The Coupelet. Ft. Lauderdale, FL
1915 Ford Model T Coupelet.
By the time production ended on May 25, 1927, Ford had built 15,006,625 Model Ts. It’s a record that has only been beaten by some 22 million Volkswagen Beetles and will likely never be equaled again. Of course, not all of those Ts were exactly alike. And some were more different than others.
Consider this one. To begin, it’s from 1915, a transitional year for the T. The headlights are now electric, although still trimmed in brass. The radiator remains brass as well, but a sheetmetal cowl has replaced the flat wooden firewall. New body styles appeared for ’15, including Ford’s first sedan and this, Ford’s first true convertible.
Henry called it a Coupelet. The cabriolet top is felt-lined and insulated, and looks convincingly permanent when closed. Fully framed glass slides down into the doors, and the frames themselves fold flat, out of sight. Even so, the $750 Coupelet looked matronly compared to the stripped and lanky $440 runabout. Because owners complained about visibility, Ford added “opera windows” midway through the model year but it’s hard to see how they could have helped. Ford assembled 2417 Coupelets for 1915, outpacing the sedan’s 989 units, but of minor significance next to 47,116 runabouts and 244,181 touring cars.
In 1916 the T lost the brass trim on its headlights. The Coupelet continued, but with its top made of synthetic rather than genuine leather. The price fell to $590, and sales rose slightly (to 3532); but as a fraction of Ford’s growing production the Coupelet lost ground.
For 1917, Ford restyled the T’s front end, providing a rounder, smoother look. Even the radiator was now painted black. Ford literature shows a 1917 Coupelet, but the model was replaced early in the year by a fixed-roof Coupe. The new Coupe’s center pillars could be removed, anticipating by several decades the breezy, “hardtop” look.
The Coupelet. Ft. Lauderdale, FL
1915 Ford Model T Coupelet.
By the time production ended on May 25, 1927, Ford had built 15,006,625 Model Ts. It’s a record that has only been beaten by some 22 million Volkswagen Beetles and will likely never be equaled again. Of course, not all of those Ts were exactly alike. And some were more different than others.
Consider this one. To begin, it’s from 1915, a transitional year for the T. The headlights are now electric, although still trimmed in brass. The radiator remains brass as well, but a sheetmetal cowl has replaced the flat wooden firewall. New body styles appeared for ’15, including Ford’s first sedan and this, Ford’s first true convertible.
Henry called it a Coupelet. The cabriolet top is felt-lined and insulated, and looks convincingly permanent when closed. Fully framed glass slides down into the doors, and the frames themselves fold flat, out of sight. Even so, the $750 Coupelet looked matronly compared to the stripped and lanky $440 runabout. Because owners complained about visibility, Ford added “opera windows” midway through the model year but it’s hard to see how they could have helped. Ford assembled 2417 Coupelets for 1915, outpacing the sedan’s 989 units, but of minor significance next to 47,116 runabouts and 244,181 touring cars.
In 1916 the T lost the brass trim on its headlights. The Coupelet continued, but with its top made of synthetic rather than genuine leather. The price fell to $590, and sales rose slightly (to 3532); but as a fraction of Ford’s growing production the Coupelet lost ground.
For 1917, Ford restyled the T’s front end, providing a rounder, smoother look. Even the radiator was now painted black. Ford literature shows a 1917 Coupelet, but the model was replaced early in the year by a fixed-roof Coupe. The new Coupe’s center pillars could be removed, anticipating by several decades the breezy, “hardtop” look.