Mark Osborne
Global Director of Motorsport
LOT 52 ¤
1922 Ford Model T Speedster Body by F.A. Ames Engine no. 6290328
Sold for US$50,400 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 52¤
1922 Ford Model T Speedster
1922 Ford Model T Speedster
Body by F.A. Ames
Engine no. 6290328
Body by F.A. Ames
Engine no. 6290328
176.7 Frontenac OHV Inline Four-Cylinder
Singe Winfield Model S Downdraft Carburetor
Estimated 60bhp
Two-Speed Planetary Transmission, Ruckstell Two-Speed Axle
Live Axles with Transverse Leaf Springs
Contracting Band Transmission Brake, Mechanical Drum Rear Wheel Brakes
* Frontenac overhead valve cylinder head
* Period Amesbilt speedster body
THE CAR OFFERED
It is said in jest that the first automobile race occurred the first time two automobiles, driven by enthusiasts, met on a street. And with this competition, the need to make one's standard car faster was born. The urge has been continuous and maybe never has it been so apparent than with the Model T Ford. Ford's were famously plain – black, boxy and indistinguishable from millions of others – but America's first generation of auto racers seized upon the sameness. None were more successful at it than the Chevrolet brothers, Gaston and Louis.
Gaston wrenched and drove. Louis dreamed, conceived and designed. Their first notable project was for the Model T with the Frontenac overhead valve cylinder head - introduced in 1921. Properly tuned it bumped the Model T from 20hp to some 33hp and made any Model T so-equipped instantly competitive with much more expensive cars. In 1923 the Chevrolets introduced a dual overhead camshaft conversion. L.L. Corum drove a Fronty-Ford in the 1923 Indianapolis 500 and finished fifth overall.
At the same time enterprising builders built low-slung streamlined bodies and modification kits in order to install them on lightweight Model T chassis. The combination of a Frontenac head and a special body would often put expensive speedsters to shame. One of those builders was the F.A. Ames Company of Owensboro, Kentucky. Their Model #814 Speedster not only included the "swanky, nifty, racer" Amesbilt body but also the adapters and brackets to lower the steering column, a distinctive new radiator shell, floorboards, upholstery and necessary attachments, all for $35.28 F.O.B. Owensboro – which included the 5% "war tax".
This 1922 Ford Model T Frontenac Amesbilt Speedster was acquired by the previous owner at the 1985 Harrah's auction. It has been maintained, serviced, updated, loved and preserved since then while being actively historic raced - including at the Monterey Historics. It was donated to the National Automobile Museum in 2025 and is offered here in very good, maintained and recently used condition.
It also is generously equipped. In addition to the precious Frontenac overhead valve cylinder head, it has a Winfield Model S carburetor which was state of the art for high performance cars at the time. The drivetrain remains standard Model T with planetary gearbox and dual braking system: contracting band brake in the transmission and two-wheel mechanical drum brakes (which look bigger than stock 1922 Model T equipment) on the rear axle. It has an electric starter, chrome spoke center lock wire wheels with 30x3½ tires, headlights, open wheels with no fenders, a single rear-mounted spare, Ruckstell 2-speed rear axle, an American Magnetic speedometer, dual aero screens and friction rear shock absorbers.
Accounts differ today, but it seems generally accepted that a Frontenac overhead valve head prepared and tuned to modern standards should make around 60 horsepower. A 1922 Ford Model T chassis weighed under 1,100 pounds and the combination was, for the standard of the 1920s, akin to a Lotus or Porsche in performance and handling.
Footnotes
Titled under its engine number.
Additional information
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