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wT 12 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, July 24, 1990 The day the Model T Fords came to town As one old timer said, "Henry Fora sure started something, didn't e." Indeed he did. And last Thurs- day afternoon, Port Perry got a won- derful glimpse at part of the Henry Fordlegacy. More than 300 of the famous Model T's rolled into town and came to a stop along Queen Street. The old cars and their proud owners are part of the Model T Ford Club International, and the reason for the special visit to Port Perry was part of the Club's 34th Annual Tour. The Club has members from all over Canada and the United States, and this year the Tour was based from North York. All last week, the car owners made trips to points of interest in this part of Ontario, and Port Perry was fortunate enough to be included asone of the stops. And hundreds of people from Port Perry and area came out to view the car that made Henry Ford famous. Most had been restored with new paint and chrome that glis- tened in the bright afternoon sun. And there were numerous dif- ferent styles: from the snappy road- sters with rumble seats to station wagons, touring cars and even deliv- ery trucks. Garry Potter of North York, served as Tour chairman this year. He's a collector of antique and clas- siccars. He described the Model T as cantakerous and pernickity, but "re- liable and built to last." Some 15 million Model T's rolled off the Ford assembly lines be- tween 1909 and 1927, and they were pretty much just a basic car. "A bucket of nuts and bolts on four wheels that just keeps running and running," was the way one own- er described the vehicle. They were built for the average guy, costing about $300, a bargain when one considers that other cars of the era had price tags of $700 and up. And mostly they came in one colour, for as Henry Ford himself was supposed to have said, "I'll give them any colour they want, so long asit'sblack." Mr. Potter said Club members thoroughly enjoy the Tours and bringing their cars to communities like Port Perry. "We like to see people come out to see our cars," he said. And judging from the size of the crowds that walked up and down Queen Street, they were getting a lot of enjoyment out of viewing these pieces of history. And the Ford owners them- selves also were having a great time, talking to the public about the cars, and enjoying a friendly reception in a small town on a hot mid-summer afternoon. Turn to Page 13