A Model T Torpedo Runabout now in a safe place

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While we’ve been travelling, we visited a car museum in York. That’s York in Western Australia, not the one in England. In the photo is a Ford Model T Torpedo Runabout. This was found in a very run-down condition in outback Australia. At one time, seven out of eight cars in Western Australia were Model T Fords. Even stations in the isolated areas had one of these. The comparatively rare Torpedo-bodied model was only built between 1910 and 1911. The notice attached to the exhibit stated that the only colour available was black. This was because it was the only colour that would dry quickly enough to all to production line to continue without interruption. Black was the standard colour from 1914 to 1926 when duco paint began to be used. Henry Ford perfected production lines, mass production and casting techniques. He also paid his workers more in the belief that they’d spend their money on his cars. Each year, the price of the Model T came down due to economies of scale. He sounds like a very clever businessman.