Ford Model T
An Enthusiast’s Guide
1908 to 1927 (all models and variants)
“I will build a car for the great multitude” stated Henry Ford, and so he did. The Ford Model T, or the ‘Tin Lizzie’ and the ‘Flivver’ as it was also known, transformed American society, bringing mobility through car ownership to millions of middle-class Americans at a time when the horse and the railroad were the only real viable means of transport.
Using moving assembly lines and the best possible materials, between 1 October 1908 and 26 May 1927, Ford built around 16.5 million examples of this extraordinary car. By 1918, half of all cars built in America were Model Ts and by 1925 around 8,000 a day were being produced, making Henry Ford one of the world’s best-known manufacturers of automobiles.
The selection of body styles varied from two- and four-seat open and closed models – tourers, town cars, runabouts, landaulets, and cabriolets – to vans and pick-up trucks, and customers could also have colors other than black!
This guide provides an insight into the design and construction of the Model T and many of its numerous variants, and the uses to which they were put, along with details of the background to Henry Ford himself and the car.
Highlights of the book include:
- The Ford Model T story – the background of Henry Ford and his Ford Motor Company and the development of the Model T
- Anatomy of a Ford Model T – detailed insight with photographs and diagrams
- The engineer’s view – an insight from two leading experts, Chris Barker and Neil Tuckett
- The driver’s view – description of the controls and driving technique for the Model T
- The owner’s view – first-hand accounts from five Model T owners about why the car appeals to them
- Competition history – including Indianapolis 500, Le Mans 24-hours and ‘Pig ‘n Ford’ races in America
- Endless varieties – including trucks, ambulances, fire engines, army patrol cars and even rail cars
- Restoration – Three UK-based specialists talk about their projects
- Adventures – a trip across the North Island of New Zealand and a drive to the top of Ben Nevis in Scotland
The Author
Chas Parker is a long-time motor racing enthusiast who has written many books about motor sport and historic racing cars, including comprehensive histories of Brand Hatch and Silverstone and Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manuals for the D-type Jaguar, Bugatti Type 35 and Lola T70. He has also written a number of books for Porter Press International, including The Michael Turner Collection and was shortlisted, together with co-author Philip Porter, for the 2017 RAC Motoring Book of the Year Award for his work on the 1953 Le Mans-winning C-type Jaguar, XKC 051. He lives in East Sussex with his partner, Diane.
