MTFCA Forum

So the story goes in 1927 15 million Model Ts were produced. and production stopped. There were still Model Ts in service. How many? Well, for 1929 there was a an article stating that 8,000,000 were still running. Any disagreements?

George - Actually, you probably meant that there were approximately a total of 15 million Model T Fords produced "BY" 1927, not "IN" 1927, but I guess we know what you meant. I'm not sure exactly where you're headed with this, but in my opinion ( which I realize is probably worthless) this is a rather complicated issue, but it does maybe prompt an interesting and closer look into history,....and I'm thinking that your post here, and resulting discussion might be some sort of result of something related to what we call "cabin fever" every winter, except it's not winter, it's maybe a result of us all the restrictions in our normal lives due to COVID-19!

I guess my first thought was that the 8 million number you mention might really be in question, due to several factors, or, "extenuating circumstances" in 1929 that I would think would have made that number more or less, a "guess" in 1929. Here's what I mean by "extenuating circumstances":

There were about 6 months of "no production" of new Fords after "T" production stopped while FoMoCo was "tooling up" to start production of the new Model A.

The unprecedented public "anticipation" and excitement of the new Model A caused many, MANY still useable Model T's to be actually "abandoned" in farmyards and open fields and such, because they were generally considered by most people to be so "old-fashioned" junk and totally worthless!

Because the October 1929 stock market crash began the economic depression that lasted all thru' the '30's until World War 2, during that period of time, a lot of those previously "abandoned" Model T's were "resurrected" for further uses for several reasons,....first, because due to the war, there were no new cars available, and second, because these still usable Model T's could be very easily made into a pickup truck which would then be considered a "farm vehicle" (or "implement") which was an easy way to "beat" WW2 gas-rationing restrictions.

So,.....with all that stuff going on, and probably nobody even trying to "count" how many Model T's were still running and how they were being used, I still think the 8,000,000 number would have been a "guess"! Again, interesting history, and remember what Henry Ford said,...."most of history is bunk!"

I guess if you have a list of how many Fords were made each year, you could do some guestimating? This is for all brands of cars in the US.

Good thoughts Harold. I do think you’re a little quick to “junk” the Model T, however, as well as “re-commission” them. Perhaps region is a factor in the number of Ts continuing in service, but I think our own family history is likely pertinent:
In 1929, at the age of 38, my granddad bought his first motor vehicle - a “lightly used” 1925 Model T Ford roadster pickup. As the Depression deepened, in ‘31 the family moved from Cache Valley, Ut. to Burley, Idaho in that T - mom, dad, three boys and the family dog along with minimal necessaries for keeping house. By ‘34, grandpa was doing well enough to afford trading the pickup for a ‘29 Model A Tudor. My Dad’s recollections of the times were that the Model T faded from the scene fairly rapidly and by ‘35 were seen much less frequently.