MTFCA Forum

Is there an international registry of model Ts based on serial numbers?

Not that I am aware of.

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 09, 2020 12:29 pm

I doubt that there will be one. Getting the information would take the cooperation of many governments, organizations, companies, etc., and would be a huge task.

True.

I run the 54 Ford Club with roughly 600 cars registered. It's a task that is right on the edge of what I can handle.

I can only imagine a registry of Model T's that exist in the 10's of thousands. It'd be a bugger.

Don't get me wrong, it'd be super cool, but it would take some funding and a small team of people.

To what end ?

It would a near impossible task. It would be piecemeal at best. If I remember there is a registry for the 2 pedal T’s or it use to be some type of registry for the very early Fords. And that’s only because it’s not all that many.
As Rusty Ford stated it’s hard enough to have one for a single year car.

Individual antique car clubs already exist for T ‘s and that’s a task in itself.

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 09, 2020 12:29 pm

I doubt that there will be one. Getting the information would take the cooperation of many governments, organizations, companies, etc., and would be a huge task.

Probably an impossible task, considering the number of curmudgeons of an, ahem, advanced age (or even younger ones) who don't want their next-door neighbor, much less the wider world, to know that they own one or more Model Ts. Heck, one antique car club here in the St. Louis area met resistance to showing "Cars owned" in the roster because a number of members were afraid that the tax authorities would find the roster listing and come after them for money. Old car owners can be a suspicious lot, sometimes.

Dick, that is the same pushback I got 10 years ago when I suggested that the MTFCA forum set up a Model T registry Section for owners to register their T’s. If the adminstrators could reach out to all the other Model T clubs to also set up registries... through the help of modern day computers that would eliminate repeats, it could be possible to determine how many are remaining and where they are. If it worked, it would only be accurate for one point in time. It would not be able to account for the T’s that, from that point on, had been wrecked, or fell victim to a teenagers brief foray into turning one into a hotrod. Jim Patrick

I seams someone brought this up several years ago in an attempt to get a count as to how many Ts remain. No serial numbers were listed, just a count. Being that this site only reaches a minority of T owners, the count didnt reach very far. I know two people who own over 15 Ts each. I am sure neither would participate in a "count" or registry. It would be a great task indeed.

If there was a registry, I wouldn't put my data in it because my info is in too many databases as it is.

You’re right. These days there is way to much information that can be had by most anybody.
It used to not be that way but unfortunately that’s the price we pay in our updated world. The internet is wide open to any and everybody.

I can confirm that managing a register like this is difficult. I have established one for the known Model T’s in the State
of Western Australia. We have approx 100 Owners and as some have multiple T’s I estimate 120 of them are around.
I have not tried to document Trucks or Speedsters.
The purpose of doing this data base was to have contact with owners with the view of encouraging them to attend our outings.
If you don’t know where they are / and who owns them they will be hidden forever.
The list I have of “missing T’s” totals 15. These have all been in the State in the past and I have photos of them.
(Would love to find out where the 1911 Mother in Law Seat Vehicle is now!!)
My enthusiasm to know all this information isn’t always shared by the Owners who are sometimes reluctant to
let you know they have sold the vehicle and don’t seem to care.
We have the same issue in Australia as the rest of the world in terms of T’s
Ageing population, don’t know how to drive or repair these cars, no confidence in themselves to drive in modern traffic or
confidence with the reliability of the car. At 67, I’m one of the youngest member of our group.
Alan in Western Australia

Well, an attempt was tried with Coupes:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/33 ... 1365199929

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1409277840

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/599638/624351.html

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/70 ... 1512871019


Out of the 15 million that were produced. There art that many left and because of that the number is manageable.

I am in the Horseless Carriage Club, and our local group decided NOT to post lists of cars owned, because there were several attempts at burglaries
(Fortunately all unsuccessful in our area) that have happened in the past.
I do know one gentleman (in another state) who had a burglary and they removed EVERY piece of brass trim from his car in a burglary. They were obviously after it specificaily, as they took his headlights, tail-light, side-lights, acetylene generator, everything that was particular to the car. They even took his foot pedals, because they had the name of the car molded into them. It was a rare car, and I still do not know if he ever has gotten the parts replaced, after all these years.
Our local machinist club follows a similar policy. They list members names and phone numbers. but not addresses, and they don't list equipment or other items owned by the members. The website we had gave contact info, and meeting info, but non-members could not access any member lists.