1915-1916 coupelet experience?

[rg171352]

For many years, I have admired 1915-1916 Coupelets. They are good looking and, dare I say, practical seeming. I have seen many threads here about people restoring their Coupelets or just discussing the model in general. How are they as cars? Do they compare favorably with runabouts or are they top heavy and less capable cars?

Also, there don’t seem to have been too many sales of these lately. What are Coupelets going for and are the ones built by Ray Wells comparable in value to a body having a greater presence of factory supplied parts?

Thanks!

[Scott_Conger]

Richard

my perspective is quite different than yours but not really in confilct...Coupelets are quite rare and frankly the sudden postings of restorations and "for sales" is relatively out of the blue...I don't think things have dropped off, I think there is a surprising burst of postings and things are simply reverting to the mean, now.

With regards to the value of a copy body. Well, this lovely car with a reproduction body can't seem to find the love it deserves: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20471

There are buyers for original one of a kind art and there are buyers with less deep pockets that are buyers of the lithograph of the original. So it is with Model T's as everything else. The copy will never be worth the same as an original with all things being equal. And that's key: All Things Being Equal.

Some of the Craftsmanship on copies is extraordinary and a buyer of a big-ticket car better go with someone who knows their stuff to avoid purchasing a lithograph for the price of original art. Neither is cheap, but they are not the same, either.

[ModelT46]

There is good amount of wood in the 1915-16 couplet bodies, so even restorations of an original body result in much of the body portions replaced. There are some original couplets in existence including the one close to me in Minnesota. That one is an 1916 and a wonderful car. There is another 1916 here in Minnesota the has been modified many years ago as to the chassis, but the body is orignal and not altered. There is also a nice restored 1915 in Minnesota. Plus there are several 1917 couplets locally that have the removable door/windown post. Also in this class of unusual 1915-16 Model T are the orignal 1915 center door sedans. They are much more fancy than the l;ater ones. There was one of those locally 50 years ago. The present where-abouts is not known.

[Dan Hatch]

Here is an 1918 on the ad page for sale. It is a Ray Wells body and also a Wide Track. Not mine just passing on info. Dan
https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20956

[ModelT46]

What is interesting is that there seems to be fewer 1917-18 Model T Fords of all styles. Some were used as the basis to create a 1915 T. Also because of the WW1 war efforts, there were fewer available. Some of the chassis were exported to Europe along with crated ambulance bodies. In 1919 production ws greater. One reason one could buy a starter one(Only for closed cars).

[Jim, Sr.]

Here is an old photo of a beautiful early 1917 in a Ford dealer"s showroom .
Note the small "porthole" windows.

[Jeepbone1]

Great pictures but I can’t be the only one who feels the need to now have a full sized chassis breakdown hanging on the wall can I?!?

Brad

[BHarper]

Hi Richard G.

The above responses have offered opinions about availability and value, and I have nothing to add to that.

You titled this thread "1915-1916 coupelet experience" and I CAN comment about that subject.

Some years ago I had the opportunity to to drive a '15 Coupelet with a good friend and mentor. The car needed a road test, so we took a route of perhaps twenty miles on back roads of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The car was a mix of original, with older preservation/ very light restoration and older rebuilt engine.
The car ran well and performed nicely. Now, being a semi-enclosed car, it is much heavier than a runabout and probably a bit heavier than a touring, but the overall performance is good and it climbed hills well. It did not feel in any way top heavy. With the top down and the door glass channels folded, it was much like driving a runabout with great visibility and, to paraphrase John Denver, you have sunshine on your shoulder.

But, when you put the top up,

Good Grief, you might as well be driving a cave or a tent, in that you have NO side vision. Those little porthole windows are just about useless. If you want or need to see what is to the side of you, you must lean forward in order to look out of the door's window and, of course, likewise lean forward to make a hand signal. The serious lack of side visibility (rearward is not great, but not terrible) is my only criticism of the Coupelet body style. They are no more claustrophobia inducing than a Coupe. I have a '24 Coupe and I am fine with its interior space, but then, I am a small fellow at 5'4" .

They are cute cars and I enjoy seeing them, but own one? No thank you, I wouldn't give it barn room. My two cents worth, perhaps overvalued, Bill.

[fbergski]

I own a 16 coupelet and really enjoy driving "Isabel". With the top of up you get the enclosed car experience but the top also acts as a parachute and makes the car sluggish. I notice with the top down my 16 has more pep. The availability of original body parts is non existent, Ray Wells is a savior for those who own one and also Ernie Romero. Both have original patterns for the body wood and interior/top.

They do come up for sale once and awhile like all things price depends on availability. When I inherited my car it came with a lot of paperwork. In that paperwork was a coupelet register somewhere in the 1983 time frame. My grandfather never responded back to be included for some reason.

Mine is preserved, not restored.

[Dan Haynes]

1916 for sale, seller asking $35K

IMG_7231 (1).jpg (59.76 KiB) Viewed 3388 times

[Kevin Pharis]

Great pictures but I can’t be the only one who feels the need to now have a full sized chassis breakdown hanging on the wall can I?!?

Brad

I’m afraid that we really only need some large molding to build the frame, and we probably have the rest just laying around! Notice the fuel tank is overlapping the edge molding. This is a 3 dimensional wall hanging!

[rg171352]

Thank you all for your comments. I greatly appreciate them.

Are there any other photos of the early 1917 coupelet? Where there many of them made?

Thank you especially for the commentary on the driving experience in a coupelet with the top up. That lack of visibility makes it seem a little less than desirable despite being a good looking car.