1926 Ford Model T - Model T Standard Runabout Pick-Up

A 100-year-old piece of motoring history

Practical roadster body with a pick-up flatbed

Clearly extensively restored

One of the last Model Ts ever built

When Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, no one could have guessed that it would one day become synonymous with mass motorisation. By 1926, eighteen years after production began, the simple motor car had long since become a worldwide success. More than 14 million had been built, assembly-line production had revolutionised industrial manufacturing, and the Ford was no longer merely a passenger car. It had become a workhorse as well.

A good example was the Standard Runabout with Pick-Up bodywork. Two people sat up front beneath a simple fabric hood, while behind them an open load bed waited for tools, goods or whatever else farmers and tradesmen needed to carry. Luxury was nowhere to be found. What you got instead was a vehicle that could earn its keep during the week and, if necessary, take the family out on Sunday.

Mechanically, the Model T remained faithful to its proven recipe: a 2.9-litre four-cylinder engine produced 20 hp, which reached the rear wheels through a two-speed planetary transmission. Operating it was something of a science in itself. The left pedal controlled the planetary transmission, the middle one selected reverse and the right operated the transmission brake. The throttle, meanwhile, was controlled by a hand lever on the steering column. An acquired taste? Certainly. Robust? Absolutely.

The Pick-Up in particular shows why the Model T was so successful. It did not have to be fast or elegant. It simply had to work. And if a few sacks, crates or spare parts needed taking home at the end of the day, there was plenty of room in the back.

By 1926, the Model T’s career was already drawing to a close. Ford ended production the following year. After almost two decades and more than 15 million examples, the simple Ford had done more than put millions of people on the road. Almost as a by-product, it had changed the world.

Ford marketed the Standard Runabout Pick-Up in 1926 at a price of $381, with the pick-up bed adding another $25 to the bill. Its qualities as a workhorse were advertised extensively, and 33,795 willing buyers were found. This example is one of the last Runabout Pick-Ups built before production came to an end.

It is understood that the attractive green Ford was comprehensively restored by its former long-term owner and subsequently shown on several occasions into the early 2000s. Before it came to Austria from the United States in 2013, the engine and transmission are said to have been completely rebuilt. After a lengthy period standing idle, however, a closer mechanical inspection is still advisable before this 100-year-old motor car is put back into service.