“Octane” UK staff report on their favorite cars. Owner Mark chose a Model T for his New Year’s Day drive earlier this year. Then off to a pub meeting that is only known to those in the know…
New Year’s Day was the perfect time to pull out an old car and take it for a spin. A friend told me about a quiet pub meeting in the Herefordshire countryside, so I decided to take my Model T out and explore some back roads I’d never been before.
I immediately tried to start the car, but the battery wasn’t working as expected. Although I could barely get the engine to turn, there wasn’t enough power to start it. Fortunately, I had an Alvis 12/50 battery on hand. The Alvis’ battery was much larger than the Ford’s, but I managed to fit it into the Ford’s battery pedestal under the pickup bed. To be honest, the Ford battery is a bit small for the 2.9-liter engine, but I’ve been using it without having to replace it. This time, he finally felt the need.
The next thing to do was to refuel at a gas station in the next village. It was still early and the road was deserted. But to my surprise, two cars happened to be parked outside the village pub: an Austin Seven and an Alvis 12/50 Saloon. When I added my Ford to the mix and took a photo with the old stone bridge in the background, the scene looked like a traveler’s snapshot from the 1930s.
The pub meeting was scheduled to start at 1pm, which was a good time, but I decided to head there slowly after noon. That’s because I like to drive my Model T on trails as much as possible, and Herefordshire has plenty of them.
It’s been raining a lot over the past few days, but the Model T was built to run on the dirt roads of America in the early 20th century, so it has no problems even on flooded British country roads. Last year I had a bad time with a misaligned ignition timing (the story was covered in UK Octane issues 244 and 247), but this time I was able to confirm that the engine was running reliably again. , I didn’t feel anxious.
I ended up being the last one to arrive at an old wooden pub called the New Inn. This pub dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries and has a humorous name. The first person I met was Elliott, an Octane subscriber, who immediately recognized my Model T. He is a very interesting man who traveled the world with his wife for five years in a Citroen 2CV that he bought for £100. Since he’s a local, he introduced us to even more interesting people.
After several hours of enjoying reunions with old friends and meeting new people, it finally started to rain and people gradually started heading home. I made it home safely, albeit wet, and decided to put the Model T away in the barn to dry. Before I went into the house to dry myself, I first placed the oil pan under the engine’s sump, removed the sump plug, and let the hot oil drain overnight. I am like a jockey who takes care of his horse.
The next day I plan to clean the gearbox screen filter and put in new oil. The Model T is a good car, and it deserves a lot of care.
Text: Mark Dixon
