20 bhp, 176.7 cu. in. four-cylinder inline L-head engine, two-speed planetary transmission, solid front axle with transverse semi-elliptic leaf spring, live rear axle with cantilever semi-elliptic leaf springs, transmission service brake and two-wheel mechanical drum parking brakes. Wheelbase: 122"

- Offered from the Magee Collection

- Original, untouched Virgil White Snowmobile

- Considered the most original example

Virgil D. White was a clever inventor who sold and serviced Model T Fords, becoming an authorized Ford dealer in West Ossipee, New Hampshire. By 1913 he had patented a Snowmobile conversion kit for Model T Fords, which he sold for $400, and complete vehicles were sold for $750. 1923 seems to be the first year that he actively marketed the newly-invented “Snowmobile.” The first year they sold only 75. Once people saw them in action, sales quickly jumped to as many as 2,500 a year. Typical Snowmobile customers were doctors and rural mail carriers.

The 1923 Model T Ford Snowmobile offered here is one of 75 completed units sold in this first year of production. It was sold by the Authorized Ford Agency of George H. Chesley in Dover, New Hampshire. There is a die-cast plate mounted on this snowmobile’s dashboard that was put on when new. One of the Whites Garage advertising slogans was “MAKES THE SNOWTRAIL A BOULEVARD.”

This example is considered by both the Model T Ford and Snowmobile experts to be the best preserved and the most original example of its type. The paint, top and interior are all believed to be original and untouched. The seat cushion shows wear, but the rest of the vehicle is remarkably well preserved and extremely presentable. Both stock wheels (for dry roads and weather) as well as proper original skis and original metal tracks (for snow and ice) are being sold with it. Both the skis and the metal tracks show very little wear, leading us to believe that the vehicle has seen very little use. Included are an excellent pair of snow tracks and front skis.

The Magee Collection purchased this vehicle from the original owner’s family, still living in Franklin, New Hampshire, in the 1990s. It was last used in the snow several years ago but has recently been serviced and reportedly runs superbly. Although other firms also made snowmobile conversions for early Fords, the “Whites Garage” examples are generally believed to be of the highest quality.