- Jaunty "bee-tail" Ford
- Predecessor to the Model T
- Excellent quality and detail
Although most people correctly attribute the Model T's simplicity
to Henry Ford's dislike of complexity, few appreciate the extent to
which the T was a natural evolution of the earlier four-cylinder
Fords, the Models N, R, and S.
While the Model T made great technical strides with its
cast-en-bloc engine and removable cylinder head, thermosyphon
cooling, and transverse-leaf rear suspension, other T hallmarks
were already in use on the N, R, and S: bevel-topped radiator with
tall neck, foot-operated planetary transmission, and "backwards
dish" steering wheel with column-mounted spark and throttle
controls. True, the cylinders were cast in pairs and cooled by a
complicated water pump embedded in the bottom of the radiator, and
rear suspension was by longitudinal full-elliptic springs, but a
pattern of Ford engineering was emerging. It would be the Model T's
vanadium steel, the work of Childe Harold Wills, that made the T so
tough, differentiating it from its four-cylinder forebears.
Purchased by the Merrick Auto Museum in 1998, this Model N Ford was
previously in the Don Sherwood Collection. An excellent example of
the "bee-tail" Ford, so named for the shape of its rear deck, the
car presents very well in red with white accent striping, which
contrasts nicely with the black fenders and black-buttoned leather
seating. The varnished wood dashboard holds the coil box; there is
no instrumentation. A black leather cape top with side curtains is
included. The engine compartment is excellently detailed, including
a New York registration medallion numbered 43257. With correct
brass lighting and radiator, this Model N is an excellent example
of the pre-Model T Ford.To view this car and others currently
consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
