Which Model T version to buy
Buy 2.9 MT. It is the only version in the data.
Buy 2.9 MT. It is the only version in the data.
What that version is, in the numbers that exist:
| Version | hp | Nm | Displacement (cm³) | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Gears | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.9 MT | 20 | 113 | 2896 | Gasoline | 4 | Inline | No | Manual | 2 | RWD |
There is no second row. A comparison between versions therefore has nothing to subtract except 2.9 MT from itself. Power difference versus any other Model T in this file is 0 hp. Torque difference is 0 Nm. Displacement difference is 0 cm³. Gear count difference is 0. Drive difference is none: RWD versus RWD.
If a listing claims another Model T engine, another gearbox, or another generation, that claim is outside this dataset. This article cannot price that extra, because prices are not in the data. It can only say the extra is not a numbered version here.
Specs: 2.9 MT as the only buy
2.9 MT is a Gasoline engine, 4 cylinders, Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No. Placement is Front, longitudinal. Fuel system is Carburetor. Compression ratio is 3.98. Bore × stroke is 95.25 × 101.6. Power is 20 hp / 15 kW at 1600 rpm. Torque is 113 Nm at 900 rpm.
Gearbox is Manual, 2 gears. Drive is RWD. Front suspension is Dependent, leaf spring. Rear suspension is Dependent, leaf spring. Front brakes are Drum. Rear brakes are Drum.
Those labels are the catalogue English labels. They do not change across the production window. Buying “an early Model T” versus “a late Model T” does not, in this file, buy a different cylinder count, a different layout, a different boost state, or a different drive.
Power per litre for 2.9 MT is 20 / 2.896 ≈ 6.91 hp per litre. Torque per litre is 113 / 2.896 ≈ 39.0 Nm per litre. Kilowatts per litre are 15 / 2.896 ≈ 5.18 kW per litre. Those ratios are the same for every year from 1908-09-01 to 1927-12-31, because displacement and output do not change in the data.
Peak torque sits at 900 rpm; peak power sits at 1600 rpm. The gap is 700 rpm. That is the only rpm spread the file gives. There is no second engine with a higher redline to compare.
Compression 3.98 is the only compression figure. There is no later Model T in this catalogue with a higher ratio that would be “the one to buy if you want more squeeze.” Boost is No on 2.9 MT; there is no forced-induction version whose extra output you could weigh against the naturally aspirated 20 hp.
Engine: what a second version would have to beat
If this catalogue later added another version, the arithmetic a buyer would use is already fixed by 2.9 MT:
- To beat 2.9 MT on power, a new version would need more than 20 hp.
- To beat it on torque, more than 113 Nm.
- To beat it on specific power, more than 6.91 hp/l.
- To beat it on gears, more than 2 Manual ratios, or a different gearbox type — the only gearbox type here is Manual.
- To beat it on driven axles, something other than RWD. The only drive here is RWD.
None of those alternatives exist in the given generations. Generation count is 1. Modification count in that generation is 1. The generation name in the data is 1 generation. Body is Cabrio. Years: 1908-09-01–1927-12-31. The modification uses the same start and stop dates.
So the generation question collapses into the version question. You are not choosing between a first-generation 2.9 MT and a later-generation 2.9 MT. There is no later generation. You are not choosing between two 2.9 MT rows that share a name and differ by horsepower. There is one 2.9 MT at 20 hp.
Production length of the recorded generation is from 1908-09-01 to 1927-12-31. That is the window in which 2.9 MT is the buy. Outside that window this catalogue does not list a Model T version at all.
Performance, mpg, and what is not measured
Top speed for 2.9 MT is 72. Acceleration 0–100 is not measured. City consumption is not measured. Highway consumption is not measured. Combined consumption is not measured. CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. Fuel grade is not measured.
A buyer comparing “which Model T is quicker” cannot use a 0–100 figure from this file, because the only version has 0–100 not measured. A buyer comparing “which Model T uses less fuel” cannot use mpg or l/100 km from this file, because city, highway, and combined are all not measured. The only performance number that exists to compare is top speed 72, and there is no second version with a different top speed.
If two listings both claim to be 2.9 MT, the catalogue does not give a speed or mpg difference between them. They share 72 top speed and share not measured for the rest of the performance block.
Power at 1600 rpm and torque at 900 rpm are the operating points that are measured. They do not substitute for a 0–100 time. They also do not create a second version: both points belong to the same 2.9 MT.
Dimensions, weight, tank, wheels
Kerb weight for 2.9 MT is not measured. Gross weight is not measured. Ground clearance is not measured. Tank volume is not measured. Wheel size is not measured.
Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated, because kerb weight is not measured. Weight per litre cannot be calculated for the same reason. “Which version is lighter” has no second mass and no first mass. “Which version has more ground clearance” has no clearance figure. “Which version has the larger tank” has no tank figure. “Which wheels to spec” has no wheel size in the data.
Chassis items that are measured are the same for the only version: Dependent, leaf spring front, Dependent, leaf spring rear, Drum front, Drum rear. Buying a different Model T in this catalogue does not buy a different suspension type or a different brake type, because there is no other version.
Reliability and problems: what the numbers do and do not say
This file does not list failure rates, recall counts, or common faults. Reliability in the sense of “which generation broke less” is not measured. Problems in the sense of a fault list are not measured.
What the numbers do say about mechanical simplicity is limited to configuration, not durability:
- 2.9 MT has boost No, so there is no turbo or supercharger in the recorded spec.
- Fuel system is Carburetor, not a second system alongside it.
- Gearbox is Manual with 2 gears, not a longer-ratio alternative.
- Cylinders are 4, layout Inline, valves per cylinder 2.
- Drive is RWD only.
None of that is a reliability ranking. It is the parts list of the only buy. A listing that adds a different boost, a different gearbox, or a different cylinder layout is not matching 2.9 MT as recorded.
Compression 3.98 is low relative to nothing in this file except itself; there is no second Model T compression to subtract from 3.98. Bore 95.25 and stroke 101.6 give a stroke-to-bore ratio of 101.6 / 95.25 ≈ 1.067. That ratio belongs to 2.9 MT only.
Generations: nothing changed in the recorded line
1 generation is the whole Model T in this catalogue. Years 1908-09-01–1927-12-31. Body Cabrio. Versions: 1, named 2.9 MT.
There is no restyling split into another generation. There is no “which generation changed what” beyond the fact that the recorded generation did not add a second modification. Power stayed 20 hp. Torque stayed 113 Nm. Displacement stayed 2896 cm³. Top speed stayed 72. Gearbox stayed Manual, 2 gears. Drive stayed RWD.
Arithmetic on “what the later years bought” is therefore 0 extra hp, 0 extra Nm, 0 extra cm³, 0 extra gears, 0 extra driven wheels. The extra money, if a seller asks more for a later year, is not explained by a second spec row. Prices are not in the data; the spec row does not change.
If you are choosing between two cars both described as Ford Model T Cabrio in this generation, the catalogue comparison is identity, not a trim walk: both should be 2.9 MT at 20 hp and 113 Nm if they match this file.
What the extra money cannot buy (in this dataset)
Because there is only 2.9 MT:
- Extra money cannot buy more than 20 hp inside this catalogue.
- Extra money cannot buy more than 113 Nm.
- Extra money cannot buy a gearbox other than Manual.
- Extra money cannot buy more than 2 gears.
- Extra money cannot buy drive other than RWD.
- Extra money cannot buy boost other than No.
- Extra money cannot buy a fuel type other than Gasoline.
- Extra money cannot buy a body type other than Cabrio in the recorded generation.
- Extra money cannot buy a measured 0–100, mpg, tank, weight, clearance, or wheel size, because those are not measured on the only version.
The buy decision that is supported: take 2.9 MT if you want the Model T this catalogue specifies. Do not treat a second undocumented version as a data-backed upgrade. Do not treat missing 0–100 or mpg as zero; they are not measured. Do not invent a six-cylinder or a V layout: cylinders are 4, layout is Inline. Do not split 1 generation into numbered restyles the file does not contain.
2.9 MT is the version. 20 hp, 113 Nm, 2896 cm³, Gasoline, 4 Inline, boost No, Manual 2, RWD, top speed 72, production 1908-09-01–1927-12-31, body Cabrio. That is the whole choice the numbers allow.