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Introduction | Prize possession | From the inside out | Rivetting task | Claire's Diary
The Model T Ford or 'Tin Lizzie' was the car that brought motoring to the masses. Between 1908 and 1927, over 15 million were built on Henry Ford's pioneering production line, paving the way for the dominance of the car in the modern world.
Henry Ford, from Michigan USA, built his first car in 1896, in his backyard. The Ford motor company was formed in 1903 and its most successful product ever, the Model T, was introduced in September 1908.
The car was designed to be lightweight yet flexible enough to cope with the as yet unmade American roads, affordable but mechanically reliable and simple enough for the owner to maintain.
Neil Tuckett fell in love with Model Ts when he inherited a Model T van, which he restored himself. Since then, he has become an avid collector and enthusiast. When Claire and Suggs first see Neil's most prized Model T 'X1911', it's tucked away at the back of a barn on his farm. It is a 1911 Model T racing special, known as the Golden Ford because of the unique brass body that it sported during its racing career.
Suggs does some detective work and discovers that this Golden Ford was once owned by A E George, a motoring pioneer and early aviator (he invented the joystick). George owned a string of car dealerships, and motor racing provided a perfect way to show off his wares. The brass-bodied Model T was an eyecatcher, and George even raced it in front of Henry Ford himself in 1912 at Brooklands racetrack.
Now, though, it's in need of a lot of work. Claire and Neil have to sort out the bent chassis, tune up the racing engine, attend to a wobbly rear wheel, replace the spoked wheels with racing discs and find someone to replace the missing brass body!
While Suggs is busy sleuthing, Claire has the racing engine bearings recoated in white metal and the cylinders rebored. With the engine sorted out, Claire and Neil have to rebuild the car.
The final task is to find a coachbuilding specialist who can recreate the distinctive cigar-shaped brass body of the Golden Ford. Rod Jolley, one of the world's top coachbuilders, is eager to take on the challenge of recreating the original brass body shape.
The double curvature of the body is not too difficult to reproduce using the traditional file and hammer but Rod has to be careful to avoid scratching the brass bodywork, and he needs to ensure that the copper rivets are accurately aligned. Once that's done, the whole body has to be rubbed down with different grades of 'wet and dry' before being polished until it shines. Claire and Rod are delighted with the spectacular result.
The restored Golden Ford twinkles in the sunshine on its return to Brooklands. Claire has a chance to drive it on the historic Brooklands banking, and Neil Tuckett fulfils a lifetime's ambition when he drives the Model T up the Brooklands hill climb.
Suggs has even managed to track down Mrs Howard, A E George's daughter, who is amazed to see her father's car in action again.
I was fascinated to discover how many different designs and types of Model T were developed over the years. These cars are wonderful to work on: everything's easy to get at and they're so simple, even I can understand them. Rod Jolley's workshop was a treat. He and his team make such beautiful ash frames that it seems a shame to cover them with metal.
The boys kindly gave me Model T driving lessons – it's not like driving a modern car at all. The pedals are all back to front and the throttle is on the steering column. Driving a 1911 racing car at Brooklands was fantastic but I was terrified of damaging that beautiful body, so I took it easy, but the car could have reached 75mph.
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