1916 Ford Model T Touring
VIN: Contact for details Engine: Contact for details Horsepower: Contact for details Transmission: Manual
The Ford Model T is one of the worlds most historically significant motorcars for multiple reasons, but most importantly for putting the world on wheels. It wasn't the first mass produced car, but the worlds first mass produced car to use the assembly line during production, resulting in an 18 year run and 15,000,000 cars. At the very beginning, in 1909, the Model T was a bit more complicated and much more expensive than at the end of production in 1927. For example, the very first Model T's had an exposed valve L head 4 cylinder engine with a water pump, 2 piece timer, 2 lever 2 pedal planetary transmission, an external water inlet tube on top of the cylinder head, solid one piece front axle spindles, complicated Kingston 5 ball carburetors and the list continues. As time elapsed Ford, found ways to refine the design of the car. This resulted in simpler designs which benefitted not only production costs and time, but making the Model T that much more user friendly and less expensive, also resulting in more cars being produced each year. So the earlier the car, the fewer examples there are. Because of this, and what many people today don't realize, is almost every month of every year the Model T was produced was different and had details that are specific to the time it was built, so not every Model T is the same. Everything from the way bodies were designed and constructed to certain brackets, axles, wheels, switches, coil boxes, lights etc... all changed by the month. That famous saying: "You can have a Model T in any color as long as it's black" is not 100% true. Beginning in 1909, Model T Touring cars were red and roadsters were grey, in 1910 touring cars were dark green with red pinstripes and roadsters were offered in Green and Grey, 1911 through 1912 cars were dark blue and finally in 1913 Ford made the famous decision to make all cars black. Today there are an abundance of Model T parts left and many parts do interchange from year to year, so when looking at a Model T it is very difficult, if you don't know the specific details, to find a very correct original car, especially with the earlier brass era examples.
The 1915 - 1916 cars are all on their own in terms of their design and look. In 1915, the new round cowl and hood former was introduced, and it was also the first year for: electric headlights, louvered hoods, curved rear fenders, new style windshield with riveted base, as well as many other differences. The 1915-16 cars are really the last of the great early Model T's and are really the most iconic two years ever produced. 1916 was also the last year for the brass radiator and very few pure 1916 cars exist today. It should also be noted that the Model T is the most reliable, powerful and enjoyable car to drive of its time for a car its size. Even though there were a lot of Model T's produced, many of the earlier cars either did not survive or were over used as these were not incredibly expensive cars and were very utilitarian, so to find an all original untouched brass Model T is extremely difficult today. Every great car collection has an example of a Model T, but finding one worthy of a great collection is very difficult.