STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — A historic figure will take a breather in Steamboat Springs on Wednesday amid a cross-country trip.
That figure? The ten-millionth Ford Model T, the world's first mass-market automobile.
The vehicle will make a stop at Steamboat Motors at 2310 Lincoln Avenue Suite A between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday, though the timing may change based on how well the car does in the thin air and high terrain, AAA said. Click here for its route from Wyoming to Steamboat Springs.
The Museum of American Speed is leading the trip, which is sponsored by AAA. Museum staff and volunteers are driving the vehicle and a trailer is following the car when needed.
"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."
The Ford Model T is making its way from New York to San Francisco, mirroring a similar journey it made in 1924 — 100 years ago. That year, members of the Ford Motor company drove the vehicle across the United States along the Lincoln Highway to encourage Americans to purchase a car, a brand new invention.
The first 1909 Model T Touring Car was produced on Oct. 1, 1908 and sold for $850. That price hit a low of $290 on Dec. 2, 1908 due to improved assembly line production methods. Production of the Model T stopped in May 1927 after more than 15 million cars were sold.
The ten-millionth Ford Model T left the factory on June 4, 1924. This June, it started its latest trek of traveling across the country.
