MTFCA Forum

Wow! Second photo. In front of the garage is parked a '15/'16 runabout. However, of much greater interest, is the early 1917 Coupelet with the top folded down! A model made for only a few months, and in very low numbers. Even photos of the cars are rare.

Thank you for posting these! (And so many others!)

Wayne, I spotted that unusual body too. The different colour paintwork and shape of the turtledeck led me to think it was not a factory body. I did not think of the coupelet.

Allan from down under.

Hi Allan! I just about did a double take when I first saw that picture. I had to look again to make sure it wasn't the '15/'16 coupelet which was manufactured for two years. Russ Furstnow recently completed a restoration of an incredibly nice early '15 coupelet, and has since begun restoration of a '16 version of the car. The trunk opening is totally different as well as a number of other minor variations between the two cars. I know at least one 1917 version still exists and is also quite nice as I recall. I "think" there may be a couple other '17s as well. Early in calendar 1917, the folding top coupelet was replaced by the fixed roof removable pillar coupe,the first version of which had a rounded and padded roof. That version was built for only a few months also. By the end of 1917 (USA model year, about September of 1917) the rounded fixed roof was replaced by the more familiar flat roof line, still with removable pillars through 1918 model year.
The '15/'16 coupelets are a bit more common. I have personally seen two or three of them myself, and heard of at least five others. (Still rather rare!)

Ben Ostergren had a teens coupelet in his collection, but i cannot recall what year it was. If Brian is reading, he may be able to fill us in on the details. I think is had a set of weird bent, flat spring type wheels fitted when I saw it.

Allan from down under.

In the first photo I believe that is an Overland Champion Coupe Sedan in front of the billboard. Perhaps a 1924.

Hi Allan!
The car that you're thinking about was the transitional '17 coupelet with the padded, rounded top. The style that Wayne referenced. The one that Pop owned was the one that was featured in the Vintage Ford sometime during the '80s and that article was reprinted in Bruce's "Big Black Book". That particular car has a very interesting story. Too much to go into here. I sold the coupelet about 5 years ago to a friend in the Los Angeles area and he recently sold it to Russ Furstnow. It's looking like Russ wants to be "King of the Couplelets".

[image][/image]A bit of information about the 1917 Coupelets: The "soft top" coupelet was introduced with the same body as the 1916 coupelet and this body was the "normal" coupelet until May 1917. In May, Ford introduced the "hard top" coupelet that had removable post creating an open car feeling. This coupelet had leatherette padding around the back of the top and the top had a very rounded appearance (This is the coupelet that Bryan Ostergren is referring to.). In October, 1917, Ford introduced the "pillerless" coupe body which resembled the typical, and later suicide door coupe. The pillerless coupe is considered an 1918 model, and Ford never called this model a coupelet. Here are some photos of the 1917 coupelets.

Here is a 1917 Coupelet that had a run in with a streetcar in Ontario, Canada. oops!!! (Probably beyond restoration)