- Ford Motor Company will mark the 100th anniversary of Henry Ford’s groundbreaking Model T with a special presentation and collection of automotive masterpieces for 2008 Centennial “T Party” – the world’s largest gathering of Model Ts since they left the factory – July 21-26 in Richmond, Ind.
- The event in Richmond – the largest of dozens of Model T celebrations planned during the next six months -- is expected to draw nearly 1,000 Model Ts and 15,000 enthusiasts from around the world.
- Edsel B. Ford II, great-grandson of Henry Ford and member of Ford’s Board of Directors, will present at the opening banquet on the evening of Monday, July 21.
DEARBORN, Mich., July 1, 2008 – Thousands of Model T enthusiasts from around the world will be joining Ford Motor Company to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Henry Ford’s ground breaking automobile at the 2008 Centennial T Party July 21-26 in Richmond, Ind.
Nearly 1,000 Model Ts from across the U.S. and the world have been registered for the event hosted by the Model T Ford Club of America and sponsored by Ford Motor Company and the Ford Motor Company Fund. Model T enthusiasts will be traveling from at least eight countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, France, Germany, Portugal, and Norway.
One couple has shipped their 1915 Model T chassis with a camper body across the Pacific Ocean from Australia to Los Angeles, and will be driving it to the T Party, camping in it along the way. The total distance of the Model T’s trip will be more than 10,000 miles.
“The support and response we’re receiving around the T Party has been phenomenal. The Model T Ford Club of America has been looking forward to celebrating this milestone for many years,” said Jay Klehfoth, chief executive officer, Model T Ford Club of America. “We’re thankful for Ford’s support in helping bring this event alive to the thousands of Model T enthusiasts who will join us from around the world.”
Ford Village Joins T Party Celebration
As part of the week-long celebration, Ford will bring to life the spirit of innovation started by the Model T with a collection of unique vehicles, technologies and race cars that will be on display at the Ford Village, located in the heart of the T-Party activities at the fairgrounds in Richmond.
The Ford Village, with support from The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., will include a miniature museum showcasing Ford concept cars, a special selection of Model T vehicles and a rare collection of historical images that capture the spirit and impact of the beloved ”Tin Lizzie.”
Model T enthusiasts and T Party visitors alike will be able to enjoy the Ford Village Museum during the week-long celebration. Outside the museum, Ford will bring to life innovations that were born with the Model T that still inspire the Ford vehicles and technologies today.
Throughout the week, special guests from Ford will be joining the festivities including Edsel B. Ford II, great-great-grandson of Henry Ford, who will give opening comments at the welcome banquet. Other guests include Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas, Ford’s corporate historian Bob Kreipke and Robert Casey, automotive curator for The Henry Ford Museum.
2008 Centennial “T Party”
The weeklong celebration of all-things Model T will be more than just an antique car show. Dozens of other events that carry on the theme of early industrial America such as a Model T assembly competition, a vintage air show with pre-WWII planes, and an antique car race with Model T roadsters are just a few of the activities taking place to honor the 100th anniversary. Nearly a dozen Model T driving tours throughout Southeastern Indiana are also planned and on Thursday, July 24, a parade through downtown Richmond of all the Model Ts should set a Guinness World Record for longest line of cars of one model.
“To have the chance to celebrate the 100th anniversary of any vehicle is a treat but to celebrate the centennial of the Model T, the car that put the world on wheels, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Klehfoth. “We’re so excited to be able to celebrate this milestone with Ford and the enthusiasts from around the world.”
To find out more information or to register for the T Party, visit: https://2008modeltcr.theregistrationsystem.com/en/registration/index/197.
Ford Model T Facts
- October 1, 1908 marks the anniversary of the first Model T built for sale.
- The Model T was the first low-priced, mass-produced automobile with standard, interchangeable parts.
- The Model T was equipped with a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engine with a top speed of approximately 45 miles per hour, weighed 1,200 pounds, and achieved 13-21 miles per gallon.
- The moving assembly line for the Model T revolutionized manufacturing in 1913.
- More than 15 Million Model Ts had been sold by May 26, 1927, when a ceremony marked the formal end of Model T production.
- Henry Ford called the Model T “the universal car,” a low-cost, reliable vehicle that could be maintained easily and could successfully travel the poor roads of the era.
- On Dec. 18, 1999, the Ford Model T was named “Car of the Century” by a panel of 133 automotive journalists and experts who began with a list of 700 candidates in 1996 and sequentially narrowed the nominees through seven rounds of balloting over three years.
