The Ford Model T Club of America is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and its members will be rolling in and around Cochrane starting July 12.
Starting this Sunday, over 100 registered participants – with a number from Calgary’s Foothills Model T Club – will begin a five-day tour through Southern Alberta in honour of the anniversary. Stops include the Banff Springs Hotel, Lake Louise, Irricana, Kananaskis and Water Valley. The tour will end with a banquet in Cochrane at The Links of GlenEagles July 17.
On July 15, members will host a “show, shine and shop” at noon on Main Street, where people can view the Model Ts.
“It’s basically the car that put the world on wheels,” said Tim Pearson, who is with the tour.
He said that the beauty of the Model T is its simplicity. “Anyone with any basic mechanical skills can learn how to work on them.”
“It’s pretty hard to work on a modern car.”
Because of its total lack of computer-based and electronic technology, the car is easy and affordable to work on, Pearson said. He estimated that an average cost of a running Model T would come in at around $10,000.
Drivers with their cars will be coming from a wide range of places, from Texas to New Zealand. Pearson said a number of participants have already arrived, renting out campsites and snagging up motel rooms.
Produced from 1908 to 1927, the Model T is regarded as the world’s first affordable vehicle and opened travel to the American and Canadian middle class.
For more information, visit mtfca50.com.
