Ford Model T on the dynamometer: How much horsepower is left after 108 years?

A classic car enthusiast from the USA decided to put a 1915 Ford Model T on the dyno. Let’s see how much horsepower is left after more than a century.

Merlin’s Old School Garage, is the name of the YouTube channel of the workshop where the old four-wheeler was put through its paces. The owner of the classic car plans to install another engine in the front, but wanted to know how many in advance American ponies are still alive after 108 years.

On the roller bench

According to the manufacturer, the 2.9-liter in-line four-cylinder in the Ford Model T should produce around 20 hp. At least when it left the factory in 1915. That corresponds to less than 7 hp per liter. We have come a long way since then. Today there are production cars with combustion engines that produce more than 200 hp per liter.

It now appears that a number of horses have died. The ancient Ford Model T does its best with its narrow tires on the dynamometer, but the old all-wheel drive vehicle can no longer produce more than 13 hp. What’s impressive is the 120 Nm of torque that the engine still produces, which is more than the 113 Nm that the T-Ford would have ex works.

Ford Model T as a used car

The Model T is one of the first cars to be produced on an assembly line. When the model first came onto the market in 1908, you paid 825 dollars (750 euros) for it. Today it is just over 24,000 euros. However, Ford quickly managed to reduce the price so that in 1915 only 390 dollars (354 euros) had to be paid for the above-mentioned T-Ford.

This relatively low price could be offered because the Ford was produced in large numbers. Between 1908 and 1927, the brand built around 15,000 examples of the Ford Model T. For this reason, a Ford T can be found surprisingly cheaply as a used car.