Vehicle Description
FROM THE MISSOULA AUTO MUSEUM COLLECTION: Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale WITHOUT RESERVE and SOLD to the highest bidder January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Just three years after the first Ford motor vehicle was introduced, production was reorganized along two different directions. In 1906, Henry introduced the basic, low-priced four-cylinder Model N roadster for $600 and the top-of-the-line, six-cylinder Model K for $2,400. The Model K was an utter disappointment and Ford would not produce another six-cylinder car until 1941. However, the little Model N enjoyed popular acceptance and begat the Model R that debuted in 1907. Also appearing in 1907 was the Model S. These three models, the N, R and S, provided the engineering platform and cash flow that gave rise to the Model T, introduced in October 1908.
Even Henry Ford was somewhat surprised himself by the Model T's immediate success. Still, he realized that constant improvements, albeit in terms of engineering, were required to remain competitive. By 1917 nearly all forms of ornamentation had disappeared, not to reappear until the Model T's twilight years. Fords were given new bodies in August 1922. Lower than the earlier cars, their radiators were taller. Coupes had their luggage compartments integrated into the body, while roadsters retained a separate unit that could be removed for commercial use if desired. Open cars had a new "one-man" top and a raked windshield.
By the time production Model T ended in 1927 to make way for the new, Lincoln-inspired Model A, some 15 million examples were produced in all, making it a true automotive milestone - regardless of the era. Responsible for mobilizing the world, Henry Ford's "Tin Lizzie" remains beloved and instantly recognizable today as a foundational automobile and one that made "Ford" a household name worldwide.
This 1923 Ford Model T roadster is an archetypal example of the "Black T." A former showroom display car at a Wisconsin Ford dealership, this Model T is offered in very good condition and without reserve. While typically Spartan in the best Model T tradition, this roadster is equipped with a set of "Rocky Mountain" brakes, a highly desirable period upgrade.
