Hidden Treasures: 1912 Model T Speedster

Do not adjust your TV sets – or whatever we end up coining as the appropriate phrase when we click on a website and find the content differs from what we expected. But what at first seems like an unlikely choice of car to feature in SkiddMark, is actually one of the one of the world’s first ‘sports cars’.

If your knowledge of pre-1960 cars is anything like mine, then you probably thought the Ford Model T was a boxy upright design that came in any colour you liked, as long as it was black, but these 1912 Model T Speedsters were some of the last of the mostly hand-built Fords before the introduction of the now famous assembly line at the Highland Park plant in Detroit.

This particular example is due to be auctioned later this week (22-24 October) at the Classic Car Auction of Toronto and it’s a pristine example, the restoration having been undertaken to the highest standards, so it must now be one of the finest examples in existence.

For a car that’s nearing its 100th birthday, it strikes me as something of a bargain. When new the original owner would have paid $575 US for this Speedster, but the auctioneers are predicting a sale price of $35,000 – $45,000 ($CDN) later this week – quite a tidy sum, although the restoration probably cost the current owner more than that.

I wonder which of today’s cars will still be around in a century and are likely to have been treasured as much? Or do we live in an era of disposable goods where technology is superseded so quickly that we no longer value past achievements? What would you keep?

If you’re interested in having a dabble, then you can bid by telephone on +1 734 573 6068. More details are available on the Collector Car Productions website.