Model T enthusiasts flocking to 'T Party'

Model T Fords will be shown at the Centennial "T Party." (Associated Press/File)

Nancy Wall and Dave Loving of Mansfield are heading to Indiana next week to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Model T.

The couple will be traveling with 17 other members of the Massachusetts Model T Club to attend the 2008 Centennial "T Party," which will take place in Richmond, Ind., from Monday to Saturday. The event is expected to draw more than 15,000 Model T enthusiasts from all over the world, including as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, France, Germany, Norway, and Portugal.

The Model T revolutionized the auto industry because it was the first affordable, mass-produced automobile that had standard, interchangeable parts, according to the Ford Motor Co. The first Model T was built for sale on Oct. 1, 1908.

These early vehicles, affectionately known as "tin Lizzies," were equipped with 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engines that reached a top speed of 45 miles per hour. Production officially ended on May 26, 1927.

Wall and Loving own two tin Lizzies. They'll be towing their vintage 1910 Ford Model T out to Indiana, where it will be joined by about 1,000 antique cars.

"There's something about a Model T that makes everyone smile," said Wall in a statement.

The event - which begins with opening remarks by Edsel B. Ford II, a descendant of Henry Ford - is being hosted by the Model T Ford Club of America and sponsored by Ford Motor Co.

The festivities will include several tours, car shows, a vintage baseball game, and an assembly competition.

The Massachusetts Model T Club also plans to set up a tent where other New England club members are welcome to stop by and chat.