1916 Ford Model T

COUPELET Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Unspecified

956928

Gasoline

This is a no time or expense spared Model T ford COUPELET, manufactured in late 1915 ( late October/early November 1915), so technically to collectors it is a "1916" model, as the model year changes in about June of each year. The 1916 coupelets are know for the little "opera style" window added by Ford in the tpo to improve visibility, which this car does have. I cannot overemphasis how RARE the COUPELETS are, there is less than 25 believed to still be remaining worldwide. Of these about 15 are believed to be complete cars. So they are rare. I have put a modest reserve on the car. This one was restored by me, with a lot of help from all sorts of people in the Arizona and So. Calif. ares. It is truly a work of art and will be the prize in any one's car collection, no matter who the new owner will be. The car runs and drives, motor rebuilt. Larry Blair, master mechanic at Tin Shed in California, just went over the car and engine at a cost of $4100.00, and tuned the chassis as well. The body is all original parts, except one of the door skins was toast and has to be replaced, but the custom skin was perfectly done and no one could ever tell it was replaced. All the metal was straightened out before the body was re-wooded. The metal and paint work are the best I have seen on any coupelet. The upholstery is perfect, leather with gray wool and done base on the drawings and measurements taken from the remains of an original 1916 coupelet interior. Car has original body tag shown in the photos. Interestingly, the car chassis is SOUTHERN WIDE TRACK, which were made by Ford to travel roads in the cotton growing areas of the South and southwest, where the ruts in the road were 60 inches wide, rather than the 54 inch wide wagon ruts in the rest of the United States. So the chassis is 4 inches wider than a normal T, which necessitated a variety of other parts be southern wide track also, not the least of which wee the fenders in 1915-6. So, the fenders on this car are southern wide track too. The 1916 was the last year for the Southern Wide Track production, as the national highway program had improved the raods so much that the wide track option was no longer needed. The car comes with a rare original brass bell magneto horn and 1915-16 horn button, but I haven't got those put on yet. The only "options" on the car area speedometer, a mint original Fat Man steering wheel, a rebuilt Planator Transmission on the driveshaft, and 4 Buffalo wheels. The car has 4 Buffalo wheels as shown in the photos, and those wire wheels are powder coated burgandy color, look super. Also, the car should have steel headlight rims, stamped with the "Ford E&J Model 1156" roll stamped into the rims, which I do have, and the buyer will get. I put brass rims on the headlights because I thought they looked better, and if I painted the steel headlight rims you wouldn't be able to see the" E&J "stamping on them anymore. Also, the windshield still needs windshield glass. I was going to put a slightly tinted glass in the windshield to keep the sun off me here in Phoenix, but thought the buyer might not like that, so you can get what you want. Planator doesn't have a shifter installed. Taillight isn't painted yet either. Other than that the car is done. The car has the correct coupelet sidelights and taillight, and the coupelet taillight bracket. The coupelet sidelight on this car are the later "bolt through the back" style, but I do have a beautiful pair of matching "spade mount" coupelet side light which would be correct for an earlier production 1915 coupelet, and the buyer of the car can buy those 2 extra sidelight for an extra $350 if he wants those extra sidelights. Car has a clear Arizona title. Please give me a call if you have any questions, 602-509-1582, or email me. Thanks. On Aug-08-10 at 21:31:19 PDT, seller added the following information: I forgot to mention the car had a ring gear and a starter added when the engine was rebuilt. The pedals are the correct ribbed ones. There is a battery mounted in the trunk. So, you don't have to crank it.On Aug-09-10 at 08:07:12 PDT, seller added the following information: Yes, the TOP FOLDS DOWN into a roadster style open car. Sorry I should have mentioned this fact, since I have gotten a couple of questions on whether the top folds down. So no, the top is not stuck in the closed position all the time like the later Coupes. The 1915-16 Coupelet was marketed as the first "Weatherproof Convertible", and is therefore the Ford Coupelet is a unique and historic car, whose Weatherproof Convertible concept is reflected even in the drop-top Ford convertibles of today... Thus, this car was the first "Drop-top convertible". In bad weather, the Coupelet windows also pull up with a leather strap, from where they sit inside the doors. It takes 2 people to fold the top down, to do it right. So, the landeau irons are brass and they are FUNCTIONAL. The original top leather on the earliest Coupelets was allegedly Elk hide, apparently Elk is a tough sort of leather; this top on my coupelet is Cow hide. The Coupelets cost as much as 3 times as the price of a touring bodied car, so the coupelets were not a car bought by very many common folks. If you buy the car, payment is due in full within 7 days. Car is also for sale locally so right to cancel the listing is reserved. After sale, car may be stored inside my garage for pick up by your auto transport company (or you) for a reasonable agreed period of time after full payment. Thanks again, RollieOn Aug-09-10 at 08:19:58 PDT, seller added the following information: The foundry casting date on the engine block is "101915", that is, October 19, 1915. On Aug-09-10 at 22:21:41 PDT, seller added the following information: I posted a couple of photos of the Planator transmission on the drive line. I have been told it is the earlier style of those Plantor transmissions, with a forward and backward sliding type shifter. I was told the later ones had a shift setup like a Ruckstell design, with the swinging type lever, but I really don't know much about them. You can also see part of the underside of the car in these photos, and that's it's clean.