Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Discuss all things Model T related.
Forum rules
If you need help logging in, or have question about how something works, use the Support forum located here Support Forum
Complete set of Forum Rules Forum Rules
User avatar

Topic author
John E. Guitar
Posts: 518
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:52 pm
First Name: John
Last Name: Guitar
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring, 1924 Tourer
Location: Ulladulla
Board Member Since: 2012

Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by John E. Guitar » Fri Dec 15, 2023 1:27 am

I found this interesting story in Transhelvetica (Swiss travel magazine) about the Swiss retail company Migros. The company started off selling goods out of a small fleet of TT vans.

https://www.baremuenze.ch/klapprige-las ... s-erfolgs/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migros


Swiss T.jpg

Swiss T Cover.jpg

2560px-Migros-Verkaufswagen_Ford-T.jpg

Museum_of_Transport_Luzern_-_Ford_TT_Migros_(1926).jpg
Migros-Verkaufswagen_Ford-T_1925.jpg


Vonau
Posts: 128
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2022 12:16 pm
First Name: Beat
Last Name: Betschart
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring
Location: Trachslau Switzerland

Re: Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by Vonau » Fri Dec 15, 2023 3:48 pm

Wow, a contribution to a Model TT story from Switzerland here on MTFCA! That makes me happy.

Today the Model T is quite rare with us and I rely on help and tips from overseas to hopefully get my 1926 Touring back on the road.


I have briefly studied the history of Migros and will write a few words about its early days...


In August 1925, Gottlieb Duttweiler sent the first five Migros AG sales vehicles onto the streets of Zurich. They initially only sold six products: coffee, soap, rice, coconut oil, sugar and pasta. The packaging was larger and the prices were 10 to 30 percent lower than the competition. Thanks to the Ford TT, he was spared the costs of sales outlets.
Gottlieb Duttweiler was a great supporter of the rationalization of work processes, as propagated by the car manufacturer Henry Ford. In order to save time and money when loading the sales carts every day, he invents an ingenious system. He once says that he applies “Ford’s principles” to his business.
The later Ford A cars can be loaded in just 20 minutes thanks to a one-way system with sliding shelves. The peak was in the mid-1960s. At that time, 144 vehicles were in use across Switzerland.
In addition to a growing branch network, Migros maintained the sales cart system for almost 80 years. The last two sales buses were taken out of service on November 30, 2007.


Here you can see some more pictures of the TT's.
Attachments
1.jpeg
2.jpeg
3.jpeg
4.jpeg
5.jpeg


Vonau
Posts: 128
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2022 12:16 pm
First Name: Beat
Last Name: Betschart
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring
Location: Trachslau Switzerland

Re: Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by Vonau » Fri Dec 15, 2023 3:50 pm

More pictures...
Attachments
6.jpeg
7.jpeg
8.jpeg
9.jpeg
10.jpeg


Vonau
Posts: 128
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2022 12:16 pm
First Name: Beat
Last Name: Betschart
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring
Location: Trachslau Switzerland

Re: Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by Vonau » Fri Dec 15, 2023 3:53 pm

And at the end the last bus...

Greetings from Switzerland
Attachments
11.jpeg
12.jpg


Vonau
Posts: 128
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2022 12:16 pm
First Name: Beat
Last Name: Betschart
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring
Location: Trachslau Switzerland

Re: Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by Vonau » Fri Dec 15, 2023 3:57 pm

....by the way, this is my favorite....
Attachments
15.jpg
15.jpg (13.32 KiB) Viewed 1689 times


OilyBill
Posts: 641
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 3:51 pm
First Name: William
Last Name: May
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1914 Runabout
Location: Tucson, Arizona

Re: Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by OilyBill » Fri Dec 15, 2023 9:43 pm

Awesome presentation of a thing that was unknown to anyone in the U.S. prior to now.
Thank You Very Much!!


Norman Kling
Posts: 4634
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:39 pm
First Name: Norman
Last Name: Kling
Location: Alpine California

Re: Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by Norman Kling » Fri Dec 15, 2023 10:14 pm

Interesting! We had a man from Switzerland at one of our national tours here in San Diego. I forget his name. It was at least 10 years ago or maye 20. He ordered an auxiliary transmission and had it shipped here. He took it home with him in his check in luggage on the plane.
Norm

User avatar

Topic author
John E. Guitar
Posts: 518
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:52 pm
First Name: John
Last Name: Guitar
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring, 1924 Tourer
Location: Ulladulla
Board Member Since: 2012

Re: Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by John E. Guitar » Sun Dec 17, 2023 6:21 am

Beat, thank you for the additional photos and information on Migros. I found it interesting that Migros is a co-operative, we could use a system like that here in Australia (along with the fantastic bread you guys have).

By the way, a very original 1912 Zedel came up for sale in Sydney last year, a really nice looking brass car.


Vonau
Posts: 128
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2022 12:16 pm
First Name: Beat
Last Name: Betschart
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 Touring
Location: Trachslau Switzerland

Re: Migros and their Model TT vans - Switzerland

Post by Vonau » Mon Dec 18, 2023 6:14 pm

Thanks for the feedback.

John, you teach me Swiss automotive history. I had never heard of a Zedel before. I'm fascinated, there were around a hundred car manufacturers in little Switzerland and I found a register. The Zedel is also in it.

Even if they aren't Model T's, maybe someone will be interested. I just find the pictures interesting. Here is the link.....

https://www.swisscarregister.ch/swiss-m ... ersteller/


The translation of the text at the top of the page...

Who still knows today that there were around a hundred car manufacturers in Switzerland during the first heyday of the automobile from the end of the 19th century until the First World War? – The first self-propelled road vehicle in Switzerland was manufactured by two apprentices in Geneva in 1878: a three-wheeled, steam-powered car, named Thury and Nussberger, which drove up to 49 km/h.

In the first experimental phase, vehicles with electric or combustion engines followed. In the period from 1897 to 1906, no fewer than 19 passenger car factories were founded. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, there were 5,400 automobiles in circulation in Switzerland, over a third of which came from around 25 local factories.

However, the more manual, at best semi-industrial, production of passenger cars did not survive the strong economic ups and downs between 1920 and 1945, while the commercial vehicle industry that emerged in the 1920s was able to hold its own for longer. After the Second World War, there were initiatives in luxury, racing or prototype manufacturing, but these remained niche products or unique items, in complete contrast to the importance of the Swiss supplier industry.




I hope I don't bore the Model T community and get kicked off the forum...

greetings from Switzerland

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic