MTFCA Forum

Photo courtesy of Pete Wood.

Looks like a 1911 torpedo runabout to me.

https://www.mtfca.com/model_t_encyclopedia/1911/

It looks a lot like the 1911 Torpedo. The outside door handle and the short windshield supports are different. The cowl panel is not as long and the body height is taller with the platform below it being shorter. This makes the door both wider and taller.
Interesting.
Rich

The front opening door handle suggests it started life as a rare Cabrolet.

Perhaps a 12 torpedo. It used a standard length steering column. I used to own one

I agree with the above.

The apparently front opening doors don't match with the '11 or '12 Torpedos. The fenders don't match with the '12s either. But, there's no spacer board between the firewall and the windshield that the '11s had. It looks to me like the connecting rod troughs on the oil pan are quite deep like the one piece pans. Perhaps a very early version of the '11 Torpedo?

Les Schubert wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 10, 2022 10:00 am

Perhaps a 12 torpedo. It used a standard length steering column. I used to own one

Except the '12 Torpedo had much longer running boards. This car has a suicide door too. Who knows what's going on witj this one. I assume someone painted the windshield frame and support black. What a shame. It's the brass that "gets it"!

And Mr. Blind-O me just noticed FWIW the one posted by the author also doesn't have the two-piece firewall.

Lightened up the photo
some artist renderings http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/33 ... 1386985892
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1404443365

Looking at it, it has a '12-14 height firewall; it also appears to have a '12-16 style hood former. I agree that the windshield frame is painted and appears to fold and have dimensions similar to or exactly like a '13. The windshield supports are straight, like '13, too.

I am going to bet that this is something of a "kit" of the era, meant to sportify a T (a '12 Torpedo as the basis?) and is not some sort of "unknown" early factory-built T. It is a nice looking vehicle, that's for sure.

Another possibility is an overseas export with custom coachwork Ca 1913. To me, the forward-located suicide door and bale handle are the most interesting/perplexing feature.

And compare the headlamp location to the radiator in both pictures.

It looks to have the standard length steering column, with the steering wheel fitted upside down to compensate for the shorter length. The top is mounted differently, on higher body brackets, and the bow stack is different. The front bow looks to be permanently mounted to the second, and the stack is like the earlier cars.
Sure looks like a neat car though.

Allan from down under.

Intriguing for certain. I agree with Bryan O, I think that is an early one-piece pan (one of my first thoughts when I first saw the photo), discontinued early in the 1911 model year. Yet other mentioned details suggest it may be later than that. Some speculations it could be a very early 1911? Remember, the earliest production and prototype such roadsters had squarish gasoline tanks.
I think the firewall is the lower section of the earlier two-piece firewall, with the upper "filler" board removed. Clearly, this car is not a standard issue model. I suspect it may be a 1911 open roadster, with after-market fore-doors. I don't recall for certain who, but someone on this forum a few years ago shared copies of an advertisement for such fore-doors for the open roadster. Yet, other questions remain, about the steering column, wheel, and even the body platform. Poor contrast in the original photo doesn't help any. Although brightening it up a bit did help (thank you!).
The windshield, maybe the top (?), appear to have been altered or outright changed.
Neat car! Great photo. Thank you all.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1VD ... 2&dpr=1.25

Interesting thought/idea that this could be an '11 open runabout with aftermarket doors. However, if you look at the photos in the link (if it works. If it doesn't, Google 1911 Model T Ford Open Runabout for a slew of pictures) and the artists' renderings in Bruce's Big Black Book on pages 82 and 83, the lower back of the body in Tom's photo doesn't match. In paying attention to Allan's comment that the steering wheel appears to be mounted upside down, a close look, to me, suggests a lack of black hard rubber knobs on the spark and throttle levers. Oh boy, this is getting fun. Ahhh...the never ending mysteries of our beloved Model Ts

Just to clarify about the rear of the body, all the photos show an upward curve of the rear deck where it meets the seat back. Except in Tom's photo.

old_charley wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 12:25 am

Just to clarify about the rear of the body, all the photos show an upward curve of the rear deck where it meets the seat back. Except in Tom's photo.

Browse through this link about the New Runabouts - https://modeltfordfix.com/the-1911-mode ... runabouts/
I noticed that as well. Th following photos were described where selected --
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Did find this pictures of some 1910 Torpedo Runabouts like Tom's photo --
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Here is a 1911 Torpedo Runabout more like Richards photo.

It certainly is an odd one. We could speculate for days, and probably never find the full truth about it. In 1910 and 1911, Ford was buying bodies from four or five major suppliers. Perhaps there were others? Perhaps it could be Canadian? After-market?
The photo certainly looks to be about the right era. I can usually spot modern photos, but I have been fooled before! It should be noted that the wire wheeled torpedo roadster is clearly a modern photo, made to look era. Nicely done, at a glance, however several details about the photo (era camera lenses focus differently!) caught my eye almost instantly. The Rocky Mountain brakes and four dip pan clinched it.
The clothing appears to be 1910s era. The car appears to be very nice. But maybe it is a few years old and has been fixed up and altered for some reason? Maybe put back together after an accident? Maybe the top, windshield, and steering column had to be replaced by available pieces?
We could all write a book of short stories explaining this car!
Still, I love the photo!

I think on Trent Boggess's site he used to have an explanation about two different body makers for the 1911 Torpedo roadster. I don't think this body style was shown The two he talked about were Beaudette and Pontiac I think.

This is an interesting thread, thanks to all for posting the information.

Now the dumb question, Torpedo? Was it an actual body style of automobile makers of the day? A 'sport car' term used by Ford for a speedy, stylish car, etc,,??
The term 'torpedo' in 1910-11 was more commonly associated with the small explosive devices clipped to rails to warn approaching trains of trouble on the tracks ahead, rather than fast, stealthy naval torpedos. How did the word get connected to cars? Just wondering and wandering, jb

Torpedo was a term used by automobile manufacturers for runabouts and tourings with bodies that had a lower profile than a more typical runabout or touring. The term wasn't exclusive to the 1911 or 1912 Ford Torpedo.

Click on this link to see an example of a 1910 Detroit-Dearborn Touring Torpedo (note the word "Torpedo" in the ad):

https://digitalcollections.detroitpubli ... a%3A213423

I think that Erik Johnson has it right; that the term "Torpedo" was used somewhat broadly to refer to runabouts and touring cars which had a body with a lower profile and lower seating than "regular" body styles.


The Metz Company called my 1914 Model 22 a Torpedo Runabout.

Fenders: 1911
Headlights/headlight forks: far too low for any factory Ford
body/door "depth": similar to 1912 Torpedo ("tall")
body subframe: much lower than 1911; more near to 1912 but isn't 1912
firewall height: similar to 1911 Torpedo minus the upper section
Door and door hardware: unlike anything produced by Ford
windshield and windshield stanchions: 1913

I still think it's an overseas custom on a standard Ford chassis...NZ? ...AU?...

And, I still really like it...