Model F, 1908-09                      Period Images    Home
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There are few ways to distinguish 1908 season Model F's from those of the 1909 season.
There were two changes in body offerings -
    A Model F runabout has to be from the 1908 season.
    A Model F Flyabout has to be from the 1909 or 1910 seasons.
(1910 is easily distinguished by the curved and billed front fenders.)

This photo is of a new car was taken Jan. 30, 1908.

Timothy Wahl, photo by his great-grandfather Frank Wahl

And this car was probably taken off the line in July of 1909.

Michigan State University

The windshield frames are different, and there are photos of other cars with the first one.
But windshields were not officially part of the factory equipment.

The wheels have an appearance of smaller diameter on the later car.
This may be an illusion due to the color of the rims.
1908 and 1908 Model F specifications all show tires of the same size.

Touring cars

"Yep, she'll go now!"

Michael Longfield


Jeff Malka


The Harold car

Harold Coker placed copies of these 3 images in the AACA Library.


Harold Coker


Harold Coker


Harold Coker


The O'Neill car

This was surely a demonstrater for O'Neill's Electric Starting and Lighting system.
The only visible change on the outside seems to be a prominently mounted 3rd acetylene headlamp.


Detroit Public Library


Detroit Public Library


Detroit Public Library


Detroit Public Library


The Buffalo-to-Boston windshield

Numerous cars had this same windshield, seen on Jan. 30, 1908 on the Buffalo-to-Boaton car.

This one was in a 1909 book, and appears to be a factory photo.
Perhaps this is another indication that this windshield was furnished by the factory at that time an accessory

Automobiles, 1909

One of only two known photos of a Model F with a louvered hood..
A Model F was used as a pathfinder for a western Pennsylvania reliability run held in April of 1909 - this may be that car.

eBay

Jeff Malka


Jeff Malka

The next two photos are of a car that participated in the 1909 Good Roads tour from New York to Atlanta.
J. Lee Barnes, of Atlanta, drove this car, one of 4 Thomases on the tour.
Note the heavy Fisk bolt-on rims.


Detroit Public Library


Detroit Public Library


The wood-framed windshield


Jerry Grulkey


eBay


copied onto a Facebook page, without attribution


The 4-seaters

Unfortunately very few photos of Flyabouts seen to have survived.
These three tantalizing 4-seat cars are all that are left.

Clearly a Tourabout.  A very rare image.

Detroit Public Library

Probably a Flyabout - it looks like a full back seat.


And finally, the mystery car.

Practical Treatise On Automobiles, 1909

This photo is labeled "Tourabout," but the Tourabout had a double bucket rear seat and no rear doors.
However, this car has the Tourabout's curved rear fender.
It also has the Tourabout's lever positioning - the Flyabout's levers were closer to the seat.
It has short front fenders. that meet the running board at about the firewall.
    In the 1909 catalog, both Tourabout and Flyabout had longer front fenders.
However, this car does closely resemble the two Flyabouts shown on the 1909 page.