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, landaulettes and cabriolets – to vans and pick-up trucks, and customers could also have colours 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.

• The Model T Ford Story – background and development
• Anatomy of a Ford Model T – detailed insight with photographs and diagrams
• The engineer’s view – with two leading experts, Chris Barker and Neil Tuckett
• The driver’s view – description of controls and driving techniques
• The owner’s view – first-hand accounts from five owners
• Competition history – including Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24-hours
• Endless varieties – including trucks, ambulances and army patrol cars
• Restoration – three UK-based specialists talk about their projects
• Adventures – trips to New Zealand and Ben Nevis in Scotland

Specification

ISBN: 978-1-913089-22-1

270mm x 210mm, 160 pages

Jacketed Hardback

Over 220 images

The author – Chas Parker

Chas Parker swapped a career in astronomy, during which time he was press officer for the Royal Greenwich Observatory, based at Herstmonceux in East Sussex, to begin writing about his other great interest of motorsport. He spent seven years as a sub-editor on Motorsport News, often reporting on events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Goodwood Revival and the Silverstone Classic. He has written 14 books, including histories of Brands Hatch and Silverstone, together with Haynes manuals about the D-type Jaguar, Bugatti Type 35 and Lola T70. He has also written books in the Porter Press International Great Cars and Exceptional Cars series about the Jaguar XK120, C-type and D-type and SS100, as well as an Enthusiast’s Guide to the Model T Ford and The Michael Turner Collection. Together with co-author Philip Porter, he was shortlisted for the 2017 RAC Motoring Book of the Year Award for Great Cars – C-type Jaguar, the autobiography of XKC 051. He lives in East Sussex with his wife Diane.