If you’re a Model T fan, and have been looking for a project car that’s already in great condition, this is it. This 1922 Ford Model T Coupe is in Eudora, Kansas and is on eBay with the bids just over the $3,100 point. There is no reserve on this fantastic car so get your bids in. Ford made 1,301,067 Model Ts in 1922 and there aren’t a ton of them left that are in this nice condition.
Ford never officially called their “Coupe” the “Doctor’s Coupe“, but that’s what these Coupes are commonly known as. There is a bit of speculation that Ford may have been behind, or at least they knew about, the “doctors need a trustworthy car, so they drive a Model T Coupe” sort of image that these Coupes enjoyed. Sort of like when Coke introduced “New Coke”, which shortly failed thus causing the original Coke to be an even bigger seller. But, that’s probably just an urban myth, too. Doctors loved these cars because of their all-weather configuration and because they had a trunk to carry extra medical equipment and supplies. So, the next time you see the term Doctor’s Coupe, it’s just a regular ol’ Model T Coupe.
Here’s a little tidbit from an actual doctor who owns a Model T Coupe, “Until the advent of Medicare, Medicaide (sic), and group policy insurance offered to employees, the average physician’s income was relatively poor. If patients couldn’t pay for their services, he often received chickens, labor in trade, or nothing. Being a physician meant you were in service to the people in need, regardless of their ability to pay. Most other professionals made much more income than the “Country Doc”. The Model T was an inexpensive vehicle, reliable, and could traverse the muddy rutted roads of the day to call on the sick in all kinds of weather.”
This particular Coupe is in great shape. The seller says that this “car was handed down through family, it has been sitting in dry storage for a few years”. The body looks almost perfect on this one, but they mention that there is “one piece of trim missing on the drivers side in front of the deck lid the glass is good except one windshield pane.”
The interior looks great. It looks like it may have had a quicky-restoration at some point but that can be fixed to be more factory-correct as you keep using this car during the summer, and then go wild on the restoration over winter. Or, not; just keep driving it as is.
Speaking of driving it, the seller says that “the motor turns and is free the steering seems good and tight the car rolls with ease but has not ran it will need some tinkering to get it ready for the next parade”. These cars all had the same 2.9L four-cylinder with around 20-22 hp. I would want to address the wood spoke wheels. And, I mean, not in the same way that Ed Norton addressed the golf ball in the Honeymooners, but as in getting them rebuilt. They look a little dry and that could be a dangerous or even deadly situation if one of them broke while you were driving this car. This car looks like a bargain, although there there are still four days left on the auction. These “old” cars aren’t for everyone, and certainly really old vehicles like these are falling between the cracks as the average age of the collector car hobbiest gets younger and goes for vehicles newer than the 1920s. Are you someone who enjoys vehicles that are almost 100 years old or do you like to stick with vehicles from the 1950s and newer when you’re looking for a project?
Fun of the day. My dad has a buggy wheel soaker. They used to soak dried out wheels in kerosene to tighten them up. He’s done the same with T wheels. It’s a temporary fix, though. Get them respoked if they’re loose.
These wheels have been messed with. It was fashionable in the 50s to make them wood colored. They were always black from Ford. Some folks took off the black with a sandblaster which took away a good bit of the spoke material.
How can you not love this? It’s a hundred years old, and it still exists! It hasn’t been cut up, or destroyed. The original owner of this was probably proud of it. He took it and showed it to his family, and his buddies. There are likely a lot of good memories associated with it, and maybe a few bad ones. That original owner is likely long gone. But we still have his car. We can see how things were made back in the day. We can smell it, and hear it, and feel the mechanical cacophony when it runs. It’s living history.
I’m not wealthy. Most of these cars we see here are beyond my means, and likely always will be; though I’ve not given up hope of finding a 70 Torino at the right price. But this? I can handle this, and if I had a garage I would be raiding my meager savings and borrowing a truck and trailer for a road trip to Kansas. Eventually, I’ll be in a better situation (divorce sucks, keep her happy!) and when I am, there will be both a “T” and an “A” tucked away so people can experience that living history themselves. I love this. I hope it goes to someone who feels the same, who will sympathetically maintain it and keep it alive. This is an awesome find, and I thank you for posting it Scotty.
Grant,
“That original owner is likely long gone”. I agree… or he has to be at least 120 years old. One or the other.
Neat little car. I like these but, I can’t say one has a place on my bucket list. Now 1930/31 Model “A”. Now we’re talking.
I love it. I am trying to buy a 1916 Buick right now. My taste in cars runs wide (much to my husband’s shagrin). Most of ours are 50’s with the exception of the ’66 Mustang but we also have a woodie in line for restoration. I too love the fact that it is 100 years old and still running (like my grandmother who is 102). I am hoping to do a National Parks tour with the Buick. Many of the guys at McPherson College drive them around town and they ride surprisingly well. We take summer camp restoration courses at the college and it always makes me want a car that is 100. Having just returned from precision machining class I am in the mood again.
It’s good to know there are still people interested in the flat fendered cars. Good luck with the Buick! This one might be a great deal. These can be purchased so very cheaply these days. Perhaps they will appreciate. Several flat fenders have sold lately through the museum very cheaply and we have a couple more coming up.(camcarsales.com) There’s a speedster that looks like great fun.
I also love this car, my grandpa had/has a 1913 model T, with a new 1914 engine. They put electric starters in ’14. It’s a wooden bed pickup. Black and Red, it’s beautiful, but it literally was the death of him. During the restoration, while sanding it, prepping for paint, he didn’t wear a respirator, inhaled all that dust. You get the gist.
I would totally drive the wheels off of it!!