I recently visted the Franschhoek Motor Museum, which is nestled at the foot of the Groot Drakenstein mountains on the R45, less than hour from Cape Town. Being well known for its breath-taking scenery, Franschhoek seems the perfect setting to house and showcase some of the worlds finest cars.
The museum has a growing collection of over 220 automotive icons, from 1898 through to the present day. At any one time there are 80 cars displayed between 4 de-humidified exhibition halls, with the displays being changed roughly every 3 months.
Keep an eye on SA Car Fan over the next few weeks as I’ll be bringing you a new photo and write up on selected exotics each week. First in this series, in chronological order, is Ford’s famous Model T.
“The Universal Car” and “The Car of the Century” describes Henry Ford’s classic Model T. Introduced in October 1908, it’s a curious mix of advanced and retrograde engineering and was one of the first American cars with a removable cylinder head. Extensive use of vanadium steel made it light and immensely strong. Being relatively easy to drive and maintain made it extremely popular in rural districts lacking highly-skilled mechanics. John Steinbeck immortalised the Model T in Cannery Row: “Two generations of Americans knew more about the Ford coil than the clitoris, about the planetary system of gears than the solar system of stars… Most of the babies of the period were conceived in Model T Fords and not a few born in them…”. South African right-hand drive Model T’s were produced in Canada until local assembly began in 1924.
Specifications Year 1911 Country of Origin America Engine Capacity 2896 cm³ No. of Cylinders 4 cylinder, in-line Power Output 22HP/16kW @ 1600 r/min Drive Type Rear wheel drive Aspiration Naturally aspirated No. of Gears Planetary 2-speed transmission
Next week will feature the Bugatti Type 23.
