1923 Ford Model T Centerdoor Sedan

1923 Ford Model T Centerdoor Sedan
Engine no. 7958198
177ci L-Head Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
Single Updraft Carburetor
22.5bhp at 1,800rpm
2-Speed Planetary Gearbox
Front and Rear Transverse Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
Service-Band Transmission Brake and Rear Wheel Drum Brakes

*Offered from the Two Generations Collection
*Time-warp Example
*Rare Late Centerdoor Coupe

† Sold In Situ - Noted lot is being sold in situ and preview is available Tuesday and Wednesday May 30th and 31st. To make arrangements to view the lots and for further information please contact motors.us@bonhamscars.com.

Please refer to the Buyer Information page for further information.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

Announced in September 1914, the 'Centerdoor' Sedan is one of the rarer of mainstream Ford Model T body styles. Its relatively high price of $975 undoubtedly hindered sales (by way of comparison: the five-passenger Touring cost $490) and only 989 Sedans were built during the 1915 model year out of a total Model T production of 308,162, a proportion of 0.3%. Public taste favoured open cars at this time, closed ones being viewed with a measure of suspicion on safety grounds because of their higher center of gravity and acres of glass. Nevertheless, Ford stuck with the model - lowering the price significantly - and attitudes slowly changed, so that by 1921 the Sedan accounted for 13% of production.

The 'centerdoor' design was adopted by other manufacturers as well as Ford, its principal advantage over a conventional two-door body being that anyone could enter/exit without disturbing a fellow passenger. The Sedan was Ford's flagship model and, together with the Coupé, benefited from improvements before the rest of the range. Thus, in January 1919, the Sedan and Coupé were the first to have electric starting, an advance not offered on the open cars until later in the year. By the early 1920s the 'centerdoor' had become rather outmoded and Ford responded with conventional four-door and two-door sedans. The last of these charming 'Centerdoors' was built in 1923.

The car presented here would be a very late example of this configuration, its engine number exceeding the production year, but sitting inside the calendar year for its manufacture. It is not known from where the car was acquired or when, but it is the perfect match to the other original 'T's and Fords in the collection, being a highly original car. The exterior appearance is of very old if not original paintwork, accented with a single red pinstripe, while the interior in a grey striped cloth is mostly original also, with a few small repairs to the fabric. Stored for a number of years, and not known when it last ran, the engine bay suggests that it had received some work at some point in the last decade or so.