Savoy Automobile Museum, Cartersville (Georgia), USA
Until January 10, 2027.
The Ford Model T is the star of the new exhibition at the Savoy Automobile Museum, open through January 10, 2027. With production beginning on October 1, 1908, the Ford Model T revolutionized the automotive world in more ways than one. Based on the principles of an assembly line and innovative design, it was the first mass-produced car, making Ford the world’s leading automaker for a long time. Sold at a significantly lower price than the competition, the Ford Model T attracted new categories of buyers and literally put America on four wheels.
Automobile-Museums archive photos, no right of reproduction without express permission.
Exported and manufactured in many other countries, the Model T inspired numerous other automakers, such as Citroën, which in turn adopted industrial manufacturing. When production ceased on May 27, 1927, more than 16 million units had been produced, a record that would not be broken until the Volkswagen Beetle did so more than 70 years later. Sturdy, reliable, and economical, the Ford Model T was available in various body styles to suit different uses, as can be seen here in these archival photos gathered from various museums. The Ford Model T is, in fact, a near-must-have in automotive museums.
Automobile-Museums archive photos, no right of reproduction without express permission.
With “Innovation to a T,” the Savoy Automobile Museum has taken an original approach to paying tribute to the Ford Model T. Alongside a “classic” Model T, the exhibition showcases how its unique versatility paved the way for creative technologies through innovation. In fact, in the early 20th century, farmers needed pickup trucks and tractors, and a Ford Model T stripped of its body and fitted with large metal spiked wheels did the trick.
Ford Model T 1917 (On loan from Terry Hoyt and Rick Doremus, Cartersville, GA) and Ford Model T 1923 Pullford Farm Tractor Conversion (On loan from the Collections of The Henry Ford, Dearborn, MI)
For entrepreneurs and merchants, the Model T was transformed into a utility vehicle, the forerunner of the pickup trucks that have become so popular in the U.S. The Ford Model T was also adapted into fire trucks and even race cars. In fact, long before the era of the legendary GT40, Ford France had competed in the early editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with heavily modified Model T vehicles.
Ford Model T 1918 Bakery Truck (On loan from Wayne Carini)
In a vast country with a sometimes harsh climate, people had to get around even when it was snowing. On this spectacular “snowmobile,” there isn’t much left of the Model T except for its sturdy engine and chassis, whose drivetrain powers four rear wheels fitted with tracks, with steering provided by large wooden skis!
Ford Model T 1923 Snowmobile (On loan from Dean and Kristie Wall, Sand Lake, MI)
“Innovation to a Model T” shows how thinking outside the box, combined with sound engineering, turned Henry Ford’s Model T into a solution to complex problems.