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18/04/2023 1:13 pm
This was Barney Oldfield's reply to Henry Ford who had told him "I made you great and you made me great". This chance collaboration between the two was facilitated by Tom Cooper, a famed bicyclist, when he commissioned out of work Henry Ford to build him two race cars. Cooper also begged Barney Oldfield, ace mechanic and driver, to join the team. Ford had been bouncing from one seemingly lucrative jobs after another, leaving them when his emphasis on creating racing legends to enhance the brand (like his arch rival Alexander Winton) were neither backed or encouraged by the corporate suits nor the investors. Now Ford concentrated on building a monster 1155 cid 4 cylinder engine and with Oldfield hand machining the carburators, achieved a 70 hp rating. The resulting car was a bare bones, body-less vehicle with no hood, a wooden chassis, no differential, only a front suspension, A bank of Huff batteries, and non-pneumatic (solid) Firestone tires. The overall cost in 1902 was $5000 and Ford sold his share to Cooper for $800 but kept the rights to the name a subsequent publicity. Oldfield seemed have been the only driver with the guts to pilot this very scary high powered car. The aim for the Triumvirate was the 1902 Manufacturers Challenge Cup to beheld in Grosse Pointe near Detroit with scores of domestic and international manufacturers entering. Oldfield led the field from start to finish and collected the $1000 prize money, but the real winner was Henry Ford who, with eager investors, could begin the dynasty that is Ford Motor Company. The 999 was successfully raced for a few years and its fate was ultimately reacquired by Ford and still resides in the Ford Museum. Oldfield went on to, ironically join with Alexander Winton and was later inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
18/04/2023 1:33 pm
A great model and a must have, it's one of my most cherished 1/18 replicas (along with my huge 1/6 Henry Ford & Quadracycle ).
Sunstar announced a 1/18 Henry Ford figure years ago, but as of yet it hasn't been released or I can't find it. I need that figure to compliment my "999."
Great pics Rich! (BTW: Can you answer my Tank question from yesterday? .... a few post down.... Thanks! )
Rich Sufficool reacted
18/04/2023 1:57 pm
@chris maybe you can try Exoto.
I know they had a 1:18 scale figurine, because I have bought one from them.
Together with the 999...
see below Exoto-pic.
18/04/2023 2:28 pm
@joop Correct Joop and I can find resin HF figures on eBay too, but none can beat $10 -$15 (Sunstar's price ). I'm very cheap! 😀 😏 🙄 😬 😏
18/04/2023 4:53 pm
This is an astounding 1/18th replica. Very detailed and complex ! Who did this one ?
18/04/2023 9:46 pm
Thanks, Bob ! It certainly a beautifully-detailed model.
19/04/2023 5:48 am
Thanks, Bob ! It certainly a beautifully-detailed model.
Mike, it gets even better.
In Rich's pics you'll notice a hand-crank..... by rotating it, one can actually "turn the engine over." That is, looking at the bottom of the engine (see Rich's pic ) as that crank is rotated, the pistons, connecting rods, etc., will "cycle."
I can't think of any other 1/18 model car with this feature. It's very cool to see! 😎 😎
Rich Sufficool reacted
19/04/2023 10:19 am
@chris Chris, I've had this model in my collection for many years and didn't know about the engine turning over with the crank. Learn something new every day.
Christopher Moroni reacted
19/04/2023 3:54 pm
Nice detail on the Exoto, Chris ! That is a fantastic operation on this Ford and such a feature is amazing. Is Exoto or Motorbox still around or did Tony K. close up shop some time ago ? I am not familiar with a number of their releases over the years.
Christopher Moroni reacted
19/04/2023 5:20 pm
@mikedetorrice Exoto is very much still around and doing well: Exoto Inc.
As for Motorbox, I'm not sure. I have a handful of Exotos but no Motorbox models.
20/04/2023 12:28 am
Thanks for that info ! They certainly have "furious detail". 
Christopher Moroni reacted