gwells

Susan, There are two main Model T forums, one hosted by the Model T Ford Club of America and one hosted by the Model T Ford Club International. There's also one at FordBarn. I've seen Doy's posts on the MTFCI forum. And if I recall correctly, I posted that photo to the MTFCI forum sometime early last year. Thanks for your help. I don't know why this dash bugs me so, but I would like to ID it, just to satisfy my intellectual curiosity.

I emailed a picture of the mystery Ford dash to Bruce McCalley, long-time editor of the Model T Ford Club of America's "Vintage Ford" magazine as well as the author of the seminal reference book, "Model T Ford: The Car That Ghanged The World", asking if he knew what vehicle it was from. Here is his reply: "I have never seen anything like this. I wonder if it might be from one of the T-based tractors they had at the plant. Or a late Fordson or Ford tractor." The mystery deepens . . .

FWIW I agree that the first car is a 1925 Chevrolet and also that the last two pics show a 1926-27 Model T Ford.

I emailed a copy of the image to Trent Boggess, one of the more knowledgeable Model T "experts", and here is his response: "It is not a switch plate for a US-built Model T. If I were to speculate on its origin, I think it might be the switch plate for a 26-27 English built Model T. At that time English built Model Ts were quite a bit different from those built in the US and Canada. Trent Boggess" Is there anyone reading this from England who can speak to Trent's speculation?

Susan, thanks for your efforts. Doy's suggestion is reasonable but am not certain it's the final answer. With the amount of research that has been done into T parts variations over the last few decades, I would expect this dash to have been reported by someone if it was used in production. Since none of the Model T references seem to show this dash, my thoughts are that it was not used in production, or if it was, only for a very short while. Still looking for a definitive answer to the mystery . . .

Frank, as far as I know, all the Ford Model TT trucks used standard Model T passenger car parts in the dash area. I believe I have posted the picture to at least one of the Model T club forums and no one there was able to ID the dash. The mystery continues . . .

West, I suppose that is a possibility, but I don't think Fordsons had headlights. Did Ford tractors use magnetos for ignition? The mystery continues . . .

I've been trying to determine what vehicle this Ford dash is from for a couple of years now. I know it isn't from a Model T passenger car and I've been told it isn't from a Model TT truck. I figure it's got to be from the pre-Model A era, simply due to the headlight dimmer switch and the magneto option. Anybody recognize this dash? This unit is not in my possession BTW.

West, I'm a little leery of responding without hitting a few of my reference books, but what your picture shows should be a Torpedo Runabout. The Open Runabout and the Torpedo Runabout have short running boards and different fenders, as compared to the other 1911 cars, and a rear-mounted gas tank. The Torpedo is essentially an Open Runabout with doors. The Runabout has the same fenders and running boards (visually) as a Touring, and has the "normal" gas tank under the seat. The Open and Torpedo Runabouts also have a longer steering column than the Runabout and Touring. Here's a link from Bruce McCalley's "Model T Encyclopedia", as shown on the MTFCA website, which supports what I have just delineated: http://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/1911.htm Hope you and your dad have fun this weekend in Philly.

I agree with Herb that this is likely an aftermarket mascot. The positioning of the lion with his front paw off the cap itself suggests that to me. How is the lion attached to the cap? Have you carefully inspected the casting for any marks?

Another reason I've heard is that in the days before safety glass, people thought closed cars were considerably more dangerous during accidents, due to the glass windows in closed cars. The preference shifted to closed car starting in the late '20s, once cheaper closed cars started to become available. IIRC Essex led the way in selling a high percentage of its production in sedan form.

Car Collector magazine? That title sounds vaguely familiar . . .

Herb, while Daimler is a good guess, take a look at the attached picture, which shows a 1908 Daimler. Note the distinctive radiator, which my 'Net searching seems to suggest was a Daimler feature. So I'm thinking that it is not a Daimler. Here's some further info from the person originally seeking the ID of this vehicle: "We have found that the photograph was taken by A H Vogt - a professional photographer from 27 New Street, Daventry, in Northamptonshire; possibly outside an hotel. The owner, a (presumably wealthy) cotton trader is driving. The car has no front brakes, and there is some embellishment on the front of the radiator header tank, but I can't make out what it is - a central motif with something each side and above it."

Well, I thought I had three friends, but since your post I realize I'm down to just two. Related funny story, though a bit off topic: Herbert Hoover, who presided over the start and the first three years of the Great Depression from 1929 until his defeat by Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, was out walking one day with his Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon. "Andy, I seem to have come out without any money," said Hoover. "Lend me a nickel, I have to phone a friend." Mellon replied, "Here's a dime. Call both of them". West, the pic was indeed posted to a Jaguar forum, but I don't think he believes it to be a Jag. I'm a little miffed I can't ID the car, but it's obviously pre-1910 or so and cars of that era are not my forte.

Can anyone identify this car shown in the attached photo? Just trying to assist a friend . . . Greg

I now know that the picture was sourced from an online gallery of images taken at the 2005 Pacific Northwest Historics vintage auto races, an event held on July 1-3 a few weeks ago. West, have you forgotten me already, even though you sponsored my AACA membership last year? That's the way it always seem to work: once a guy makes it into the executive suite, he forgets the poor working stiffs down on the shop floor . . . 8-)

I did email the picture to my old friend Richard M. Langworth, author of the definitive history of Kaiser-Frazer, "The Last Onslaught on Detroit", and here's his reply: "The car looks like a backyard barbecue using stern quarters of an Aero Willys. The sliding door is Darrin-inspired, I guess, but not Darrin. He only produced one other sliding door car after the Kaiser, and that was a clay model for Packard." Best guess so far is that it is a home-brew one-off, but since that pic was clearly taken at a car show or meet, I was hoping to get more definitive info from someone who knows its provenance.

Here's an odd amalgam, most probably a home built using part of a Willys Aero. Since the picture was likely taken at a west coast car show (see background and lettering on car hauler), I wanted to post the picture here to see if anyone has any info about this particular vehicle.

Kalbo, this one's a toughie. I circulated the pic among some pretty sharp folks and the only suggestion was that the car is a Fiat 1500 with a custom Bertone body.