1920:s Roadster,what is it.

[Leif Holmberg]

Need your help to identyfie this roadster,to me it seems to have a Ford-T rear fender?

Edited January 6, 2023 by Leif Holmberg (see edit history)

[41 Su8]

If that is a T, it has an aftermarket body.                  John

[Mark Gregush]

Model T fenders so think 41 Su8 might be on the right track, dirt that is! Get it dirt track. LOL

[Leif Holmberg]

12 hours ago, Mark Gregush said:

Model T fenders so think 41 Su8 might be on the right track, dirt that is! Get it dirt track. LOL

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[Mark Gregush]

6 hours ago, Leif Holmberg said:

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Most racetracks in the USA were dirt at that time, some still are. It is a speedster so would have been running more than likely on a dirt track. 

[Leif Holmberg]

Need your help to identyfie this roadster! That is my question.

[Gunsmoke]

Thinking an early "runabout" rather than a speedster meant for dirt track racing, left hand drive, rumble seat (although it look a bit crude), body almost looks fabric, windshield style should be the biggest clue, seems too sophisticated for FORD or GM (excuse me fans),  I must do some searching. This 1924 Dodge Roadster shares many of the elements.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Gunsmoke (see edit history)

[Mark Gregush]

Made from one of the many kits offered for sale in the era. Try asking here, someone might know. MTFCA Forum - Index page

Another place to ask: https://www.facebook.com/groups/modeltspeedster/

The Dodge in above picture could still be called a speedster, a term that covers a lot of different styles. 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Mark Gregush (see edit history)

[Oldtech]

Steering wheel, Rear wheel and fender are definitely T.  Who made the body I have no clue. They used to build homebuilt speedsters here. They called them "bugs"

[sagefinds]

With the doors,rumbleseat,special windshield,top sockets and bows,I can't believe someone hammered this one out in the blacksmith shop. I'm guessing someone bought the kit from Sears or Western Auto,that would be the big custom job in those days. Even just to drive around town and be different. 

[Casper Friederich]

12 hours ago, sagefinds said:

I'm guessing someone bought the kit from Sears or Western Auto,that would be the big custom job in those days.

As the Speedster was used in Sweden I think it's hardly was ordered from an American mail order catalogue. Some of the Swedish coachbuilders made bodies for the Model T, also the Mercury Speedster body seems to have been relativelly more popular over there than in America.

I was brought up with Swedish hot rod/classic car Magazines, and asumed therefore that the Mercury Speedster body was Number One Choice also in the US. But then came the Internet and I found MTFCA, there were other aftermarket bodies.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Casper Friederich (see edit history)

[Layden B]

Ford sold lots of chassis only Model T Fords. Here in the US they usually got aftermarket bodies for special commercial purposes. Overseas sales to the British Commonwealth were either made in England or supplied from Canada. For tax and other reasons many chassis were bodied locally around the world by companies that had previously made carriage bodies. This car is definitely a Model T Ford chassis with a body probably made in Sweden.

[wayne sheldon]

I used to have a list I made of almost fifty different companies that built and sold after-market bodies for model T Fords in the United States. Most were speedster type and quality ranged on most of them from poor to good. Most of them were simple enough. However, there were a few that built higher quality roadsters or full body touring cars , coupes and sedans! Autowa was one of those companies, as was A.B.C.

This roadster looks somewhat like an Autowa roadster I have seen several pictures of. I wouldn't expect that Autowa would have marketed overseas sales. They were a rather small company. If this photo was in fact taken somewhere in Europe? It would most likely have been built by a local there coach builder.

A few Autowa Fords do exist, and their quality appears to be far better than the typical model T with after-market boat-tail body. I have had two typical boat-tail model Ts. And as much as I loved them and thoroughly enjoyed driving them, The body's build quality is only fair. The Mercury boat-tail bodies were better than were most typical after-market bodies. That is part of why the Mercury is the most desirable of the T boat-tail roadsters. But even their build quality didn't come to anywhere near the level of most low-price automobiles.

[Leif Holmberg]

Photo of the car is taken here in Sweden close to 1930 in the smal village Torsåker ,it was probebly the richest area in our contry Gästrikland,with a lot of rich farmers.

Torsåker had car and motorcycle  dealers as early as 1910s.

Couldn`t find anything on the internet about Autowa.

To me it looks that the cowl and the windshield with the sharp edge could be a from 1925-1927 car?

[wayne sheldon]

7 hours ago, Leif Holmberg said:

Photo of the car is taken here in Sweden close to 1930 in the smal village Torsåker ,it was probebly the richest area in our contry Gästrikland,with a lot of rich farmers.

Torsåker had car and motorcycle  dealers as early as 1910s.

Couldn`t find anything on the internet about Autowa.

To me it looks that the cowl and the windshield with the sharp edge could be a from 1925-1927 car?

 

Leif H,

 

Here is a link to a tread on the MTFCA forum with restoration updates about a couple existing cars and some history about the cars in general.

 

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/322611.html?1353288882

 

Picture being taken there, it is not likely an Autowa bodied model T. But it gives some background into the better after-market bodies available for model t Fords in their time.

The car in your picture looks really nice! It would be a great one to have today.

[DLynskey]

Here are photos of a 1926 Chevrolet with a Mercury body. There are many differences between the Mercury body and the subject car, but the principle is the same and this Mercury body looks to be of good quality.

 

 

 

 

Don

[Leif Holmberg]

Thanks to all of you who have tried to solve the question,but I think it`s time to ended.

There has been a few Mercury bodies built on Ford-T chassies here in Sweden too,some of them are saved.The Darck car are the same as the car with the "box" towed ,as well as the car with the red sign.

[28 Chrysler]

Rear VS front opening doors, round VS square deck lid and the shape of the cowls are all different.

The Mercury bodies have a bead behind the windshield that runs on the top of the doors and behind the seat,the old photo is missing that.