MTFCA Forum

Hello everyone,

I would like to introduce you to a video made by a young French YouTuber, Benjamin, creator of the channel "Benautos," about the legendary Ford T.

Benjamin conducts numerous reviews of classic cars in France, attracting a mostly young audience. Recently, he has become increasingly interested in pre-war vehicles, and I gave him the opportunity to test one of my Ford Ts. It was his first experience with it, and he absolutely loved it. His community, mostly young car enthusiasts aged 15 to 30, also really enjoyed this first video on the Ford T. The comments were overwhelmingly positive, which is especially encouraging considering that many of these young people had never heard of this iconic model before.

Since then, Benjamin has been talking a lot about the Ford T, and we've decided to collaborate on a series of videos dedicated to this historic model. Soon, I’ll be starting the restoration of a Ford Model T "Montier," and we plan to document every step in a series of videos that, hopefully, will captivate enthusiasts.

Our goal is to show young classic car enthusiasts that pre-war vehicles, particularly the Ford T, can be incredibly fascinating. We hope that some of them will, in turn, become passionate about the Model T, just like we are.

Today, Benjamin needs some support to continue producing his videos. He dedicates all his time, both during the week and on weekends, to his YouTube channel. However, despite having 30,000 subscribers, he’s still struggling to make a living from it. That said, he’s not giving up (that’s not his style), and he continues with the same passion to deliver captivating content for us. He’s a very friendly and approachable person, whom you might even meet at automotive events.

I strongly encourage you to check out his videos, even if they are in French, and it might be a bit challenging for some. Don’t hesitate to share your favorite videos on your social media platforms or in groups, to comment, give a thumbs up, and interact with his content to help him gain more visibility on YouTube. Also, be sure to follow his Instagram and Facebook accounts. This will help us in making all these videos focused on the Ford T.

Benjamin is a true enthusiast, just like many of us, and he truly deserves success in what he’s undertaking. He’s counting on our support!

I hope to be able to present all these videos to you soon. In the meantime, here’s a special video on the Ford T and another one featuring a ride I organized with cars over 100 years old, held in Sanssac-l’Église, in Auvergne, in the heart of France.

Please share these videos as widely as possible, all around the world.

Thank you all in advance!

Olivier (France)

Model T vidéo:
https://youtu.be/1hlIv2aYMSU?si=qd54jbfRadbPx7s4

French cars over 100 years:
https://youtu.be/Pb4UTlSQ71s?si=xkRz-f3x7tkUtEvG

Those Amilcars look nice!

I've subscribed to the channel and look forward to your Montier videos.

I am so pleased to see you posting here again Olivier!
I hope things are well with you and your family.

My wife and I have probably watched a dozen French movies this year. These are next in line.

Model T driving lesson starting at 14:00 in second video. Thanks for sharing jb

Wayne Sheldon wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 17, 2024 8:14 pm

I am so pleased to see you posting here again Olivier!
I hope things are well with you and your family.

Bonjour Wayne.

It's true, I haven't been visiting the forum as often lately. I'm more active on Facebook, and I must admit that translating all the messages into English has become a bit challenging for me. So, I kind of let it slide, probably due to a lack of motivation, I have to admit.

Otherwise, everything is going well on my end. I'm still restoring classic cars. I recently finished restoring a 1933 Salmson S4C, and I'm about to complete the restoration of a 1924 Amilcar CS for my son Hugo, who just turned 21 (he's the one in the photo with Benjamin).

As for the Ford Ts, I haven't worked on one since the 1912 Ford, but my next restoration project will be a 1921 Ford Montier, which we'll use to film a series of videos.

Lately, I've become more and more interested in passing on my passion for pre-war cars to younger generations, and this Ford Montier should really capture their attention. Benjamin from the Benautos channel has a mostly young audience, which is why I teamed up with him to create these videos.

With my 1912 Ford T, I had the opportunity to visit schools in my town to talk to kids about the history of this car. It was an amazing experience, and I plan to do it again in 2025. The kids were fascinated and asked dozens of questions.

I'll try to make an effort to keep posting on the forum.

Olivier, Bonjour,
What you are doing on Facebook is a good thing. Although I have never gotten to like Facebook myself, it really is the gateway for young people today to discover so many wonderful aspects of our world. Providing good exposure on there to the world of model Ts for youth today is a very good thing.
Much of my working career involved early internet and communications systems, and by the time I retired from it I just didn't want much to do with such things anymore myself. The MTFCA and Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) forums are about all the internet I participate in myself.

The Montier Ford you are preparing to restore? Is it one that has been in France for a long time? Or maybe the one that sold at an auction here in the states about a year ago? The Montier Fords are such an interesting part of model T history. I am pleased that you have one.
I am also fascinated by the Amilcar you are soon to complete. I have seen pictures of quite a lot of them over the years, very interesting cars. We rarely ever get to see them here on our side of the world.

There are quite a few Amilcars in Australia.

An Amilcar in Pakistan:

https://youtu.be/6vYDFUR0GNA?si=uASA8b_hxyx-BtaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roygyGnjTZ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGLxIAXXq2g

Wayne Sheldon wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 20, 2024 2:58 am

Olivier, Bonjour,
What you are doing on Facebook is a good thing. Although I have never gotten to like Facebook myself, it really is the gateway for young people today to discover so many wonderful aspects of our world. Providing good exposure on there to the world of model Ts for youth today is a very good thing.
Much of my working career involved early internet and communications systems, and by the time I retired from it I just didn't want much to do with such things anymore myself. The MTFCA and Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) forums are about all the internet I participate in myself.

The Montier Ford you are preparing to restore? Is it one that has been in France for a long time? Or maybe the one that sold at an auction here in the states about a year ago? The Montier Fords are such an interesting part of model T history. I am pleased that you have one.
I am also fascinated by the Amilcar you are soon to complete. I have seen pictures of quite a lot of them over the years, very interesting cars. We rarely ever get to see them here on our side of the world.

The Ford Montier has always remained in France. I had known about it for many years, but it wasn't until 2022 that I was finally able to purchase it. It's a model with a lowered chassis, a 3-speed "Simpar" transfer case, and a special cylinder head with dual ignition. This car was one of Charles Montier's, which he sold to a friend of his brother, François Catinaud, from the Château de Sautonne. Upon purchase, the original sport body was removed and replaced with a closed "Limousine" body. My intention is to recreate the original sport body as it was in 1921 and to keep the closed body, without restoring it, to install on a regular Ford T chassis.

Olivier

Olivier,
Your Montier is a very interesting car with some important history behind it! It will be nice to see what you do with it.
The 1912 looks very nice. You should be proud of it as well.

John E. Guitar wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 20, 2024 3:36 am

There are quite a few Amilcars in Australia.

Yep, and I have two of them, I see you are in Ulladulla, let me know if you are ever up around Wollongong area, I can take you for a spin.

Olivier CHABANNE wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 25, 2024 12:59 pm

Wayne Sheldon wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 20, 2024 2:58 am

Olivier, Bonjour,
What you are doing on Facebook is a good thing. Although I have never gotten to like Facebook myself, it really is the gateway for young people today to discover so many wonderful aspects of our world. Providing good exposure on there to the world of model Ts for youth today is a very good thing.
Much of my working career involved early internet and communications systems, and by the time I retired from it I just didn't want much to do with such things anymore myself. The MTFCA and Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) forums are about all the internet I participate in myself.

The Montier Ford you are preparing to restore? Is it one that has been in France for a long time? Or maybe the one that sold at an auction here in the states about a year ago? The Montier Fords are such an interesting part of model T history. I am pleased that you have one.
I am also fascinated by the Amilcar you are soon to complete. I have seen pictures of quite a lot of them over the years, very interesting cars. We rarely ever get to see them here on our side of the world.

The Ford Montier has always remained in France. I had known about it for many years, but it wasn't until 2022 that I was finally able to purchase it. It's a model with a lowered chassis, a 3-speed "Simpar" transfer case, and a special cylinder head with dual ignition. This car was one of Charles Montier's, which he sold to a friend of his brother, François Catinaud, from the Château de Sautonne. Upon purchase, the original sport body was removed and replaced with a closed "Limousine" body. My intention is to recreate the original sport body as it was in 1921 and to keep the closed body, without restoring it, to install on a regular Ford T chassis.

Olivier
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Heureux de vous revoir ici Olivier.
Alors, quel est le plan pour le châssis Montier ?
Avez vous découvert quelque chose de plus sur ce qu'il était avant d'avoir la carrosserie limousine ?
Je vais regarder avec intérêt.
Chris

Wayne Sheldon wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 20, 2024 2:58 am

Olivier, Bonjour,
What you are doing on Facebook is a good thing. Although I have never gotten to like Facebook myself, it really is the gateway for young people today to discover so many wonderful aspects of our world. Providing good exposure on there to the world of model Ts for youth today is a very good thing.
Much of my working career involved early internet and communications systems, and by the time I retired from it I just didn't want much to do with such things anymore myself. The MTFCA and Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) forums are about all the internet I participate in myself.

The Montier Ford you are preparing to restore? Is it one that has been in France for a long time? Or maybe the one that sold at an auction here in the states about a year ago? The Montier Fords are such an interesting part of model T history. I am pleased that you have one.
I am also fascinated by the Amilcar you are soon to complete. I have seen pictures of quite a lot of them over the years, very interesting cars. We rarely ever get to see them here on our side of the world.

The Montier that sold at auction in April was the one from the Mullin museum, that came from the famous Schlumpf collection. I was interested myself but the costs and logistics of getting it to Australia weighed against it and I was outbid. I am still in touch with the new owner, it is still in USA over on the east coast and he will restore it one day.
Meanwhile I am working on volume two of the Montier story; as is often the way once someone publishes a book about something previously unknown it flushes out more cars and contacts. I will be back in France next year and digging further. I did not want to update the original book as that would be unfair on those that already bought it, so a second volume will include more new info and hopefully not cost too much so anyone interested can not feel ripped off.
Chris

Chris Martin 2 wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 27, 2024 3:47 am

Wayne Sheldon wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 20, 2024 2:58 am

Olivier, Bonjour,

The Montier that sold at auction in April was the one from the Mullin museum, that came from the famous Schlumpf collection. I was interested myself but the costs and logistics of getting it to Australia weighed against it and I was outbid. I am still in touch with the new owner, it is still in USA over on the east coast and he will restore it one day.
Meanwhile I am working on volume two of the Montier story; as is often the way once someone publishes a book about something previously unknown it flushes out more cars and contacts. I will be back in France next year and digging further. I did not want to update the original book as that would be unfair on those that already bought it, so a second volume will include more new info and hopefully not cost too much so anyone interested can not feel ripped off.
Chris

Wow! That sounds wonderful Chris M.

By the way, I love some of the names of towns and areas in your part of the world.