Autoblog

Click above for more images of the 1923 V-Twin powered Model T

Ford's ubiquitous Model T has seen its fair share of modifications over the years. Often powered by an engine other than what was originally designed for the large engine bay, countless variations of the hot rod theme have made Henry Ford's original mass-market vehicle a highly desirable machine to customize. Today, we've stumbled across an entirely new way to power the T, and it's just too cool not to share. Behind the custom spiderweb grille of this 1923 Ford Model T is a 1200cc V-Twin engine taken from the frame rails of a Harley-Davidson Sportster. Considering how little this vehicle is likely to weigh, the air-cooled twin cylinder mill with Screaming Eagle mods is probably plenty powerful to get the vehicle out of its own way. The owner used quite a few HD cues in the overall design and as many original parts from the donor bike as was possible. Note the dual rear shocks suspending the rear axle -- those are from the Sportster, as well as the foot pegs which now see duty as the gas and brake pedals. Nice work.


[Source: eBay Motors via The Kneslider]

Photo: KEVIN A. WILSON, Autoweek

Recently, Ford Motor Company sponsored a contest with the goal of modernizing the iconic Model T, a car which revolutionized motorized transportation the world over. The winner of the competition, a 24-year-old junior at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit named Dong Trang, came up with an electric crossover of sorts. That's fitting, according to Peter Horbury, head of design for Ford in the Americas, because Henry Ford's original Model T sat high off the ground and had a modular design, capable of hauling people and their stuff at the same time.

What the modern-day designs don't share with their forebear is retro looks. Each of the modern T adaptations features fairly sleek styling and alternative power that goes along with our modern-day energy and emissions problems.

Trang's design is rather unique, featuring solar panels on the vehicle along with an energy-capturing suspension design that would help recharge the on-board batteries. Those batteries are also removable to provide power outside the vehicle. The seating arrangement is modular, allowing for up to four occupants or offering increased storage capacity. The rear hatch is also capable of folding away to offer a small pickup bed. Click past the break for some videos of Trang talking about his design.

[Source: Detroit Free Press, Autoweek]

It wasn't a fair fight at all, but for funsies, a vintage-car hill-climb allowed Forbes Magazine to enter a late model HUMMER H2. You know, just to see how the 316-hp, 4WD SUV would do against, say, a 100-hp 1921 Model T driven by a 70-year-old man. Like we said, it wasn't fair at all.

The HUMMER climbed the 475-foot-tall hill in 10.74 seconds and didn't even break a sweat. Among those not surprised at the HUMMER's prowess was Gary Le Fever, the Model T driver who was waiting at the top of the hill for the H2. Le Fever and his 86-year-old Ford had finished the climb in 9.96 seconds!

Not a huge difference in a conventional match-up, but considering the participants, an amazing triumph for the Model T's engineering simplicity over the HUMMER's hefty muscle.

BTW, the photo is for illustration only. The hill climb was, we understand, much larger.

[Source: Forbes]

Quick...what was the world's first self-propelled vehicle? Model T? Curved dash Olds? Not even close. Benz Patent-Motorwagen? Duryea? For most reference sources, you'd be a lot closer. But to find the correct answer, you'd have to go back more than 100 years before any of those ever set wheel to road. As Supercars.net tells us, the very first self-propelled vehicle was in fact a steam car designed by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot in 1769. Yes, you read that right – seventeen-sixty-nine. Seven years before the American Revolution. Amazing.

It was commissioned by the French Minister of War, Etienne-Francois, who probably wanted something more practical than horses for hauling large artillery. Cugnot and another military mechanic, Brezin, assembled the first car at the Paris Arsenal. The biggest challenge was to redirect the lateral motion of a steam engine into forward motion. They placed the engine and boiler above the front wheel and used two pistons to push notched discs on each side of the front wheel. It must have been extremely difficult to steer.

Even the lowliest of electric vehicles from the modern era could best the steamer's 4 km/h top speed or 15 minute range, but the five ton tow capacity was quite respectable and after further development, a 4 passenger version was even introduced. One thing the Cugnot vehicle lacked, however, was brakes. Perhaps an oversight by the team, but it should come as no surprise that besides being the first self-propelled vehicle, it was also the first vehicle to be in an accident. By 1771, the project was mothballed. Although others fiddled with steam powered vehicles in ensuing years, it wasn't until Gottlieb Daimler developed the internal combustion engine 115 years later, that automobiles became viable again. Follow the read link for the full writeup and many more high-res images.

[Source: Supercars.net]

With apologies for the late notice, last month, U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton designated the Ford Motor Co. Piquette Plant, birthplace of the Model T car, as a National Historic Landmark. Said Norton in a statement: "National treasures are exceptional places that shed light on our history and help explain our past."

Less than 2,500 sites have received the National Historic Landmark designation. The Model T Automotive Heritage Complex, aka ‘T-Plex’, was pleased with Secretary Norton’s announcement.

"That area is the cradle of the automotive industry," said Jerald Mitchell, founder and CEO of T-Plex. "It's already in a city historic district, a state historic site, and on the National Register of Historic Places. The landmark status is the most exclusive."

We at Autoblog can’t help but agree and offer our congratulations.

[Source: Detroit News]