The Associated Press
HICKORY CORNERS, Mich.–A different kind of driving lesson–in a vehicle with a top speed of 65 km/h that hasn’t been produced in nearly a century–is gaining traction in western Michigan.
More than 500 people have learned to drive a Model T at the Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo this year.
“[At] first, I was terrified. Absolutely terrified that I was going to break something, but then you realize that these things were built bulletproof,” said Keith Maes, a 49-year-old from Kentwood, Mich., who was one of two dozen people who took part in a recent Model T class.
The four-hour classes cost $105, and include three student drives and three ride-and-observe sessions inside Henry Ford’s motorcar for the masses.
Instructors such as Jim Brand are there every step of the way, including to hand-crank the Model T if the novice drivers stall it, as they sometimes do.
Brand is a longtime Model T fan. Really long.
The 92-year-old drove Model Ts as a teenager living in Dearborn, Mich., Henry Ford’s hometown and the current home of the auto company he pioneered.
Brand has a 1926 model that he drives in parades, at graduations, and weddings.
Once the students complete the course, they attend a graduation ceremony, where they are presented with a book about the Model T, a DVD of vintage newsreel footage, and a driving school certificate.
