The Steering Column
from our President

Left Hand Drive

I bought a piece of history last week. For $5. At an antique car swap meet. It is a wooden spoke wheel from a Model T Ford, in terrible condition. Heavily rusted rim, rubber tire long gone, wooden spokes blackened with age (but still not rotten after all these years). I cannot explain why I bought this item – perhaps thinking it will look good as a decoration somewhere in the vicinity of my garage. The seller said it did not date within the first three years of production (based on spoke shape), but was probably very early in the production run of this car.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Model T, a product of the industrial age that is widely credited with changing the world. We’ve all heard the story: revolutionizing the lifestyle of the common man through inexpensive personal transportation and the efficient delivery of goods and services to society. What a different place the world was then! I had the opportunity recently to be in the garage of a Chicago house also 100 years old, possibly built the same year that the Model T was introduced. The alley behind the garage was still brick paved, and an original(?) electrical switch panel for the attached mansion looked like a prop from a Frankenstein movie. Although cars and trucks were passing down that alley, I realized that this building was probably constructed to house horses, as autos were still so uncommon at the time, and the alley doors were taller than any auto ever needed.

This year also marks the 85th anniversary of the first MG – “Old Number 1” – although some records also credit it to 1925. “Old Number 1” was driven on the Land’s End Trial in 1923, and what won that Sunday sold on many Mondays for years to come.

This year, club members will have a chance to drive their MG’s in our own version of Land’s End as a rally. This rally is one of the oldest continuously held events in our club, dating back to the mid 1980’s, and has always been very popular in the club.

We will also be attending the May 4 AACA Auto Show featuring the 100th Anniversary of the Model T Ford; Model T’s have had a strong hobby following for many years so there should be some excellent examples on hand at this show.

And a wide variety of other events are also on the calendar for the upcoming driving season. Be sure to check each month’s Driveline and the website for And watch out for those bargains beckoning along the way at shows and events; you, too, may have an irrational urge to possess some piece of history. If you do succumb, try to hold it to $5: it’s easier to explain that way.
Safety Fast, - Jim Evans