The following is a summary by year which will allow you to identify the most significant changes made to the Model T Ford during the nineteen year production run. The intent of this page is to enable you to identify Model Ts by year, and to give you some idea of how the cars were refined over time. Please keep in mind that many, many changes were made midyear, and not all cars made during any given year will have identical features. For more information on detailed changes made to individual components, pictures and other related information, visit the ever expanding MTFCI, Inc. Restoration Pages. The club also highly recommends the following books:

The Model T Ford Parts Identification Guide, Volume 1

Gail Rodda, PO Box 577, Abilene, Kansas

The Model T Ford Club International Judging Guidelines

The Model T Ford Club International

1991, Model T Ford Club International

Model T Ford The Car that Changed the World

Bruce McCalley

1994, Krause Publications

Library of Congress Catalog Number 93-90697

Every serious Model T enthusiast should own this Book; The ultimate Reference

The above works provide essential documentation for the correct restoration of a Model T Ford

This information is thought to be accurate according to the most accepted standards as established by the Model T Ford Club International, Inc.

The first production Model T Ford was built on September 27, 1908. Ford continued building the "T" for the next 19 years, until it was replaced by the Model "A" in 1928.

Click on images to see detailed photographs.

The following is a summary of the cars, by year:

• 1909
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 1 to 14,161
  • Body Styles, (Colors)
    • Touring (Red, Green and a few Gray produced later in the year)
    • Runabout (Gray)
    • Town Car (Green)
    • Landualet (Green)
    • Coupe(Green)
  • Some significant features and changes made during this year:
    • The First (approximately 500) Cars had "two pedal" transmissions and two levers (hand brake lever and reverse lever). The left pedal controlled high, low gear and neutral, and the right pedal applied the brake.
    • Cars made later this year began using the three pedal system and a single lever for the hand brake. The left pedal controlled high gear, low gear, and neutral. The center pedal controlled reverse gear, and the right pedal was the brake.
    • Headlights were illuminated with gas, supplied from either a carbide generator or prestolite tank. The generator (which was bolted to the running board) produced gas by dripping water into a basket containing calcium carbide.
    • Side and tail lamps were illuminated with oil (kerosene).
    • All Cars were painted Brewester Green after June, 1909
    • The first 2500 cars built have many small differences from the subsequent cars built this year
• 1910
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 14,162 to 34,901
  • Body Styles; All cars were painted Brewester Green (very dark, almost black)
    • Touring
    • Tourabout
    • Runabout
    • Landualet
    • Town Car
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Ford Script attached to the radiator dropped during this year
    • New Tourabout model added; Landualet dropped
• 1911
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 34,902 to 88,900 (approximate)
  • Body Styles (All cars were painted Blue; very dark, almost black )
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Torpedo Runabout
    • Open Runabout
    • Town Car (early Town Cars may have been left over 1910s, painted green)
    • Coupe (only 45 produced, may have been left over 1910s painted green)
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Updated Fenders with a wider and longer look
    • Coupe dropped this year
• 1912
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 88,901 to 183,563
  • Body Styles (All cars were painted Blue; very dark, almost black)
    • Touring
    • Torpedo Runabout
    • Runabout
    • Delivery Car (Red with Blue fenders, or black fenders and unpainted bodies)
    • Town Car
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Delivery cars produced for this year only
    • Coupes were not shown in the 1912 catalog, but 19 were reported produced.
    • Several different touring car body variations produced
    • Driver's door did not open on touring cars starting this year
• 1913
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 183,564 to 408,347
  • Body Styles (Dark Blue, with black becoming the standard color early this year)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Town Car
    • Delivery Car (left over 1912 production in various colors or primer)
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • New, more 'modern' looking touring car body introduced this year.
    • The moving Assembly line used for the first time this year
    • Coupes were not shown in the 1913 catalog, but may have been produced.
• 1914
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 408,348 to 656,063
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Town Car
    • Chassis without Body listed in catalog for the first time
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Smaller doors are introduced on the Touring, with rounded bottom corners.
    • Five dollar per day minimum wage announced in January, 1914
    • The coupe was not offered this year.
• 1915
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 656,064 to 1,028,313
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Town Car
    • Sedan
    • Coupelet
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Electric head lamps with brass rims replace gas lamps.
    • Coupelet introduced late in 1914; This body had a folding top with glass side windows which could be lowered .
    • Magneto (electric) horn replaces bulb horn this year
• 1916
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 1,028,314 to 1,614,516
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Sedan
    • Coupelet
    • Town Car
    • Ambulance
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Head lamp rims are changed to black painted steel
    • Speedometer eliminated as standard equipment
    • Ambulance body styles were added for the military
• 1917
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 1,614,517 to 2,449,179
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Sedan
    • Coupelet
    • Town Car
    • Ambulance
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Radiator shell painted black
    • Hood made larger, and the 'step' in the cowl is eliminated
    • Brass trim is replaced with nickel plated trim
    • Fenders are made more 'modern' looking with more curves
    • There were three distinctly different coupelet bodies with both fixed and folding tops
• 1918
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 2,449,180 to 2,831,426
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Sedan
    • Coupelet
    • Town Car
    • Ambulance
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Town car discontinued this year.
    • The coupelet bodies featured fixed, non-folding tops in the same style as later coupes
• 1919
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 2,831,427 to 3,659,971
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Sedan
    • Coupe
    • Town Car
    • Ambulance
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Electric start introduced, standard on closed cars and an option ($75) on open cars. Up until this year, all Model T's had to be hand cranked.
    • Instrument panel installed for the first time on cars equipped with the optional starter.
    • Demountable rims become standard on closed cars, and optional on open cars.
• 1920
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 3,659,972 to 4,698,419
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Sedan
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Oil Lamps no longer installed on cars with electric start. Cars without electric start continued using oil side and tail lamps.
• 1921
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 4,698,420 to 5,568,071
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Sedan
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • New Touring car body introduced.
• 1922
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 5,568,072 to 6,953,071
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Center Door Sedan
    • Fordor Sedan
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • New fordor Sedan Model added which used aluminum body panels.
• 1923
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 6,953,072 to 9,008,371
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Center Door Sedan
    • Tudor Sedan
    • Fordor Sedan
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • New higher radiator introduced, along with a larger hood and more 'modern' cowl.
    • Steel firewall replaces wood used previously.
    • A record of over 2 million Model Ts produced this year
• 1924
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 9,008,372 to 10,994,033
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Tudor Sedan
    • Fordor Sedan
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • New tail lamp assembly introduced.
• 1925
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 10,994,034 to 12,990,076
  • Body Styles (All Cars were painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Pick Up
    • Tudor Sedan
    • Fordor Sedan
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Engine Number stamped on frames starting in December of this year
    • The price of the Touring car is reduced to an all time low of $290.
    • More steel is used in the bodies, replacing wood components used previously. Basic appearance remains the same.
    • Balloon tires offered as an option.
• 1926
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 12,990,077 to 14,619,254
  • Body Styles (All Cars were initially painted black with black fenders)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Pick Up
    • Tudor Sedan (later Cars available in Green)
    • Fordor Sedan (later Cars available in Maroon)
    • Coupe (later Cars available in Green)
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Colors other than black available for the first time since 1913
    • Fenders changed for a smoother, more "modern" look
    • Electric start becomes standard, and oil lamps discontinued on all cars.
• 1927
  • Engine Serial Numbers: 14,619,255 to 15,007,033
  • Body Styles (Various color options with black fenders; black available on special order only)
    • Touring
    • Runabout
    • Pick Up
    • Tudor Sedan
    • Fordor Sedan
    • Coupe
  • Some significant Changes made during this year:
    • Additional Paint Colors added this year
    • The 15 millionth Model T produced this year
    • Engine Number 15,007,033 produced on June 1st, 1927, reputed to be installed in the last car built