Detail Info for: Ford : Model T Snowmobile Very Rare 1923 Ford Model-T Snowmobile A True Survivor!

Transaction Info

Sold On:
01/16/2012
Price:
$ 33900.00
Condition:
Mileage:
Location:
Saint Louis, MO, 63128
Seller Type:
Private seller

Vehicle Specification

Year Make Model:
1923 Ford Model T
Submodel Body Type:
Snowmobile Convertible
Engine:
4 - Cyl.
Transmission:
Unspecified
VIN:
8953757
Vehicle Title:
Drive Train:
Fuel Type:
Gasoline
Standard Equipment:
Optional Equipment:

Vehicle Detail

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"

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.

Email with questions or call Dave (314) 941-3244. Payment due five days after close of auction.

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