The Mighty Ahooga

[Jugster]

The visual impact of a Brass-Era automobile is so striking, it can overshadow the other senses, which is kind of a shame because the way these cars sound is also wonderfully unique, and everyone who works with them just loves the low-revving grumble of a long-stroke engine and the kisskisskisskiss idle of an "L" or "T-head." Oh, but the horns! I was surprised to learn that Klaxon "Ahooga" horns had been marketed fairly early in the game—1908—which coincided with the very earliest production of Henry Ford's Model T. I had thought that those early days had been the sole domain of the squeeze-bulb horn. Not so.
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Miller Reese Hutchinson (who later became Thomas Edison's chief engineer), invented the Ahooga horn and it was first marketed by the Lovell-McConnell Manufacturing Co., the founder of which named the device, "Klaxon," a slight bastardization of "Klazo," which, translated from the Ancient Greek, means, "I shriek." The first units were electric and later models, like the "Klaxonet," were hand-powered, but either type gets its characteristic ahooga sound from a spinning cog that beats its teeth against a rivet in the center of a spring-steel diaphragm. Priced at about $5.75 for a hand-powered type and $30 for a top-of-the-line electric, they might have been thought of as a bit expensive considering a lawn mower of that era could be purchased for $3.50 and a washing machine for $7.15
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A typical Klaxon ad read, "To the motorist who has not used a KLAXON, its harsh metallic blare often seems unnecessary. But the motorist who has used one knows that no other signaling device ever used on an automobile compares with it as an insurance against collision and an aid to sustained speed.
"To the KLAXON user, blind crossing and hidden turns are virtually non-existent; his approach is heralded in ample time for unseen traffic to make way. Heavy vehicles going the same way are signaled long before they are overtaken, and turn out in season to require no slackening. On steep, winding hills, a KLAXON may be the sole protection against disaster.
"The value of the KLAXON as a safeguard and a time-saver for the conservative motorist was never better attested than in its adoption by President Taft on the White House automobile."
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Indeed, President William Howard Taft did have a White Steamer equipped with a Klaxon horn prepared for his 1909 inauguration. This was the very first use of an automobile by a U.S. president, the purpose of which was to enhance public acceptance of motor vehicles and boost the sales of manufacturers and stockholders. To that end, Mr. Taft's chauffeur was encouraged to attract as much attention as possible by making a habit of driving at an unheard of (in 1909) speed of 60 mph, with the Klaxon blasting away to warn off horse-drawn traffic.
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It's good to know that these horns are at least "period-correct" for fairly early horseless-carriages because... well, I've always felt a little like it was cheating to have a hand-Klaxon instead of a squeeze-bulbed Mr. Magoo horn on my '15 Ford, for contrary to the reports of some heavily credentialed automotive historians, Henry never offered Ahooga horns as Model T equipment. The erroneous belief that he did was conventionalized through period photographs wherein Klaxons appeared on open-bodied Fords with ubiquitous frequency.
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So how did all those Ahooga horns get there? Well, when Ford moved the squeeze-bulb horn under the hood in 1915 to accommodate the car's new metal cowl, the volume of its already anemic bleat was further muffled, even in spite of the louvers now cut into the hood to address this very problem. The electric horn—really just a doorbell buzzer—with which Ford equipped later cars of that same model-year wasn't any better. In response, innumerable original owners installed a hand-Klaxon on the false door. This practice was so widespread that the Ahooga horn came to be thought of as having been installed by Ford, and the Model T history book, "From Here to Obscurity," authored by renowned historians, Ray Miller and Bruce McCalley, reported, on page 147, changes to the 1915 Ford model-year including the following mistake: "The horn is now a hand-operated Klaxon, painted black with a brass end-bell." That book, published in 1971, was corrected in 1994, when McCalley followed up with a book so thoroughly researched as to become universally recognized as THE authority on the subject, "Model T Ford, The Car That Changed The World."
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The defense for my own identical compromise with historical accuracy had been a pretty weak excuse; simply that car-show spectators loved the sound of an Ahooga horn and expected antique cars to have them (Okay—it also happens that from a safety standpoint, they're a very good thing to have in busy traffic).
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Today, genuine antique Ahooga horns made under the Klaxon and Klaxonet name (and very good knock-offs like "New Tone") are most easily found on E-bay where prices for original, hand-operated and electric units generally range between $125 and $275.

[TXGOAT2]

The a-oogha sound is still associated with Model Ts by many, as is the rumble seat. As far as I know, no T was ever factory equipped with either. The electric Klaxon was probably not compatible with pre-1919 Ts with magneto only AC power.

[fireheadman]

this is an interesting post...

I've heard of the Ahooga horn not being era correct for early modelT's, just didn't know they were never an original equipment item.
I would imagine there are 2 sides or groups of people when it comes to installing this horn on an early "T".

The sound from this horn to someone that knows nothing about which year it really belongs to will automatically associate it to any "old/antique" automobile. It definitely turns heads and grabs your attention!

I have a 4" bulb horn on my T, but have debated on putting one of these under the hood for enjoyment purposes.
Would that be a bad thing to do?

[TXGOAT2]

Space is limited under the hood, and it can get pretty hot. If you have a battery/generator, an electric oogah, such as used on the Model A could be mounted under the floor, or on a truck or commercial body at some suitable location. The Model A Fords had the horn mounted on the headlight bar, facing forward. Apparently, they did not suffer from rain and road splash. I'd be leery of mounting one on a Model T radiator stay, since they weigh several pounds and also require a solid electrical ground.

[Norman Kling]

I have one mounted on the rod between the firewall and the hood on my 22. It is clamped tightly and I have a steel firewall so lit seems to be grounded well. Just one wire from the horn to the horn button.
Norm

[DanTreace]

Have the Klaxon #3 on the '23, is the top push version, bracket mounts to the arm rest wood. The return was limp, so added a coil spring under for boost...very loud Ahooga .

klaxon 3.JPG (81.19 KiB) Viewed 174 times

And here are the patents (filed in1906 and granted 1909) of Miller Reese Hutchison, for the elec. version.

Image 10-3-25 at 9.25 AM.jpeg (73.15 KiB) Viewed 174 times

[fireheadman]

Believe this is one of these horns? https://ebay.us/m/PgO9Ec

Seems pretty big but nice polish!

[jiminbartow]

When I first purchased my 1926 Model T Coupe in 1970, equipped with an original horn, I was surprised that it sounded like a goose. The first thing I did was buy and install a vintage electric 6 volt Klaxon 8C horn, also leaving in place the original horn. I much prefer the Ahooga sound as opposed to the goose honk. So does everyone I drive by.

[Steve Jelf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKzJP6XJIVY