Our ‘Pioneer’ series has featured many an outfit on the famous
Ford Model-T but few of them would have won prizes for their looks.
In contrast to the early creations for the wealthy, motorhomes
based on the ‘T’ tended to be built to a price, like the Tin Lizzie
itself, and function mattered more than frills. However, this
pioneer creation on the Ford TT - the one-tonner - is something
of an exception which does win points for style. It is preserved
at ‘Autoworld’, the superb motor museum in the Palais Mondial
at the Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels Motor Show and where,
at one of the shows before 1912, the magnificent Belgian motorhome
which was featured in MHM Vol. 1, No.4 made its debut.
The Ford TT had almost three times the payload of the Model-T
car/van chassis and a wheelbase lengthened by two feet to 10ft
4in. It was well suited to carry a motorhome body and had more
powerful brakes to cater for the extra weight. The 2.9-litre,
4-cylinder side-valve engine, however, produced no more power
than in the car - just 20 or 22 bhp (depending on compression
ratio) at 1800 rpm and max. torque of 80 lb.f.ft. at 850 rpm.
With gearing lowered to give just half the mph per 1000 rpm of
the car, the standard Ton Truck was no speedster. Racing the engine
by cruising at over 15 mph, users were cautioned, was likely to
lead to overheating! Vehicles running at well under the permitted
gross weight of the TT could be equipped with the higher ‘Express’
gearing. Did this Belgian outfit quality? If so, it might have
managed a steady twenty.
The coachbuilt body of this smart motorhome looks to have been
constructed more to the standards of the cars of the twenties
than to those of the commercials. Thanks to the gentlest of curves
to the side panels it does not have a slab-sided appearance and
the cab area benefits from neatly fitting doors with wind-down
windows The curved roof is crowned by a clerestory, or Mollicroft,
section typical of the period, although the covering of roofing
felt looks out of place. Canvas waterproofed by several coats
of paint was the usual roof finish for caravans pre-1940 and this
is one detail of the restoration to museum standard which does
not fully reflect the original specification of this oldtimer.
A rear porch has featured on several between-the-wars motorhomes
and that on the Autoworld example comes equipped with tip-up seats.
The spindle-turned balusters to the porch handrail and the floral
artwork on the body might be in imitation of the decoration on
gipsy caravans - or could it be a nostalgic touch of Art Nouveau
when Art Deco was in the ascendant? Up front, the opening windscreen
is another distinctive feature of this Belgian beauty. An opening
‘screen was the norm on both cars and commercials before windscreen
wipers and demisters had become routine fitments but this one
takes an unusual and complicated form. Was its shape intended
to shed rain more effectively than from a flat screen?
In the cab the motorhome has permanent seating for three with
a double seat to the right of the driver. However, the driving
position in the ‘T’ is quite close to centre and a folding seat
is accommodated on the left, making four-in-a-row feasible. It
may have been possible to pack in the people but the cab is otherwise
remarkable for its stark emptiness. Henry Ford’s workhorse lacked
not only wipers but a speedometer was not standard and the ‘fuel
gauge’ was a dipstick. Still to come in the motoring world were
such conveniences and comforts as indicators, heating and ventilation
systems and, of course, the radio. An ammeter graced the dash
of the Model-T car by 1924 for it had acquired an electric starter,
battery and generator but the TT had none of these. The engine
was still fired up by swinging a starting handle and the headlights
drew their power from the magneto (oil lamps served as side- and
tail lights).
Below the bare dashboard of the TT, our photograph shows three
footpedals and a handbrake lever. Where is the gearlever, you
may wonder if not familiar with the workings of the Model-T? Gear
selection with the 2-speed epicyclic Ford gearbox was by pedals.
The pedal on the left has both gear and clutch functions: fully
depressed it selects low gear, halfway is neutral with clutch
disengaged, fully up it selects high. The handbrake also works
the clutch system - brake on is clutch disengaged - whilst the
centre pedal is pressed down for reverse. The pedal on the right
is the footbrake, which works on the transmission (a brake on
the propshaft) not on the wheels. Certainly the Ford ‘T’ was different
to drive compared with vehicles with a conventional clutch/gearbox
arrangement but not necessarily more difficult when with the latter
one had to master the niceties of double-declutching because the
’box had no synchromesh.
The caravan area of the Belgian motorhome is set out simply and
to accommodated two. On the right is a seatbox which can be enlarged
by the addition of the tabletops to create a double bed. The tables
are provided with robust tubular legs; the long set for normal
dining use and the short set for the bed construction. As our
photograph shows, the rear table on its short legs can also be
used for an alternative L-seating arrangement. It is a pity that
restoration of the interior has not extended to providing upholstery,
the interior looks a little naked without cushions and curtains.
And tabletops are another detail which appears out-of-period -
if you’re familiar with the German Reimo motor caravan furniture
you’ll probably recognise the restrained multi-colour dot patterned
laminate used for both tables and worktops.
Storage was a strong point of the layout with the kitchen unit
providing three good double-door cupboards and four drawers. In
addition there is an overcab locker plus a number of exterior,
underfloor compartments. The kitchen has a good working area at
the forward end, a lower centre section where a cooker would have
stood and with a hood and flue above to carry away heat, steam
and cooking smells, while at the rear there is an inset sink.
Missing compared with the modern layout which might occupy similar
space is a wardrobe and a toilet cubicle, although the ‘inside’
toilet was not in favour in the pioneering era. Despite manufacturers’
claims that their chemical closets were both odourless and germfree
these accessories were regularly banished to a toilet tent.
Autoworld’s Ford TT motorhome is one of the rare survivors from
pioneering days and rarer still in being on public display. Pay
her a visit if you are in Brussels and enjoy, too, the fine collection
of vehicles beneath the magnificent arched roof of the Palais
Modial. There are grand horsedrawn carriages, turn-of-the-century
horseless carriages, the magnificent motors of the rich and famous
from the twenties and thirties, ‘peoples’ cars, bubble cars, motor
cycles and more - over 300 vehicles in total. Sited to the east
of the city centre, there is plenty of parking space adjacent
to the museum (free!) and room for the largest of motorhomes.
Autoworld is open from 10.00 to 18.00 from 1st April to 30th September
and closes an hour earlier other months; it is closed on Christmas
day and New Years Day. Entry cost 150 BF. |
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