Maybe for me it comes down to the fact that the Model T Ford seems to be a perfect combination of utility and simplicity. After all, the Model T is just so honest and transparent… You can see at a glance how it was put together and how it works. And unlike a modern car, such as my Subaru, where I can’t even replace a dead turn signal bulb without taking it to the dealer, pretty much everything on a Model T is right out in the open and accessible, and looks like it can be repaired by just about anyone who owns a wrench and a screwdriver.
The Model T Ford belongs to the old world of durable items that can be worked on and fixed by the average person of reasonable intelligence, just like those old pocket watches and telescopes and buildings. They look fantastic when restored to new condition, but in my opinion at least, they look even better with the patina that comes from age and use.
Here’s a post by Brent Burger (“Burger in Spokane,” November 6, 2019, the topic: “Foto of the Day”):
“Last year I was climbing all over the hills of Colorado, following the route of a telephone
line built in 1880. I stopped to take a series of photos of a pole, high on a rock outcropping
that captures the sun and sky, the smell of the juniper and dust and sagebrush, the lichens
that contrast with the weathered granite, the rust of the metal and the weathered wood.
For those who know such things and places, you can smell the peculiar scent of the sun's
warmth on the metal. On the rocks. You can feel the breeze as it sweeps across the cliff.
This is what I live for. Most people will have no idea what I am talking about and ask the
salesman to show them the color options for a new vinyl siding job.”
Brent’s post stopped me in my tracks when I read it. That, right there, sums up what it is I love about the Model T Ford, a simple, well-designed, understandable machine that feels like a part of the natural world of sunshine and soft breezes and metallic and oily scents and dust and rocks and weathered wood.
And here’s a repost of one of Steve Jelf’s photos, which so perfectly captures that feeling:
I grew up in that world, on the dirt-road Prairie and open spaces of the mid-west, and I miss it so very much. The more I research the Model T and read about its history and design, the more I realize that it’s a time machine that can take me back. I can’t wait to go!
Well, enough about me… I’d like to hear what makes the Model T so appealing to you!
Kelly
