MTFCA Forum

The Grey Ghost took her first drive yesterday, after some years of storage. She ran well, started on mag, and is beginning several days of test driving and sorting out.

Nice looking T! Sounds like you’re getting some good advice about a T and that’s great! Always be careful around other modern cars and remember your T doesn’t have real brakes like our modern cars do. But I’ll bet you already know that. Congratulations on owning a real part of American inginuity and history. It’s always helpful to buy a copy of the Ford service manual. Read it and get to know it.

Nice looking car! The late Ken Jones had a 15 Touring that was the same color. His old car, per chance?

That is way better than any other non standard colour on a T I have ever seen. Beautiful combination! Even better than all black.

Allan from down under

Didn’t the Australians T’s use a grey on T’s ? Seems like I read some countries did. It really looks good I have to agree.
Didn’t Ford use a gray color on the 27 and Model A?

Looks like the late Ken Jone's touring.

Am I correct?

John, Ford factory bodied cars imported into Australia were black, just like yours. However, due to tarrif restrictions on the impost of whole cars, most of our T's were imported in chassis form, and the bodies built here. With body builders in each state, there were many differences between them, including colour. The dealers would likely paint it whatever colour you wanted.

An example of this is the barn fresh tourer I am working on at the moment. It is a Duncan and Fraser standard body car, built in Adelaide, South Australia. But it varies form the standard cars in that it has nickel plated radiator shell, headlight rims and windscreen pillars. It also has full leather upholstery, something usually reserved for the D and F coachbuilt bodies like my wide body roadster. On top of this, it is the only original standard bodied car I have ever come across that has the fenders, running boards and splash aprons painted in the same green as the body.

It was most likely ordered this way and built/finished as the customer wanted.

Allan from down under.

Yes, it’s Ken’s car. Greg Jones sent this photo of the car with Ken in the driver’s seat. It was taken at the Hoquiam Loggers Playday parade around 1974.

Knowing Ken as well as I did, I can assure you that he would be delighted to see his beloved 15 Touring in your hands and the excellent care it is getting.

I had a 27 pickup in the shop here a few years ago that was that color. Inside you'd swear it was black!

Thanks Greg, that's reassuring to know!

Ken's car looks black inside as well. In fact it doesn't look grey at all unless you get it in the right light.

The Ghost has slipped into a self-sorting phase, where it tells me what it wants and needs. Very practical.