Model Ts visit, tour county for the week
JEFFERSON TWP — For the first time in its 62 years, the Model T Ford Club International will hold its annual tour in Butler County.
Simon Neubert of Jefferson Township, the president of the Western Pennsylvania Model T Ford Club, said the annual tour has never been held in Western Pennsylvania and only two or three tours have been held in the eastern part of the state.
Neubert said 207 Model Ts will come to the event, which is themed “History, Hills and Automobiles.”
Residents will get to step 100 years back in time from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, when many of the cars will be on display at Roebling Park at the intersection of North Water and East Rebecca streets in Saxonburg.
Neubert said the owners will also be at the free event on Sunday, and are happy to answer questions about their “Tin Lizzies.”
The group will then spend the week touring various points of interest in and around the county, Neubert said. All drivers will be given a book with directions to each day's excursion.
The group will go to Beaver County on Monday, Volant on Tuesday, North Park and the Saxonburg area on Wednesday, and the Foxburg and Chicora area on Thursday.
On Friday, Neubert said, the tour will honor Butler County Ford's 100th year in business at the corner of Main and Wayne streets.
Neubert said all on-street parking near Butler County Ford will be blocked off to accommodate the “Ts” which the dealer sold when it opened in 1918.
“The same building, the same corner of the same streets, selling the same brand,” Neubert said. “That's really rare.”
Neubert, his father Tim and his uncles Tom, Luke and Paul Neubert own 11 Ts among them.
Neubert owns a 1913 convertible, a 1926 Speedster and a 1924 Touring Car.
He is the fourth owner of the 1913, which was originally bought in Pennsylvania.
“It's always resided in Pennsylvania,” he said. “I can't say that about my other cars.”
The three-door 1913 has a maximum speed of 45 mph.
The 1926 Speedster is the first Model T Neubert owned. He got it at age 15 and immediately lowered the fenders to give it a more sporty appearance. The '26, which he restored using mainly pieces and parts donated to him, will go 75 mph.
“When I was 15, I wanted a car that would go a little faster than 45 mph,” he said.
The '26” has 40,000 miles on it, and many of those were ticked off in Canada, Utah, Colorado, Pikes Peak, Yellowstone Park and other places where he trailered the car and then drove it after arrival.
Neubert will restore his 1924 Model T Touring Car this winter so he can participate in the June 2019 “Ocean to Ocean in a T” ride, which sees enthusiasts — one from each U.S. state — drive their antique rigs 4,700 miles from New York to Seattle.
The event, which uses the same roads Henry Ford used when he won a cross-country race in 1909, takes about a month and will cost $10,000 to $11,000 for hotels and fuel.
“I'm trying to get sponsorships,” said Neubert, who is a music teacher in the Mars School District.Neubert said driving a T takes some acclimation. There are three pedals on the floor, and they are nothing like those on cars today.The far right pedal is the brake, the middle pedal is reverse, and the left is first gear, second gear and neutral, which are the car's only gears.Neubert said a stick shift became an option on Model Ts shortly after Ford began mass-producing them.“It's the only modification Ford ever sanctioned,” Neubert said.He said because so many were manufactured and factories continue to make aftermarket parts and tires, Model Ts are not that hard to find or costly to own.Motors, drive lines, sheet metal and most other parts are available in catalogs, he said.“A lot of auto hobbies could cost a lot more,” Neubert said. “With Model Ts, you can definitely have your fun at a most reasonable cost.”He said a restored 1913 Model T goes for about $20,000 today. A T from the 1920s that is restored and in working order can be found for around $10,000.“Ford built 16 million Model Ts,” Neubert said. “That number was only surpassed by the Volkswagen Beetle.”The thrill of a Model T today, he said, is learning about Ford and the production of the car and then driving or riding in one.“You get into a 100-year-old car and you get to feel what a true car feels like.”Neubert's fiancé, Katie Amerson, called Neubert's T obsession “life in the slow lane,” but she means it in a positive way.“Riding around (in a Model T), everything looks more beautiful,” she said.Fred Caesar, president of the Saxonburg Business Association, is thrilled that the 2018 Model T Ford Club International will kick off its annual tour in Saxonburg.“I think it's fantastic,” Caesar said. “It's so terrific that they've picked our historic town to come to and bring in all these Model Ts.”
