Ford Model T — The Heritage Society (2023)

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How much is a Model T worth today? ›

The Model T put America on wheels, created mass mobility, revolutionized mass production, established the American middle class and eventually reshaped the country's physical landscape with suburban sprawl. Over a two-decade run more than 15 million were built, more than any other car in history except for the Beetle.

The vehicle also became famous for its unique nickname—Tin Lizzie. There are various accounts of how this nickname was acquired by the Model T. Possible origins include the popularity of the female name “Lizzie” during that period to a famous Model T racecar named Old Liz.

1908: Henry Ford introduces the Model T. The gasoline-powered car enjoys up to 21 miles per gallon (just six m.p.g. fewer than the average new vehicle sold today).

The engine was simple and efficient, with all four cylinders cast in a single block and the cylinder head detachable for easy access and repair. The engine generated 20 horsepower and propelled the car to modest top speeds of 40–45 miles per hour (65–70 km/h).

The Model T was the first mass-produced car that was affordable enough for a wide audience. In 1909 a new Model T cost $850, but by 1924 the price had gone down to only $260. The average assembly line worker could purchase one with four months' pay in 1914.

“There were so many of them built — 15 million,” Anderson said. “There are still probably 10,000 to 15,000 on the road. People know 'Tin Lizzie' as an old car, even if they don't know it refers to the Model T. It shows up in literature, film and song.

The Model T has no accelerator on the floor, instead the engine speed is controlled by this hand throttle. As you move it down, the engine goes faster and faster.

When the Ford Model T was introduced in 1908, it cost about $950 (nominal dollars), with only 10,000 units produced. By 1924, 2 million units were produced at the cost of $300 each, making it one of the most mass-produced cars in history, with a total of 16.5 million units.

By the mid twenties new cars were quite reliable but their life was short - 5 to 7 years, and well under 100,000 miles with a motor overhaul required every 20,000 or 30,000 miles.

How long did a Model T engine last? ›

Certainly, my experience when I was running an original engine with all original parts was that this is a believable figure. The life expectancy of the whole car (i.e. time to scrap it),was given as 100,000 miles. This was in a time where a set of tyres was only meant to last 2000 miles.

Henry called it Model T at my request. T stands for Tim. He was going to call it Model A, but I got him to postpone the decision for a few years.

During most of the T's production run, its 10 US gal (38 l; 8 imp gal) fuel tank was mounted to the frame beneath the front seat. Because Ford relied on gravity to feed fuel to the carburetor rather than a fuel pump, a Model T could not climb a steep hill when the fuel level was low.

1923 was the Model T's best year and is still today the highest annual production figure ever achieved by a single model with 2,011,125 units produced in a single year!

The Model T had a front-mounted 177-cubic-inch (2.9 L) inline four-cylinder engine, producing 20 hp (15 kW), for a top speed of 40–45 mph (64–72 km/h). The engine was capable of running on gasoline, kerosene, or ethanol. Its transmission was a planetary gear type billed as "three speed".

The transmission, consisting of two forward gears and one reverse, was of the planetary type, controlled by three foot pedals and a lever rather than the more common hand lever used in sliding-gear transmissions. Spark and throttle were controlled by a hand lever on the steering column.

On February 17, 1972, the 15,007,034th Volkswagen Beetle comes off the assembly line, breaking a world car production record held for more than four decades by the Ford Motor Company's iconic Model T, which was in production from 1908 to 1927.

A pre-1919 Model T is even more difficult to drive due to its lack of an electric starter, and the process of turning the crank to start the engine by hand might just snap your forearm like a dried-out branch if the engine backfires.

While the Model T has a pair of drum brakes on the rear axle, the brake pedal itself doesn't interact with these at all. Instead, it actuates a band which squeezes down on the rotating parts within the transmission to slow the car down.

Tires were pneumatic clincher type, 30 in (762 mm) in diameter, 3.5 in (89 mm) wide in the rear, 3 in (76 mm) in the front.

How much did a Model T cost in 1923? ›

The Ford Model T was produced with nine different body styles on top of the same chassis. The four-door sedan was most likely the most expensive model, ranging between $725 (1923) and $545 (1927).

Origins of 'Tin Lizzie'

Another claim says that during a 1922 race at Pikes Peak, Colorado, participant Noel Bullock named his Model T “Old Liz,” but its unkempt state made people compare it to a tin can, earning it the “Tin Lizzie” moniker. Unexpectedly, Bullock's car won and the nickname stuck to all Model Ts.

The car could thus cruise without the driver having to press any of the pedals. There was no separate clutch pedal. When the car was in neutral, the middle pedal was used to engage reverse gear, and the right pedal operated the transmission brake – there were no separate brakes on the wheels.

While various car companies had experimented with electric starters for gasoline-powered cars, Cadillac was first with a really workable solution in 1912. The Henry Ford Museum's 1914 Model T was retrofitted with an electric starter for convenience, but it can still be cranked up the old fashioned way.

None of the 1 versions of Ford Model T has a push-button start feature.

Tech Specs. L-head four-cylinder in-line engine, 176.7 cubic inches, 22 hp at 1600 rpm.

Vanadium Steel.

As part of the preproduction process for the Model T, Ford imported an expert who helped him build a steel mill. As a result, the only cars in the world to utilize vanadium steel in the next five years would be French luxury cars and the Model T.

28. Koenigsegg Jesko: $3 million. The Jesko is our first hypercar that hits the three million dollar mark. From a performance aspect, this makes sense: the Koenigsegg Jesko is also one of the fastest supercars in the world in 2023 – which definitely goes a long way towards its sticker price.

In January 1914, Henry Ford started paying his auto workers a remarkable $5 a day. Doubling the average wage helped ensure a stable workforce and likely boosted sales since the workers could now afford to buy the cars they were making. It laid the foundation for an economy driven by consumer demand.

WAISSI Engine - Simplest Internal Combustion Engine.

What were the problems with the Ford Model T? ›

The Model T was released in 1908. That summer, 31 people were killed in auto accidents in Detroit alone. The cars were a fire hazard, as gas tanks were located underneath the seats, and their flat glass windshields were known to severely cut anyone ejected from the car in a crash.

There's a myth about the original Ford Model T engines being designed to run on multiple different fuels. Even though the engine had low compression and would probably run on moonshine or strong whiskey, it was indeed designed to run on gasoline using a gravity fed fuel system seen in the diagram below.

In areas with average temperature between 40 and 110 degrees F you will want to use 5W-30. Operating a Model T in winter weather, with temperatures between 0 and 4 degrees F you will want to use 0W-20. How often should the oil be changed in a Model T Ford?

It was at the ECTA's former Ohio Mile in Wilmington where Mike and his co-driver, Justin Brand, knocked through the 200 mph barrier to claim the World's Fastest Model T. Mike had churned a 202.7, and at the final Ohio Mile event, Justin walked up to his 205.9 mph record, before melting the top of piston four.

The transmission consisted of two foot gears and one reverse. The Model T was also very loud, and had to be driven up hills backwards because the reverse gear was much more powerful than forward gears. Also, gravity was the only way gas got to the engine.

The Ford Model T was powered by an inline 4-cylinder engine that produced 20-hp. With its three-speed transmission, The Model T was able to hit a top speed of 42 mph.

Engine – The Ford Model T was equipped with a 177 cubic inch four-cylinder engine with 20 horsepower, with a top speed around 45 mph. The Ford Model A was equipped with a similar flat head four-cylinder engine, this one with 201 cubic inch displacement and twice the power at 40 hp and a top speed of 65 mph.

For what it's worth, Model T's didn't get 25 miles per gallon, Ford responded. They got 13 to 21 miles per gallon.

It is alleged that the earliest models of the Ford Model T were built to run on gasoline and kerosene as well as ethanol: but neither option was considered the premium or preferable fuel source due to cost.

Two gas tanks mean continuous power, and that engines could function better under load. Typically these systems are found in old Ford F-250 and Ford F-350 models.

How much would a Model T be worth? ›

Model T vehicles produced later had the more common three-pedal, three-lever control system which, depending on the quality of its restoration, can range in price from $11,550 to $66,000.

The top speed of the Model T was 42 mph (68 km/h), which was adequate for the time but far removed from what the fastest cars of that period were capable of.

Ford Mustang 428 Cobra Jet - 1969.

When production of the Model T began, the cost was around $850, around $1200 less than most cars. By the early 1920's, the price of the Model T cost about $300.

Summary. This is the Ford Motor Company record of the very first Model T which was assembled on September 27, 1908 at the Piquette plant in Detroit. The production card lists it as Model 2090, car #1. It had 4 cylinders, 2 levers (the second for reverse) and 2 foot pedals.

Ninety years after this last car headed out onto the open road, it's estimated that some 60,000 Ford Model Ts still survive today. Incredibly, 50,000 of these are in road-going condition.

**Figure based on a stock 1917 Ford Model T valued at $10,900 with ON rates with $100/300K liability/UM/UIM limits. Actual costs vary depending on the coverage selected, vehicle condition, province and other factors.

The average 1925 Ford Model T costs about $19,835.03.

1965 was the year of millionaires: that year the Chevrolet Impala sold 1,074,925 units in the US alone, still to this date the highest annual sales volume ever achieved by a single model in the US since World War 2.

STUTTGART, Germany - A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe, one of only two on Earth, has sold for a record $143 million, making it the most expensive car in the world.

What car just sold for $20 million dollars? ›

Another difference between the Model T and vehicles today is that there was no radio and no heat in the original Model T. Drivers and passengers had to bundle up, and some even used gas burners. The in-vehicle heater was invented in 1917, but heat wasn't a standard feature in vehicles until much later.

The Model T was colloquially known as the "Tin Lizzie", "Leaping Lena" or "flivver". United States: Detroit, Michigan. Highland Park, Michigan.

The oldest functioning car is La Marquise, a steam-powered, four-wheeled, four-seater vehicle, manufactured by De Dion Bouton et Trépardoux (France) in 1884; three years later it won the world's first automobile race, powering along the 30.5-km (19-mile) track at an average of 42 km/h (26 mph) from Paris to Neuilly, ...

1923 was the Model T's best year and is still today the highest annual production figure ever achieved by a single model with 2,011,125 units produced in a single year!

Now we expect 200k miles on a car, 60 years ago 100k (most odometers didnt even go into the 100,000's). Model T's perhaps 30-50K, pre T probably 10-20K for a reasonable life expectancy.

For what it's worth, Model T's didn't get 25 miles per gallon, Ford responded. They got 13 to 21 miles per gallon.

According to Ford Motor Company, the Model T had fuel economy on the order of 13–21 mpg_‑US (16–25 mpg_‑imp; 18–11 L/100 km).

It could go as fast as 40 miles per hour and could run on gasoline or hemp-based fuel. (When oil prices dropped in the early 20th century, making gasoline more affordable, Ford phased out the hemp option.) “No car under $2,000 offers more,” ads crowed, “and no car over $2,000 offers more except the trimmings.”