Description
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
9th October, 2024 13:00
1923 Ford Model T Fire Truck
Known History From New
Estimate
£10, 000 - £14, 000
Registration No: TC 6861
Chassis No: 7947876
MOT: Exempt
Desirable Manchester built example
Converted when new into a Fire Truck and then supplied to the Earl of Derby, resident of Knowsley Hall
In service at Knowsley Hall from 1924 until 1948
Presents very well and both running and driving well during our recent photography session
Launched in 1908, the T's chassis and mechanical components were made from exceptionally durable, high-grade vanadium steel. The Ford also featured a compact 2890cc, side-valve, four-cylinder engine that pioneered the use of a detachable cylinder head. Mounted in unit with the clutch and two-speed epicyclic gearbox assembly, it developed some 23hp at a leisurely 1, 600rpm and 80lbft of torque. Top speed was limited to around 45mph depending upon bodywork, whilst brakes operated on both the transmission and rear wheels. With the introduction of a moving assembly line in 1913, Henry Ford famously turned his Model T into the world's first mass-made car. A year later, Model Ts represented 56% of all automobiles manufactured in the USA. However, it was not just the sheer volume of Model Ts rolling off the production line that motorised America, it was the inherent quality of the design.
On offer is a wonderful 1923 Ford Model T Fire Truck, that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company, and is one of the desirable examples built in Trafford Park, Manchester. Chassis number '7947876' was road registered as 'TC 6851' and sent to Messrers Stanley Motors Ltd. for conversion into a fire truck and thereafter supplied to its first owner the Earl of Derby, resident of Knowsley Hall in Leicestershire on the 24th of March 1924. In service there until it was eventually sold to a Ford dealership in 1948, where it was on display in their showroom. A popular feature of the dealership until it was eventually sold in 1985 to Power Torque Engineering Limited in Coventry, they set about to partially restore the Fire Truck, with a focus upon renovating all the fire components back to as would have been in period.
Resident of the entrance hall of the company and used sparingly in the time of ownership, until acquired by the vendor in 2012, since the vendor has carried out routine maintenance on the truck and has complete some sensible upgrades to enhance the usability, mainly to the clutch system with new style friction plates. All the coils have been rebuilt, new head gasket, head bolts, radiator houses, fan pully bushes, and the transmission bands relinned. Since the vendor has owned the Model T he has mainly taken out to steam events in Devon, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. It is accompanied by a current V5c, details about its history, some old MOT certificates and receipts for parts. Presenting very well and both running and driving well during our recent photography session.
