Henry’s wonderful Model-T was the maid-of-all-work of the automotive
world. During its 19 years in production the ‘T’ came with a variety
of factory and proprietary types of passenger body, whilst the
‘T’ chassis and the long wheelbase ‘TT’ version catered for all
kinds of commercial applications including even fire engines and
vehicles adapted to run on rails. From 1908 until 1927, when Henry
Ford finally admitted that the Model-T was past its sell-by date,
over 15 million were produced and they were in every corner from
Alaska to Zanzibar.
The Model-T was a favourite foundation for early motorhomes and
we have featured many in this series, most recently (October 2000)
the amazing Zagelmeyer survivor in its American homeland. This
Lamsteed Kamper was a contemporary and was produced from 1921
until 1926 by Anheuser-Busch of St Louis, Missouri. In 1922 the
Lamsteed unit, complete with full equipment and ready to mount
on a standard Model-T Ford chassis, was priced at $535. That was
not cheap considering that at the time a basic Model-T ‘Runabout’
cost just half that price, although the optional electric starter
and detachable-rim wheels added an $85 premium.
The Lamsteed Kamper was designed for the kind of vacation one
had always dreamed about, proclaimed the company’s brochure. ‘Go
anywhere you wish - stopping at your own hotel, eating your own
cooking at your own table - all in great comfort at a price you
can afford. Enjoy the splendours of Yellowstone, the majesty of
the Grand Canyon, visit balmy Palm Beach...’.
Like the Zagelmeyer and some other contemporary American motorhomes
on the Model-T, the Lamsteed Kamper featured foldout side extensions
for the beds. The enclosing canvas could be opened on warm nights,
as shown in our picture, when to keep out flying invaders we trust
that mosquito nets were provided. With its beds ‘out in the wings’
the Kamper would have retained reasonable floorspace but we have
no details of internal layout. No doubt there were lockers for
storage, washing and cooking facilities.
In the latter area, the American autocamper had a wider choice
than his British counterpart. In addition to cookers fuelled by
paraffin or petrol, American manufacturers were already offering
bottled gas by the early 1920s. However, the ‘Prest-O-Lite’ tanks
contained not propane or butane but acetylene and were provided
with separate outlets and control valves to supply both cooking
and lighting appliances. Also in common use were built-in ice
boxes and portable refrigerator baskets, the latter relying also
on crushed ice - easily available throughout the US - and not
a mechanical cooling system. With good insulation and a fresh
charge of ice, food could be kept adequately cold for up to 36
hours.
Throughout its 19 year run the Model-T employed a 2.9-litre 4-cyl.
side-valve engine developing 20 or 22 bhp at 1600rpm (depending
on compression ratio) and 80 lb.f.ft. at 850rpm. It was not famed
for its performance but rather for ruggedness thanks to Ford’s
pioneering use of high strength with low weight vanadium steels.
Compared with its contemporaries, idiosyncrasies of the Ford’s
design included a magneto system incorporated into the flywheel
and the two-speed-and-reverse epicyclic gearbox with two-pedal
actuation. The latter made for easier driving than the conventional
sliding-gear ‘crash’ gearbox. Henry Ford, never one to readily
agree changes, resisted to the end the trend by other makers to
fit their cars with frontwheel brakes from the early twenties.
Sold as standard from the early days with just the most basic
of equipment, the Model-T was ripe for after market add-ons. Speedometers,
petrol- and oil gauges, special horns, anti-rattle devices - they
were just the start of a list which grew to over 5000 accessories,
modifications and embellishments over the life of the vehicle.
There were carburettors and coil ignition systems to lift performance
and economy; shock absorbers, road smoothers and snubbers to improve
ride and handling. For better braking one could specify Ford’s
own so-called ‘Rocky Mountain’ brakes or any number of proprietary
kits. Enjoying popularity also with owners of Model-T motorhomes
were supplementary gearboxes such as the Ruckstell 2-speeder fitting
in the rear axle or the 2-speed Moore attached behind the original
‘box to double the number of ratios. There was even a 4 x 4 conversion
kit for the ‘T’ as well as a so-called ‘gearless differential’
which appears to have brought similar advantages to the modern
limited-slip diff.
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