As we age, it’s fun to look back at our younger days and for many of the antique car club members, to actually restore old vehicles and relive the past.
The colours in this age are far more brilliant than the old original ones of black, grey and brown and the price of a restored car is possibly 25 times its original price.
But Merz, who has an amazing memory, says the car in the picture is an earlier than 1916 Model T, of the lowest priced model which cost about $400 including freight from the factory.
By 1930, a Model A with a Murray body, which had many extra features and was the Cadillac of Model As, cost $1,300.
Bud’s dad worked at the Ford agency in Quesnel, way back then.
The picture was taken along the Alaska Highway at a pull out in the Yukon.
We were parked when we heard a low sound and this Model T cruised in to park.
The elderly driver had come from Seattle and was driving to Fairbanks, Alaska – he said “just to see if I could do it.”
You will spot the big canvas suitcase tied to the running board (modern cars don’t have running boards.)
Top speed was about 74 km per hour and the total distance was roughly 3,800 km for 6.4 days on the road at eight hours per day.
He said the air conditioning worked just fine (it was a very hot day.)
Ah – for those yesterdays.
Andy Motherwell is a amateur historian and regular Observer columnist.
