By Shannon Lukens.
The ten-millionth Ford Model T ever made, came over Rabbit Ears Pass today, and stopped in Steamboat Springs.
That’s the horn on the 100-year-old car, built in Detroit in 1924. That year, it was driven from New York to San Francisco by former race car driver Frank Kulick.
That same drive is happening right now.
The traveling crew rides in the car, and some are in the support vehicle. They can travel about 45 miles per hour, and they drive about 200 miles a day. Tuesday, they started in Laramie, and made it over Rabbit Ears Pass, to stop at Steamboat Motors. Bill Vocasek is a volunteer with the adventure and he said it was going about 25 mph on Rabbit Ears Pass.
On Wednesday, they’ll keep heading west through Craig and Moffat County and on into Vernal, Utah. The goal is to make it to San Francisco for the coast-to-coast adventure, by June 25. Once they make it to the final stop in California, the car will be trailered back to Lincoln, Nebraska, and its final home at the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed.
Here’s the dashboard, and yes, that is an IPhone charger.
AAA is sponsoring the journey. Here’s a press release on the event; June 19, 2024.
Historic Vehicle to Visit Colorado
Wednesday: 1924 Ford Model T Stops in the Yampa Valley
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (June 18, 2024) – Come one, come all: The ten-millionth Ford Model T, the world’s first mass-market automobile, is sputtering along a coast-to-coast trip from New York to San Francisco. Sponsored by AAA, this trip commemorates a similar journey 100 years ago, in 1924, taken then in a promotional effort to encourage Americans to embrace a novel invention: the car.
This year, the trip will stop in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Members of the media, history buffs, gearheads and more are encouraged to stop by Steamboat Motors on Wednesday, June 19 sometime between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. – though the timing will be dictated by how well this historic vehicle takes to thin air and high-country terrain.
“I can think of no better place for this piece of automotive history to pay respects to than the Yampa Valley,” said Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA and a small business owner in Oak Creek. “This place has become what it is in part because the car opened so many new routes to northwest Colorado – and so, because of it, so many folks have been able to see why this is such a magical, singular place.”
AAA was formed in 1902, six years before the first Ford Model T rolled off the line – and in 1915 was the first to introduce assistance at the roadside for stranded motorists, a legendary service it provides to this day.
“AAA is proud to be among the pioneers who helped popularize the automobile by fighting for safe and reliable roads, mapping out routes, and assisting our friends and neighbors whenever they had a breakdown,” McKinley said. “It’s an honor to be involved with this coast-to-coast trip as we celebrate how much the automobile has shaped American life, how far we’ve come, and as we look ahead to a bold new future of mobility.”
What: The ten-millionth Ford Model T ever made is stopping by Steamboat Springs!
Where: Steamboat Motors | 2310 Lincoln Ave Ste A, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
When: Wednesday, June 19 – 4pm-ish to 6pm-ish