Video: How To Start And Drive a Model T Ford

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Here’s a great digital tutorial on a rare but simple skill every gearhead should possess: How to start and run a Model T Ford. It’s easy—watch!  

 

As a proud owner himself, MCG can tell you that driving a Model T Ford is easy and fun. However, it’s nothing like a modern car, which can make it a bit intimidating for modern drivers. There’s no accelerator pedal, for one thing. And on the floor, there’s an odd-looking set of three pedals to operate the brakes and planetary drive.

But the truth is that once you get past this apparent weirdness, the T is easier to drive than a conventional stick-shift car. In fact, that was a big part of the Model T’s original appeal. Its ease of operation helped to put America on wheels. A child could drive one—and many did. Some states had two driver’s licenses, one for Fords and another for everything else. When the Model T was finally discontinued in 1927, many owners were reluctant to let go. They didn’t know how to drive anything else and didn’t really care to learn.

MCG is of the view that being able to operate a Model T Ford is a core skill for gearheads. It’s just something we must know, like how to double-clutch or install breaker points. Mitch Taylor of New South Wales, Australia (here’s his YouTube channel) produced this great little video that breaks it all down. Enjoy.

5 thoughts on “Video: How To Start And Drive a Model T Ford”

  1. Great video. There’s just this interesting little dichotomy, though – people who had one didn’t have this YouTube video to learn from, and the people who could learn from YouTube wouldn’t have a Model T.

  2. I’m with MCG, learning to drive a Model T should be a mandatory rite of passage for any budding car enthusiast. I have no great desire to ever own one but I smile every time I think back on the day that I learned to safely operate this iconic vehicle.

    • My dad, 83, put the killer tuneup on our ’26 roadster. Will go 45, which is more terrifying than 185 mph in a Corvette.

  3. This is really informative. I had a 1927 Model T Pickup in the mid-eighties; I wish that I would have had access to this great information back then. I was really apprehensive about kick-back with the hand crank, and used the electric starter exclusively. After reviewing the cautions in this video, I wouldn’t hesitate to hand-start it today.

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