Ford has long rallied around its "Built Ford Tough" slogan to sell modern-day F-Series pickups, but this man's Model T pickup provides a whole new meaning for the tagline.
Randall Pitman has owned his 1927 Model T pickup for 70 years and he still drives it to this day, starting it with the hand crank every time. The CBC reported on Pitman and his seriously vintage pickup ahead of a classic truck show in Prince Edward Island earlier this month. Pitman said he would travel 373 miles to the show from his home. However, he planned to transport the Model T on a flatbed to make sure none of the hard-to-source parts break down on the long journey. Pitman claimed it's not that the truck can't make the drive, he simply doesn't want to chance it.
Like so many cars still in the hands of original owners, Pitman's story is one of hard work and passion. He told the broadcast company that he saved up for the Model T pickup while working at a gas station. He knew the truck was heading to auction soon, and while making 10 cents an hour, he brought $50 worth of savings to the auction house.
There, he bid $45 for the Model T pickup then outbid himself to land on the final sale price of $47.50. That was 1949, and he's been driving the car ever since.
Alongside this trusty Ford pickup sits another 1927 Model T, this one a coupe. Pitman purchased the coupe in the 1960s and has been restoring it as well as the truck for the past few years. Pitman doesn't know how many miles he has put on either car.
Did we mention Pitman is 87 years old? The cars, he said, keep him busy—and obviously happy.