While Ford’s Model T is most famous today as bare-bones transportation for the masses, the design’s famous hardiness paid off in other pursuits as well. As early as 1909, a Model T proved its race worthiness by successfully competing in the legendary transcontinental race from New York City to Spokane, Washington. As many young clients began to recognize Ford’s surprising performance pedigree, a new market sprang up for used Model Ts.

Heavy wooden factory bodies were stripped away and left behind in farmyards, and they were replaced by lightweight racing bucket seats and oval tanks. Full-length windshields were replaced by circles of glass no larger than a lady’s hand mirror. Sleek vee’d brass radiator shells recalled the Mercedes machines that ran at Indianapolis. Taken down to its bare essentials, a Model T was more than just affordable transportation. It was genuinely quick and a real hoot in which to shoot up and down a dirt road.

The Model T shown here is believed to be a 1912 chassis, although it appears that a 1922 engine, not all that different from the original, is presently installed. While the date of its construction is unknown, the car is period-correct in all details, including its charming brass lamps, a racing-style radiator shell, a tied-down hood, and a pair of curved bucket seats with the famous oval tank and square-section rear behind. White rubber wheels are both correct to this era and are a wonderful complement to the scarlet and black color scheme. Dual rear-mounted spares bring to mind Simplex speed cars and racing Thomases of the time.

This charming Model T was for young enthusiasts of a bygone era, and it would an interesting entry for driving in Brass Era style, as it benefits from dashing good looks and wind-in-your-face excitement. All the new owner needs is a long, flat dirt road.