Model T Ford Club International visits St. Marys

The parade of Model T cars coming through St. Marys and the CBHFM was part of the 69th Thames River Model T Tour, an annual gathering for vintage car enthusiasts based out of London.

By Wendy Lamond

Anyone driving by Hearns on Thursday afternoon would have seen a stop on the agenda for approximately 150 Model T vehicles.

The Model T Ford Club International 69th annual tour was hosted this year by the Ontario Region Chapter naming the tour the Thames Valley Tour. It began at the Four Point by Sheraton Hotel in London. The tour took place from Saturday, July 18, and finished on Friday, July 24, with many stops throughout the week at places like Storybook Gardens, Labatt Park and Fanshawe Pioneer Village.

The vintage cars also travelled to nearby towns like Dorchester, Oil Springs, Mt. Brydges, Stratford, St. Thomas, Port Bruce and Port Stanley Beach. Members of the club travel from all over to take part in the annual tour.

The Model Ts are mostly brought by trailer to the hotel and driven from there to the stops on tour. Through the week, there is also a car-judging event that takes place at Plunkett Estate, and the host club puts on a farewell banquet and awards night.

In St. Marys, the club visited the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and then stopped at Hearn’s Dairy for a treat before heading back to London. Drivers came from San Antonio, Texas, Richmond, Va., and Albany, N.Y., as well as from Australia. The 70th tour taking place next summer will be hosted by the Kentucky chapter of the club.

The Model T Ford, which was manufactured between the years 1908 and 1927, can travel up to approximately 64 km/hr at top speed. The international club tour had a variety of Model Ts including touring cars, speedsters, roadsters and pick-up trucks.