Special Ford Model T snowmobile exhibition

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (Feb. 6, 2019) — The Saratoga Automobile Museum, Tri-City T’s Club, and the Capital District Chapter of the Model T Ford Club of America will be demonstrating two to three Model T snowmobile variants on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Saratoga Automobile Museum.

Club members will be on hand to give rides and answer questions about the Model T snowmobiles, free of charge. There will be a presentation on the differences between the snowmobile variant and a regular Model T within the Orientation Theater of the Saratoga Automobile Museum, with regular museum admission.

“The Model T snowmobile is an inherently unique variant of the world’s most famous automobile. The Museum is honored and excited to display this piece of automotive history for visitors of all ages to enjoy,” said Carly T. Connors, executive director.

Virgil D. White, a Ford dealer in Ossipee, N.H., built his first snowmobile attachment in 1913. In 1917, White received a patent for an attachment designed to convert a Model T into a ‘snowmobile,’ a name he coined and copyrighted. The snowmobile became an indispensable convenience for people requiring rapid, dependable transport in winter weather. Country doctors and rural mail carriers were the largest users of this type of vehicle. It was claimed that the Model T snowmobile had the ability to travel over two and a half feet of unbroken snow at an average speed of 18 m.p.h.

Visitors are also encouraged to participate in the Hoffman Car Wash/Jiffy Lube Model T Restoration project that will be taking place concurrently from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. inside the museum.

The Saratoga Automobile Museum offers a wide variety of programming with a focus on collector cars. Part of the museum’s mission is to captivate children, young adults, as well as “kids at heart” to the car hobby and provide them with both lifelong learning and community.