MTFCA Forum

This morning I was reading a new book on automotive history and one photo depicting a row of Model T's had a caption that stated they were new 1914 Ford cars. What I am questioning is the fact that they had the long brace rods that went from the windshield to the sides of the radiator bottom area.
Weren't those rods used in about 1912? The same photo had a banner in front of the cars that had the phrase "Watch the Fords Go By" on it. Was that still in use in 1914?
On the next page there was a mention of Model A Ford production being resumed in 1935. That seemed incorrect to me.
It's a nice book, well laid out, with some great historical photos in it, that won't be found anywhere else, but now there is printed information that might fool someone in the future.
I know it probably doesn't matter to the general population but I guess I'm looking for an opinion here.

Herb

1914 T wouldn’t have long braces to the radiator mount. Would have to view the photo in that book you have.

This rather famous photo of that Ford marketing tag line is from 1907, and the Fords are the big 6-cylinder beasts


Click on image to enlarge

Herb, it never ceases to amaze (or not) when “experts” books show incorrect photos or written materials. Unfortunately, inaccuracies and misrepresentations seem to perpetuate themselves as future “experts” copy from earlier incorrect publications. I’ve noticed it’s not enough to “copy” material from previous authors, but there’s a tendency to embellish it, enhancing the inaccuracy while perpetuating it.

Dan, good photo of the K’s. It was taken when Ford loaned several Model K and a few Model N to the AdCrafters for their meeting held in Detroit in 1907. There happen to be three type of Model K in the full photo, one roadster, one 1906 and the remainder 1907 Model K touring cars.

One of the Rememberances at THF says the slogan “Watch the Fords Go By” was coined during the June 1907 24 hour race as it became apparent the Ford Six was going to win. The Ford employee wrote in his rememberance that as the Ford made it’s way by the grandstand on each of the final mile laps, the crowd began chanting “Watch the Fords Go By.” There were two Model R also running so that could be the answer for the plural “Fords.”

Only trouble is, I found a newspaper article a week or two before the race, where Ford was already using the slogan with their advertisement.

Oh well, so much for that story.....

Rob it seem that the two stories could compliment each other.
They could have still said it and it could have been seen before.

Herb,
True. However, I wanted the slogan to have magically appeared as the Ford Six swept to Ford’s first stock chassis world record.

One interesting tidbit is that the very last of the Ford windshield braces that went from windshield hinge to front of the frame were not the usual steel tubing with the thin brass casing but were in fact just black enameled tubing - no Brass on them at all but still went from windshield brace to front of frame. I have been looking for a long time to find one of these last 1912 in picture or in person that has a pair of these "no brass" windshield braces - ANY BODY seen them. They WERE used and in production for a very short time before the long braces disappeared.