How many members?

[Steve Jelf]

Occasionally someone asks, "How many are left?" If club memberships are any indication, the answer is, "A lot." This website says, "Over one hundred chapters have been formed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America." How many members do those 100 local chapters have? How many members does MTFCI have? Assuming that nearly all the members of both clubs have at least one T, that gives you a bare minimum. But a lot of those people have two, three, or more. Adding in the owners who are not in any club at all increases the number of cars. My experience is that there are more T's around than we know about. My guess is a minimum of 100,000, and possibly up to half a million worldwide.

[Chris Barker]

I tried to answer this some years ago, but it's not easy.
I think the membership of the two American clubs is around 6000 to 8000 each, but some will be members of both
The UK Register has 500.
I think other clubs (Fr, Aus, NZ etc) are smaller.

So even allowing for those with 2 or even 10 Ts, and all those not in clubs, I find it hard to believe the number exceeds 50,000

[Charlie B in N.J.]

This is a job for the Drake Equation. Google it.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I tried to answer this some years ago, but it's not easy.
I think the membership of the two American clubs is around 6000 to 8000 each, but some will be members of both
The UK Register has 500.
I think other clubs (Fr, Aus, NZ etc) are smaller.

So even allowing for those with 2 or even 10 Ts, and all those not in clubs, I find it hard to believe the number exceeds 50,000

Actually, I asked this question at a Model-T event a few weeks ago, and as I understand it, -it is about ½ that of the larger club, and the other club has a little more that ½ the membership of larger one.

It is my opinion that very few people who own Model-Ts (inoperable vehicles, unrestored vehicles, restored vehicles, and street rods) are actually National Club members.

[signsup]

Yes, a difficult question to answer and even if you could, it would be a snapshot subject to change daily. In my other hobby, military vehicles, there is a national organization and state affiliates. Some memberships over lap, but most members will choose one over the other and seldom be a paid member of both.
Our national organization has gone from 10k members prior to covid to 3,500 currently. Number of vehicles has not reduced, just the membership. Some younger blood may creep into both hobbies, but the atrition rate of older members is leaving at a much faster pace. Younger members, IMO, are not meeting goers, or even touring participants, most just want technical help and parts swapping and the internet is filling that niche.

Just like church memberships, civic club memberships, etc., it is interesting and challenging times ahead for the collector car hobby.

[dykker5502]

For what it is worth.
They made over 15 million. If just one percent have survived that is 150.000 vehicles.
The danish central registry of vehicles knows of 306 Fords with first registration date between 1/1-1908 - 12/31-1927. I know of a couple of Model Ts who are registered witha later 1. registration date than that so somewhat 300+ vehicles. Danish population is approx 6. mill people. Add to the 300+ diverse projects and barnfinds which are still out there. Deregistered cars may eventually be deleted from the register after 12 years of deregitered.
We use to say that there may be approx 500 model T's in Denmark.

[NHUSA]

Obtaining a “club membership” count may be hard but it is doable, but determining how many people own Model T’s or how many ModelTs exist is only a guess.

For example when I lived in NH I belonged to the NH T club, but when we moved to NC I tried to connect with the local club and got nowhere, so as they say I’m off the grid..