2 men retrace historic 1915 road trip in Model T
DETROIT — "I wonder how many times my grandfather did that in the mountains with Edsel Ford?" Frank Book asked Friday, moments after push-starting a 1915 Model T at Ford Motors' engineering center in Dearborn.
Book and his brother Randy were there to watch the recently restored Model T depart on a monthlong journey west to San Francisco that would duplicate the road trip their grandfather Frank P. and grand-uncle Herbert Book, Edsel Ford and four other boyhood friends took a century ago. The 1915 Book brothers drove a Stutz. A Cadillac made up the final car in the party, which braved wilderness, bandit country and creatures ranging from wolves to tarantulas on the journey.
"It was the birth of the American road trip," Mark Gessler, president of the Historic Vehicle Association, said before climbing into the Model T and departing Friday. "1915 was a watershed for auto travel in the United States. Europe was at war, the Lincoln Highway had just opened and the government encouraged people to see America first."
Gessler and HVA historian Casey Maxon will drive the open-topped Model T Touring Car — it's tiny by modern standards — along the Ford party's route, with numerous stops along the way to meet people and talk about the automobile's role in America's history.
The first stop will be at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Ind., for a "cars and coffee" breakfast gathering Saturday. The next stop is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Museum on Monday.
"We want a mix of events to meet the public and to experience the American road trip," Maxon said.
The 21st century Book brothers were unaware of the original trip before HVA contacted them.
"It blew us away. It was like opening up a mystery novel." said Frank, who's 65 and lives in Shreveport, La.
"They were all kids," Randy Book, 56 and a resident of metro Detroit, said. "They didn't feel special" despite the fact that their families would effect the course of American history. "They went out to have fun before they settled into their adult roles."
To follow the road trip's progress, go to www.drivehistory.org. The HVA also has Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram accounts that will track the journey.