Ford is promoting the excellent new 2022 Maverick with a series of “Hack your Maverick” videos that illustrate DIY projects owners can do to make their Maverick’s different, just like everybody else’s. Despite the expected corporate spoliation of the cultural zeitgeist (thank you, Ford; this whole “hack” thing was really getting hackneyed), the fact is that Ford did build what might well be the first hackable car: The Model T.
Almost as soon as Mr. Ford’s magnificent machines hit America’s rutted roads, people started modding it to make it better, safer and more livable—and with 15 million Model Ts built over a 20-year production run, there were plenty of hackers a-hacking. We thought it’d be fun to look at five popular hacks for the Model T.
Henry Ford’s intention was to set the world in motion; given the car’s feeble brakes, arresting said motion seems to have been significantly lower on his priority list. Case in point: If you wanted front brakes on your Model T, you had to hack the car and add them yourself.
