roadster like this. He did all of the work. Mechanical, paint, upholstery, you name it- and was a world renowned chef by trade. He and my sister traveled all over on tours, dressed in period clothing that my sister made.
Contrary to common misconception, this is the first year that Model Ts were only available in black. Several colors were available through 1914- then, once again in ‘26 a coupe additional colors were offered, and in the waning months of production in early ‘27, several more colors were added. Great find, and lots of fun for the right person.
I’m not a big fan of these old things but this one looks like it wouldn’t take much to get her running
My self and family have owned many Model T’s. That low pedal thing is half correct. Come to a stop sign or need to back up, half way down is neutral, or halfway up on the handlever is N with no parking brakes.FULL back is park. This looks like a mid 60’s restoration with a restamped motor; hence the electric starter under the steering column. Electric starters came out in about 1919. COILS were the big issue with these. Theyll run off a battery (6VDC) or the flywheel magneto which produces a staggering 32 VOLTS A.C. That is a true learing lesson about what DWELL is. The only other issue is that the wood wheels are now aging. An easy trip around the block is fun, but a high speed crossing at some rail tracks can toss you into a ditch real fast.
Ah, the Doctor’s Coupe. The coolest looking T!
A nice write up on a classic. I don’t know if “A good deal” really applies to Model T’s as they are very difficult to value. This one hits some of the right notes. It is a true “Brassie”, the end of the era of brass adorned cars. It is a Doctors Coupe, which is much less common than the other 4 seat versions. Both of these add value, but the market for these seems stale, even for such a nice one. I hope they get their asking price for this beauty.
These can be cantankerous to start, especially if they have been sitting. If I had one today I’d figure some way to rig an adapter to an 18V drill to spin it over as the hand crank method will make a mockery of outing plans, even with a lot of swearing and outside help. My Mom used to ask for help starting when she took ours to the supermarket, you should have seen the looks on peoples face at that request. Luckily her car started very easily.
I would agree it “should” be very easy to get this up and running and unlike the 4 door versions, the top should be easy to put down for the best motoring experience.
I’ve owned several, including a 1915 just like this one. I enjoyed them very much at the time, but towards then end other drivers became intolerant of a slow vehicle, pretty much ruining Sunday drives.
It is in Brooks, which is just North of me (and the site of an annual Steam Up, which is not to be missed!) and is tempting. But I hardly have time to do the other things I enjoy and it really deserves a younger family. If I have time to do a nothing drive, I’d rather scare myself in my 340 Duster.
My wife is 4’10”. She could see the hood, and curbs sneaking up on her. Couldn’t be more perfect!
My grandfather drove Model Ts. But then, when he got a newer Ford in the 1930s, he had an awful time in getting used to the different operation: my grandmother used to nag at him, “Don’t ride the CLUTCH, John; don’t ride the CLUTCH!” I would LOVE the sheer CHALLENGE of this “flivver”, learning how to operate and drive it, and tooling around town in it as my preferred errand-runner. It would be fun (NOT in freezing weather!), and my grandfather always swore that a Model T would last for ever and run on any liquid it could burn. Sounds like MY kind of VEHICLE. Too bad that it’s 3,000+ miles away. I have his 1915 copy of “The Little Old Ford Rambled Right Along”, on Victor, by Billy Murray (“Auntie Skinner’s Chicken Dinner” is on the order side). The record is funny, even 109+ years later. It exaggerates the severe punishment you could impose on a Modrl T, and still have it run — but the comedy-plot of the song wraps around someone in a fancier car who could not get it to run, and the lowly Ford owner gets the girl. When I was a young man in 1958, the Playmates had a record on something of the same idea: in this case, a little Nash Rambler out-runs a Cadillac. I wondered about that record when it came out, because my uncle had told me the same story, virtually word-for-word, in 1955. And of course there was “Hot Rod Race” in 1951, involving a “hopped-up Model A” — then, something of a follow-up in 1960, “Hot Rod Lincoln”.
The only hard part of the clutch is that it is in low all the way down, but in high all the way up. So you need to find the middle to be in neutral. Fortunately the hand brake on the side finds neutral for you and you can always use that sitting at a stop light.
Same as a Semi truck, where the mid point is neutural and all the way down is the transmission brake. Heaven forbid pushing all the way down and burning it out in one stop!