SOUTH BRISTOL, Maine — The chug of the Model T engine hits the ears before you see the car. For John Harris, that sound is like music. The Ford Model T has been a vital part of his life for 70 years.
“In 1947, Ford went public. I wanted to buy stock but didn’t have any money. I spent my 50 dollars on my first Model T,” Harris said.
That began a life of collecting and driving old cars, which continues to this day.
“I guess I have a disease, my wife says, for old cars,” he chuckled.
His collection has cars from many makes and years, from Reos and Model As to a Pierce Arrow and one of the first Lincoln Continentals.
But the Model Ts, Harris admitted, may still be his favorite. Counting that first $50 dollar car, now in pieces, he has seven Model Ts. There were 15 million of them built between 1908 and 1927, and the vehicle is credited with putting Americans on wheels.
“They started out at $900 per car in 1908-1909. By 1927, with mass production and efficiencies, they were down to $300 dollars,” Harris said.
His collection ranged from a pristine red 1912 model — when they started with a crank and still had acetylene gas lights — to his own 1927, where you can turn a key or push a starter button. There is even his newest acquisition, a rare, perfectly restored Model T limousine with separate compartments for the chauffeur and the passengers.
On the other end of the spectrum is a one-time Model T touring car, which now looks a bit rougher than it once did.
“And in World War Two, they took the back seat out, put a pickup bed in, and it was a farm vehicle. With a farm vehicle, you got more ration stamps for gas and tires. And I’m going to leave that just as it is,” Harris said.
He knows the history of each car, who bought and sold it, and where it was been. And he proudly took 207 for a drive in a car that shows off a bit of Model T history.
In 1927, Henry Ford had a photo taken with his son Edsel as they drove the 15 millionth, and final, Model T off the assembly line. That photo shows the 15 million painted on the side of the car.
Harris's own ’27 T was, he believes, built earlier that same day. So it proudly sports a big number of its own.
“They wrote 15 million on the side. So I put 14,999,621. Which was almost the last Model T made,” he said.
The old car moves down the road smoothly and at a respectable speed of about 35 mph. Harris said when they have Model T rallies or meets, cars typically are driven 80 to 100 miles per day.
The simplicity and durability of the cars are part of the appeal, and many other enthusiasts agreed with him. Harris said he believes there are at least 100,000 in collectors’ hands.
He has made sure to teach his grandchildren how to drive the old cars to make sure they will keep rolling.
And they are part of a collection, as evidenced by the limousine he bought this year, that keeps growing.
“Every time I buy a new one, I say to my wife Koko, we can sell one. But I never seem to sell them. Just build another building,” he said.