Today Tin Lizzie's birthday ? (see UPDATE)

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This week Lizzie turns 100, but no-one seems to agree on her exact birthday. Ford Motor Company celebrates October 1st as the start, but that was the day that the Model T was unveiled to the public. Georgano mentions “October 1908” and The Standard Catalogue of American Cars says “introduced in October 1908”. Another source states today as the day that the first Tin Lizzie was completed in the factory and we have also seen the date September 27th. According to Robert Lacey’s biography of the Ford family, Henry started “to convert his ideas and rough sketches into solid form early one morning in the winter of 1906-1907.” Advance information about the Model T was sent out to the Ford dealers in the spring of 1908. But what really is Lizzie’s official birthday? Who among us is old enough to remember the original date :-) Tell us! (The photo -courtesy Ford- shows Piquette Avenue Plant, where the very first Model Ts were produced)

Both Hugh Nutting and Lars-Göran Lindgren agree that the Ford Runabout in front of the Ford factory is a model N. The models R & S had running boards, but not the model N.
Update I from Ivan Saxton: "Bruce McCalley is probably the foremost authority by research. His book states September 27 as the date of car #1, but there is evidence that there were Ts before that date which he believes were unnumbered experimental/developement cars. The car is your photo is not a T, but N, R, or S. It is definitely not a J, because the bonnet is not long enough for the 6 cylinder version of the N engine."

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