Ford sold the Model T as “The Universal Car” that could go anywhere and do anything. Its chassis and drivetrain were used over the years for experiments both humble and grand, and one of the latter is this elegant coupe chauffeur. Based on an original Model T chassis, engine, and drivetrain, it features ‘tulip’ bodywork with an open driver’s seat and a snugly enclosed two-passenger rear compartment, upholstered in grey cloth and beguiled with flowers in glass bud vases. The rear compartment is actually entered through a door that is hinged at the floorboard and tips forward alongside the driver, an idea borrowed from horse-drawn carriages; indeed, the body on this Model T may well have been appropriated from a coach!

While the car’s drivetrain appears to be later, including a 1921-specification engine with electric starting and added accessory water pump, the bodywork and appointments are designed to replicate a 1909 model, including N&J lighting, a New York ignition kick switch with Yale lock, Ford script ammeter, Waltham stem-wound clock, and Stewart speedometer. The car is offered with an umbrella stand on the right-hand windshield stanchion.

The inspiration for the car has long been forgotten; its current owner bought it simply for fun, the sort of vehicle in which grandchildren would enjoy riding. The water pump makes it eminently suitable for parades, or perhaps picnics, for there is a wicker hamper on the left running board. The possibilities are limited only by one’s imagination.