1927 Ford Model T Pickup *Sold £10,500*

Description

• 2.9 litre engine
• US built car
• Manufactured in the final year of the model
• One piece pick-up bed
• Canvas roof

It was the car that brought motoring to the masses. Arguably the most important car ever made? And you could have one in any colour you liked, as long as it was black. By the time Henry’s innovative moving production line finished building the Model T, over 15 million were produced.

The most popular body styles were two and five seater open touring cars. However, a very wide variety of bodies was available. In pick-up form they are not only incredibly charming but have become very scarce and collectable.

Overview

• Manufactured in 1927
• Our vendor is the first owner in the UK
• All import duties paid & UK registered
• Spent most of its life in South Carolina
• Our vendor tells us, “The Model T was sat covered in a barn alongside a collection of old American coaches”
• Had new exhaust & new tyres in the US
• New battery fitted in the UK

Inside

The buttoned leatherette bench seat is in good condition and has more in common with a sofa than modern seats and much better for it. This Model T is sparse by today’s cluttered standards, a motor car of any sort was very much a luxury when these were produced.

The floor of the cab area is constructed in traditional wooden planking. The dashboard is functional; besides the controls on the wooden steering wheel, there is an ignition switch and an ammeter-that’s it. The door coverings and other minimalist trim is in surprisingly good condition.

The outside of the fold-down roof looks fine. If you have a look in the Gallery, you’ll see the interior trim hasn’t aged so well. It is all intact and we’d probably leave well alone. The roof is fitted with a rear screen which is in good condition, that’s a nice touch

Besides the wear and tear that anyone with any common sense would expect of a classic car built in 1927, there is little to be troubled about. Once you are ensconced, inside there is a strong sense of being transported back to the turn of the century.

Mechanicals

• A testament to the robust design and engineering is that this one is still pootling around today.
• 20 hp, 4 cylinder in line, side valve engine
• Three bearing crankshaft
• 2,986cc
• Ford spur planetary transmission bathed in oil
• Splash and gravity lubrication system
• Pneumatic tyres
• Thermo-siphon and fan cooling system

The Model T is durable, affordable and easy to repair. These traits endure today and mark out the best Fords.

To cope with the rough American roads, the Model T was designed to be light, strong and flexible.

Many Model Ts were sold and run by owners with little mechanical knowledge and zero experience of the internal combustion engine. The cars were uncomplicated enough for the inexperienced owner to drive and maintain but engineered to standards that meant reliability & strength.

Two useless facts. A Ford dealer in Scotland steered one up Ben Nevis. Lawrence of Arabia used one in the desert battles of World War I. British traffic should be a doddle.

Outside

Naturally there are blemishes, some paint loss and general wear, all of which is immensely characterful for a classic of this vintage.

At the front the distinctive radiator topped by that emblem is flanked by the two carriage-type headlamps. Along the sides, the flowing cycle wings covering the spoked wheels are joined by external running boards. The rear pick-up bed is a one-piece section with a folding rear tailgate. Although we doubt that they were called tailgates way back then.

The whole ensemble comes together in one fabulously charming classic.

Summary

Buying a Model T is more than owning a classic car. A genuine article of motoring and social history. Taking one on is being custodian of a piece of that history. Despite that build up, they remain, at the moment, affordable. As they dwindle in number that will not always be the case.

In pick-up bodied form they are rarer still. Impossibly charming, achingly good looking and great fun.

This Ford Model T is just three candles short of its hundredth birthday. What a delight it would be for the new owner to take it to that magic number.