Ford and the Model T
By the time that 1908 had rolled around, Henry Ford had already formed three automobile companies after completing his famous Quadricycle of 1896. The first two of those companies failed his vision of a low-cost car for the masses, and he either left them or was thrown out for non-performance.
Ford was a tinkerer who, at one point, had dallied with the speed demon. His most famous example is the 1902 999 speedster, a beast of a car that could only be mastered by the soon-famous Barney Oldfield. Ford eventually had to step away from the temptations of speed cars and focus on making a vehicle for the Everyman. He could not do both.
1902 999 speed car, Barney Oldfield driving, Henry Ford standing. This was Barney Oldfield’s first professional ride in a race car, a move from bicycles that would make him famous. photo courtesy The Henry Ford
Ford Motor Company of 1903 was the third attempt at forming a company that would finally fulfill Henry Ford’s calling. When the photo below was taken in 1924, Ford Motor had produced almost all of its record 15,000,000 Model Ts, a vehicle that is considered by many to be the most important American car made during the 20th century.
Henry Ford standing with his 1896 Quadricycle and a 1924 Model T Touring, the ten millionth example. Almost 15 million Ts would be produced before end of production in 1927. photo courtesy Automotive History Collection, Detroit Public Library
Did Ford Ever Make a Speedster?
The easy answer is: “No.” Ford Motor Company never officially produced a sporty vehicle that they named a “speedster.”
Nevertheless, in at least two instances they came close. Very close…
First Try
1907 Ford Model K 6-40. Referred to in the photo as a “Speedster.” Note the lack of a windshield and other accoutrements that would lend it to be called such. photo courtesy Philadelphia Free Library Automotive Collection
The first occasion was the Ford Model K 6-40 Gentleman’s Roadster, a luxury sporting car that Henry Ford was more or less coerced into producing to appease his partner of the time, Alexander Malcomson. Malcomson wanted a luxury car to appeal to the upper class buyer, while Henry Ford’s real allegiance was with rural and working class folks; the low-cost Model N was Henry’s solution.
1908 Ford Model N Runabout. company brochure
Consider the sales material for the Ford Model N:
“To a man who buys a $600 car the amount invested is as great as $6,000 is to the wealthier man who pays the higher figure for his equipage.
“And no matter what the price, the man who buys an automobile from a responsible house … has a right to expect a practical motor car and one which with ordinary usage will withstand the hardest work over rough American roads.
“All these things Henry Ford had in mind during the two years he was working out the designs and the plans for his cherished scheme - a car that would combine all that was best in an automobile and built in such numbers and at a price that would place it within the reach of … men to whom a motor car is a necessity rather than a luxury—and who can pay accordingly.”
The two cars couldn’t have been more different: The Model N was a four cylinder that produced 15 hp, had an 84-inch wheelbase, had a terminal speed of 45 mph, and cost $600. The Model N was a car designed for Henry Ford’s low-budget target market.
1908 Ford Model N Engine company brochure
1908 Ford Model N Chassis company brochure
The Model N and its variants, the Model R and Model S, preceded and anticipated the Model T which would be introduced in late 1908. These models formed the pathway that led to the Model T, which was Henry’s true vision.
The Model K, in complete contrast, was a large six cylinder that produced 40 hp, rolled on a 120-inch wheelbase had a top speed of 70 mph, and cost $2800. This vehicle appealed to the luxury crowd that Malcomson hobnobbed with and that Henry Ford secretly despised.
1907 Ford Model K 6-40 Runabout brochure copy. Note the promotion of this as a speed car, as well as its similarity to other luxury speedsters of the time like the American Underslung, the Pathfinder, and the Peerless.
1907-08 Ford Model K 6-40 brochure image. Only a handful of these were made. What a pity!
1907-08 Ford Model K Engine & Chassis company brochure
Ford would subsequently buy out Malcomsen by 1906 and go it alone; by this time Henry Ford had enough capital to refund and retire the last of his partners and control his company’s direction.
In the 1911 sales brochure copy one can read the words as they were probably dictated by Ford himself:
“[Ford Motor] has no loans, mortgages, bond issues nor debts of any kind. Its business is financed solely from its own capital and surplus.”
Henry Ford was obsessed with control, which is why the company was so successful in its infancy. And, ironically, why it was almost out of business by 1925 … but that’s another story!
Although the 1907-08 Ford Model K Gentleman’s Roadster was also referred to as a runabout in company documents and called a speedster in the automotive press, its official model name remained what it was named. Henry Ford terminated its production after 1908.
1908 Ford Model K 6-40 Gentleman’s Roadster in a speed competition. photo courtesy Automotive History Collection, DPL
Second Round
The Ford Model T was introduced in late 1908 and met with such a positive reception in the marketplace that it soon replaced all other models of Ford. The Touring model, being the most practical, outsold all other models until the very end.
1909 Model T Touring photo courtesy Library of Congress
Model T Engine. The four cylinders were cast enbloc, unlike the prior Model N, whose cylinders were cast in pairs. The two-speed planetary transmission carried over from the earlier version seen in the Model N and Model K. Note that the three pedals makes this a later, improved Model T trans. image courtesy AACA library
By 1909 you could order a Ford car in several different body styles, and in later years a truck as well, but they were all still a Model T. And Ford production would remain that way until 1928!
1911 Model T Roadster. Note the length of the running board, the shape of the fenders, and the third seat behind the cab. company brochure
However, the model year 1911 saw a unique departure from Ford design orthodoxy that would last for only that season. During this year Ford Motor produced two unique Model Ts, the Open Runabout and the Torpedo Runabout, both of which accompanied the regular 1911 Roadster to make three types of runabout convertibles available.
These two models are often referred to as “sporty” in their design, and when compared to the regular run of Model Ts, they certainly stood out as different. For some reason the Open Runabout and the Torpedo Runabout are often grouped together as interchangeable, perhaps because they share some similarities, such as both being called “Runabout” (they were two-seaters). But there are differences as well.
Their similarities:
the hood was longer by two inches than other Model Ts
the windshield sloped back from the base
the seats were moved down and back, and the gas tank was moved outside of and behind the cockpit
the fenders were more curved and sloping, and the running board was shorter
the body was lower and the steering column raked back speedster-style
Their differences:
the Open Runabout had no doors
1911 Model T Open Runabout. Note the length of the running board, the “sporty” curve of the fenders, the lowered angle of the steering wheel, and the gas tank moved to the back. Sporty! company brochure
the Torpedo Roadster had doors
1911 Model T Torpedo Runabout. Note that some company brochures mistakenly substituted a “regular” Roadster image. Confusing! company brochure
the two bodies did not interchange.
Officially… Distinct
This Ford Times layout that appeared in the July, 1911 issue shows distinct differences in the Open and Torpedo Runabouts when compared to the other models. illustration courtesy AACA Library
Official Ford advertising for 1911 stated that the two sporty models were distinct from other models and insinuated that they were siblings and not twins:
“… the Model T has not previously been supplied with two types of Roadster bodies, Open and Torpedo, and dealers and buyers have been clamoring for them.”
So here Ford Motor was evidently saying to its base:
“You folks were demanding a more sporty Roadster, so – guess what? We are gonna give you TWO!”
The Open and Torpedo models were interchangeably referred to as “roadsters” or “runabouts” in factory documents, both names of course being related to the term “speedster.” Two of the three names pointed to a sporting type of vehicle, which did not really fit with Henry Ford’s mission statement.
1911 Model T Torpedo Runabout photo courtesy Automotive History Collection, DPL
Perhaps that is why these two runabouts only lasted one year of production, despite accounting for almost 6,000 of the 34,000 of total sales for 1911. Who knows? Incidentally, the third (Roadster) model sold less than 1800 units ...
The unique rounded and streamlined shape of these one-year-only Runabouts often appeals to the Model T collector. With the overly tall convertible top removed, the 1911 Open Runabout’s shape has been compared to that of the Mercer Raceabout, while the Torpedo Runabout somewhat resembles the Mercer Runabout. In addition, the fenders of both models imitated a popular fender style of the time found on Hupmobiles, Maxwells, and the Hudson Mile-a-Minute Roadster, which included a short running board.
Verdict - both of these Runabouts were certainly more stylish when compared to the run-of-the-mill Model Ts!
To Conclude
The 1907-08 Model K Gentleman’s Roadster was a bald attempt by Malcomson to use his partner’s company to make a stand for luxury cars. Malcomson lost in that attempt, and in the balance, the world lost a handsome Ford-made speedster.
With the advent of the Model T, Henry Ford’s bent was to make a uniform car whose fundamental components would not change. However, the one-year-only Open and Torpedo models for 1911 strayed from that path. The Ford’s design department had certainly been on its way to making an affordable and sporty-looking Model T, but Henry quelled that insurgent notion and soon got Ford Motor back on track.
By 1912 they were once again producing uniformly similar, affordable Model Ts for the masses, cars that had subdued colors, interchangeable parts, and that could also be put to a variety of uses. All for a low, low price!
But still, actions have consequences. Henry Ford’s shutdown (on two occasions) of production of a Ford-badged sporting model for his fan base may have had the unintended consequence of birthing the Model T speedster movement (as a reaction to Henry’s intransigence). So - what do you think?
And … if Ford Motor Company did not make Model T speedsters, then, who did?
We’ve touched upon that topic in a previous series of posts, so next time we’ll pick up that thread again and introduce some more Model T speedster companies and their cars. Until then, stay healthy and stay tuned!
Brochure and sales images were gathered from the library resources at the Model T Ford Club of America, the Model T Ford Club International, and the AACA library. Many thanks to them for use of their images and their contributions to the antique Ford car hobby!