1916 Ford Runabout
"In the spring of 1916 I had $500 saved up and bought a 1916 new Ford Roadster for $398.00. It took a crank to start them at night you opened the headlights and touched a match to the carbide gas to form the lights. At first, water was added to carbide - crystals, to generate gas. Later on gas was available in a tank fastened to the running board. There were no dimmers. If you had a flat, you jacked up the car and had to patch the tire from scratch. Some cars had a spare tire. The windshield wiper operated by hand. When it rained, curtains stored under the back seat were put on the sides."
Harry wrote this in the autobiography he wrote in the Spring of 1968.
In 1916 Ford produced four models - a Coupe, Touring Car, Sedan, Town Car, and Runabout. There were 98,633 Runabouts produced and they sold for $390.00 according to the American Automobiles website. "They had 100 inch wheelbase and a 56 inch tread with 30 inch wheels and tires."
The 1916 Ford was featured in a Westinghouse ad that can be found on Amazon.com.
Sources
1. American Automobiles Website http://www.american-automobiles.com/Ford/1916-Ford.html
2. Amazon.com Ad https://smile.amazon.com/Ford-Roadster-Driver-Westinghouse-Electric/dp/B00QPSRCGG/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g1405964225?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8
3. Picture of 1916 Ford Runabout https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1916_Ford_T_Runabout_pic2.JPG
4. The Autobiography of Harry B Sennott manuscript in the collection of the author.
