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Media Release - January 2007
images to accompany release

Sunday 14 January 2007 saw the opening of a display by the Model T Ford Club at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood.  The display is in the Museum’s ‘Club Space’ - a specially designated area in which clubs and other organisations are given the opportunity to tell the story of their members’ vehicles.  

Founded in 1964 by a group of young Adelaide enthusiasts in their teens and twenties, the Club is even older than the Model T Ford Club of America. Besides promoting the restoration and preservation of Model T Fords, the Club caters for the interests of other veteran and vintage vehicle owners. The Club encourages participation in monthly meetings and club runs, keeps in touch with distant members through its monthly publication "The Buzzer Box", and interacts with Model T Ford owners all over Australia through interstate organisation of tri-ennial National Model T Ford rallies. The next one, to be held in Echuca in 2008 will celebrate the centenary of the Model T Ford's production.

On show until 14 April 2007 the display will feature:

·       a very early 1911 touring car

·       one of the last models of the 15 million Model T's produced, a 1927 Tourer

·       an unrestored 1920's buckboard, to represent the rugged and reliable cars as they were used on farms and in industry

·       and to show how the cars were built on the production line, a restored, running chassis will also be featured.

Club spokesperson Allan Bennett says “that while Holden and Ford owners of today are earnest rivals, especially on the V8 Supercar circuit, this display shows that such rivalry was not always the case. The restored chassis displayed has a number of modifications to allow the fitting of a body manufactured by Holdens. Such collaboration would be unheard of today! Unusual in South Australia, these Holden bodied cars were produced for Tarrant Motors, Ford Distributors in Melbourne. When Tarrants wanted an upmarket car, (if T Models could be considered upmarket), Holdens produced bodies with full leather upholstery, nickel plated accessories, deluxe running boards and kick plates, and a back seat rug rail. Best of all was the positioning of the fuel tank to the rear, to save having to unload front seat passengers to fill the under-seat petrol tank. “

What    Model T Ford Club display at the National Motor Museum              

When   Sun 14 January to Sat 14 April 2007
            10am – 5pm everyda

Cost     Museum entry: Adult $9.00 Concession $7.50 Child $4.50 Family $24.00

Media Contact: Lee Tillett, Marketing Co-ordinator.
Phone: +61 8203 9868, Mobile: 0419 860 106,Email: ltillett@history.sa.gov.au