Speedster question???

BUBBAS IGNITION

BUBBAS IGNITION

Well-known member
I attended the Midwest Speedster planning meeting yesterday at Potters Piston Parlor in Bismark Illinois.
Pretty interesting day with discussions on ignition, new T engine parts being made and a dyno of a T engine with a adjustable timing gear . Cam timing was changed and then re ran . Pretty interesting gain in HP with just a fairly minor change.
The discussion at one point was " Whats A Speedster??"
Would like to hear your thoughts on this question.....

My answer was that a Speedster was a early T or A with parts removed to make the car weigh less. Any T without fenders i consider a "speedster" a Model A fits this thought as well.

Russ Potter started a four cylinder Speedster tour a few years ago and next year is the 9th year for the event. The 9th one is to be held in Wisconsin and I for one hope the 10th year is back in Indiana .

The 9th T tour is set for June 14th-16th in Richland Center , WI. Info Scott and Sheryl Stier 847-669-3848 sastier@prodigy.net
 
What I called a speedster....miss it but not family friendly...


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A speedster? What you make up from bits & pieces of an A or T for some fun?
The few true historical ones did not really look like what gets made up today. They now look a bit like early Mercer raceabouts.
 
G' day to all, to me a Speedster must have some sort of body modifications in an attempt to make it lighter and more streamline. Seating for one or two people and it can be made up from either Model T or A parts.
 
hershey at the swap meet....got disks one place for 100$ and lucked out on a set of proper rings at a different booth the owner had mistaken as t but were not got them for 40$ it really was a deal.
 
The maroon car is what has become the traditional T speedster ( I know nothing about this car but it is for sale at $23,000 on the HCCA site)

But all speedsters are not Fords. The 27 Essex Boat Tail Speedabout was a production model & often referred to as a speedster.

It is easy to see the influence the 11 Buick model 32 had on speedster building. This too is a factory produced speedster. And it lives up to its name. ( This particular car is very original & yes the color is correct - everything bright red, no pin stripes. The top was a factory available option.)
 

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These days if you call it a speedster I guess it is. Since they never existed as a production model,it is ludicras to try and pin them down much more than that. The MTFCI group has even adopted judging rules for them! I suspect in a year or two,we'll hear of one winnig their awards.
 
Those are original chevy solid disc wheels, I just sold a guy a set at hershey. And what a coincidence they were black
 
A -- Ford Model T -- Speedster is a car that Ford never offered: the Raceabout. Tastefully done, a T-Speedster should look like it had been offered by the factory. Want to see one? Here it is: http://www.tomlaferriere.com/1921_ford_model_t_speedster.htm .

Its characteristics are a sporty, race-car like appearance, starting with the skeleton Speedster of the Teens -- following the theme of the Mercer Raceabouts -- to the boattails of the Twenties. Some Speedsters are home-made, some are ugly. Some are ridiculous, others have been tastefully excercised. Few T-Speedsters rock my boat. A good guideline for a T-Speedster is that it should look like it was built in period. The typical Rootlieb plywood base, plywood-based seats (with way too high backs) and plywood toolbox as well as shiny paint in clown colors are the most obvious moves in the wrong direction.
 
G’ day to all,
Unlike Brother H, I love all Model T’s no matter what "style" they are and I appreciate and respect the rights of any car owner to build a car that suits "his" desire or fancy. I also appreciate a company like Rootlieb who invest their own money to sustain our hobby and interest. Their version of a Speedster is no different than Field or Hercules building and offering their truck bodies back in the 1900's. This is Americana and it exemplifies the passion and love-a-fair that we have with the automible.;)
 
Thomas,
I, too recognize Tom Rootlieb's substantial contribution to the hobby. Without his single-handed effort, there would be way less Speedsters on the road today. My one and only criticism of his work is that he used cheap plywood for everything, literally, the toolbox included. While it's easy to modify a Speedster to one's personal taste, the presence of plywood means none of this is usable. One has to start over from scratch with hardwood. Been there, done that.

I also appreciate individuality and different taste. Grandma Elisabeth can dress in a stately black evening gown, a more casual day dress, perhaps a pants suit or jogging shoes when the occasion arises, but when a 92-year-old shows up in lipstick red patent leather boots, matching miniskirt, and bustier so that the sagging boobs are hanging out, she does nobody a favor, not others, not herself, but becomes the subject of ridicule.

Applying one's one touch and taste requires to have taste. Many Speedster owners have created a clown car out of what could be an affordable and attractive alternative to a Mercer or Stutz. If the dumbest hobo in town can see from a mile away that something is obviously wrong, then something is obviously wrong.
 
Brother Hesekiel said:
Thomas,
I, too recognize Tom Rootlieb's substantial contribution to the hobby. Without his single-handed effort, there would be way less Speedsters on the road today. My one and only criticism of his work is that he used cheap plywood for everything, literally, the toolbox included. While it's easy to modify a Speedster to one's personal taste, the presence of plywood means none of this is usable. One has to start over from scratch with hardwood. Been there, done that.

I also appreciate individuality and different taste. Grandma Elisabeth can dress in a stately black evening gown, a more casual day dress, perhaps a pants suit or jogging shoes when the occasion arises, but when a 92-year-old shows up in lipstick red patent leather boots, matching miniskirt, and bustier so that the sagging boobs are hanging out, she does nobody a favor, not others, not herself, but becomes the subject of ridicule.

Applying one's one touch and taste requires to have taste. Many Speedster owners have created a clown car out of what could be an affordable and attractive alternative to a Mercer or Stutz. If the dumbest hobo in town can see from a mile away that something is obviously wrong, then something is obviously wrong.
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brother did you get up on wrong side of bed do you ever smile
 
1) The Rootlieb version is similar to the Torpedo - a Ford production model from 11? with the low-slung proportions of the 'classic speedsters' a fore mentioned.

2) Defining the 'Speedster' may only exclude others with interest.
a. Stock chassis with a home built platform body (Slowster)
b. Full-fendered Touring with a DOHC head, balanced Crank, etc.
c. Anyone interested that would like to show up and participate
 
Model T speed Secrets the fast Ford handbook. Anything in this book is a speedster. Full of original articles dating from Sept 1917 and newer.

The other book is Model T Ford in speed and Sport. Similar to the above. Some info in this book goes back to 1914.
 
My speedster has fenders will try to get up some pics. Painted it when I was 14 I'm now 40.Still have it and drive it.last tour I was on did 120 miles in 50 Degree pouring down ran . no top or windshield or rain suit . will remeber it forever.
 
Guys, honestly. Get the books I mentioned above. The articles go back to the teens. They are original reprints with pics! Not rewritten. Speedsters built using Model Ts are as old as the Model T it self.
 
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