MTFCA Forum

Hello again. Did Henry Ford ever own a Model T? If so, how many did he own?

He regularly drove a 1919 model T coupe for about 10 years that was improved and updated even into the model A years. He kept a bottle of mineral water in the package tray behind the seat to drink from, he was a health nut. His wife drove a Detroit Electric. His coupe is in the Henry Ford Museum, water bottle and all, or at least it used to be.

Pretty sure he partially owned over 15 million of them, at least for a short time. Someone smarter than me could figure out how many he owned 100%, again, at least for a short time.

Then and now, wealthy business owners and executives very often have use of company cars. These cars can be used as if it were their own, however, technically, it may belong to the company. Very often, the line between owning a car or having a company car can become so blurred that it may be impossible to figure out how many he actually owned as his own personal property. Technically, he did own each and all fifteen million of them at some point.
He probably never wrote out a check for the purchase of any particular model T. Probably, even the purchase of Clara's Detroit Electric was handled by one of his many business managers.

I believe Jeff answered the question correctly though I doubt it was updated for ten years as by 1929 Ford was well into the Model A production.
In 1919 Ford still had shareholders, so all the shareholders owned all the cars until they were sold. Using this logic, I own all Dell computers. Ha Ha

Did Michigan have manufacturer license plate(s) plates during the Model T time frame, wondering if Henry used one or was it registered to him same as you & me have to register an Automobile. If you remember reading Henry took one of the First Model T's (in October '08) on a hunting trip.
George

FieldMarshalRed wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:03 pm

Hello again. Did Henry Ford ever own a Model T? If so, how many did he own?

All of them.

Henry also drove a model T he kept at his winter place in Florida.

I had an original un-molested "barn find" '21 Coupe and there was no package tray behind the seat. I wonder if Henry had the seat moved forward and a tray installed?

Eric, a docent told us that it’s not well known but ford only spent a couple weeks there total in all the years after he purchased the “mangoes” next door to Edison’s Seminole lodge. Ford did supply a T touring to Edison and kept it updated. It still survives there, with new tires now. Nobody working that day knew anything about the goldenrod tires it used to sport.

HF lll was signing these posters at the Centennial. As an aside, I am impressed Henry Ford lll worked as a salesman at Galpin Ford on Roscoe Blvd in the San Fernando Valley.

Dropacent, There was an area when you first go into the Edison Laboratory (behind the gift shop) dedicated to the "Golden Rod" tire experiments with goldenrod stems 10-12' high & what was left of a tire. George

In a 1969 MTFCI issue, there is a short story with photos about the Ford cars Henry owned and drove, one being the already-cited 1919 Coupe. As I recall from the article, Henry DID update the car as years went along, most noticeably by installing '26-27 wire wheels and hubs. The photo in the article shows this. I haven't looked at this issue in my collection for a few years, but I'm pretty sure about the wheels. I seem to recall that a '26-27 engine with the wider brake drum was also installed. Upon request, I'll search through a couple hundred back issues on hand of the MTFCI and MTFCA issues to find this one article.
Marshall

George, after the big hurricane, Ford dumped millions into the rebuild efforts. The museum is more of a ford show now. The big goldenrod plant was still there, but no tires or remnants on display. Over several years visiting, the docents I talked to didn’t know much about the rubber experiments, or anything of the goldenrod tires. I’d think every day could be a different story, as that is how many museums are. It’s been two years since we’ve been there now.

The Museum sold Henry Ford's camp vehicle around 20 years ago with several features not yet on the 1926 Ford.

One of the magazines had an article on it at that time.

Ford was like a lot of T owners. People would update their cars as time went on up to around 1940-45. They still weren’t used up and the improvements that could be made to their T upgraded them using parts off of newer T’s they got at auto salvage yards.
Henry was a common sense kind of guy. He knew some parts could be used for a improvement and he did just that on Edison’s Touring and his own T Coupe.

I like this picture from The Henry Ford. Its titled "Road to Fairlane", dated 1917. Don't know if it's Henry or a visitor, but I like a center door going to Fairlane.
Rich

Clara's Detroit Electric was always a fascination of mine... I wondered why HF didn't develop an electric for his wife; I suspect had he, he would have changed the future of electric vehicles... OTOH, would he have survived the 20's, or woulf Durant carried the day? Fortunately, we'll never know...

Henry Ford did experiment with the idea of an electric car.

The story is told in the book " FRIENDS FAMILIES & FORAYS"

JOHN PAGE , AUSTRALIA.

Other cars Henry Ford owned, before and during the tenure of the Model T.

First, (of course) Henry Ford’s personal Model K was described in this reminiscence of family friends and employee, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Scott. Mr. Scott described the Ford’s Model K being “maroon with blue spokes, and then he had a gold stripe on it.” He also described Edsel driving the K, and said “I think that six-cylinder is over in Greenfield Village now. It was Henry’s last car.”

I continue to wonder what Mr. Scott meant by “it was Henry’s last car.”? I also would like to know if the K touring off site at THF might indeed be the one Henry Ford drove? I have looked at the car, and under the body next to the frame it looks like there may be maroon paint. The car now has a dark blue body:
Henry Ford also owned one, or two RR Silver Ghosts. The first, along with the story below, was purchased during the Ford’s 1912 tour of England and Europe. The second is referred to in another article, saying Ford bought a RR in 1924:
Ford with his six cylinder Renault:
And a Minerva:
Judging by the Rolls and Renault, Henry Ford had not yet developed his distaste for six cylinder cars........

I love that typo - in 1812, unless your last name was Cugnot, horseless meant you were on foot! --lol--

A few years ago at the Chickasha swap meet, not the prewar one, there was a Model T Centerdoor a guy was selling that he claimed it one time belong to Henry Ford. He had the serial number check and it suppose to match the one Henry owned. He had one of the Grandson signed one of the spiders on the steering wheel. On the cover of Bruce McCalley's book The Car that Changed the World Henry is standing in front of a Centerdoor, and I wonder if it's the same car, if his story is true.