This thing is just too cool. I mean, it's a pile of parts, but it's a pile of the right parts, in the right condition. The leg work of collecting all of this stuff is the biggest part of the project, no question. The finished picture is an example of what it could be.
We’re nearing a century since the last one rolled off the assembly line, replaced by the “superior” Ford Model A. Sure, the Model A was better at pretty much everything, but it’s a matter of personal taste for me. What color should a Model T be? Dark. Not necessarily black, but I’m a big fan of colours that were readily available up to about the 1940s, maybe a metallic but definitely not a pearl.
A Model T hot rod is cool because it’s small, simple, lightweight, and for the most part, crude. There doesn’t need to be any gadgets on it. Less than ten fuses will do. Side glass is as optional as a roof or full windshield, and the exhaust can run the full length of the car, or stop before the front hinges of the doors. Two things need to be present, though, for it to check all of my boxes: brass and oak. Not a lot, but enough to notice and appreciate. The only thing cooler than a Model T hot rod is a Model T speedster, the ultimate, original hot rod. I never thought I’d see one locally on Kijiji when I was looking for something else, but here we are.
I don’t even remember what I was looking for when the coolest full-scale model kit of a lifetime popped up on my Kijiji screen. Located in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, there wasn’t much there, but it was virtually all that you’d need. Aluminum head, copper trim, copper floorboards, copper fuel tank, Dayton wire wheels, brass radiator, brass headlights, brass fire extinguisher, brass rear lantern, drive train, chassis, seats, everything.
What is a speedster, you ask? Basically, it’s the earliest, lightest, most basic hot rod ever built. The finished car pictured is from the Kijiji ad is super-basic, but it’s also incredibly deluxe and well-equipped, for a speedster, anyways. There’s never fenders, never doors, sometimes there’s a hood, but not always. Radiator, cowl, seat, fuel tank, and powered chassis, that’s it. Are they fast? No. Are they powerful? No. Are they fun? Of course. They’re so archaic that they’re just sketchy enough to feel like they’re monsters on the track. Can you drive them on the street? I don’t see why not. Highway speed would be a problem, but you can drive a stripped-down Jeep, no questions asked. If you’re not one to risk it on the street but wished you could race something like this on a track, you’re in luck, as there’s at least one event that I know of north of Edmonton. Obviously, driving the race car there isn’t an option, but I bet you could haul it on even the smallest sled trailer. My favourite thing about this project is that it’s no longer on Kijiji, meaning it either sold, or the seller is going to finish it. Either way, I hope it hits the track this summer.
Have a question or comment for Kelly? Post it at lmtimes.ca/kirk
