MODEL T KEEPS A CHERISHED FAMILY TRADITION ALIVE
After giving up stock car racing at age 18, Darren Lloyd was looking for something else to do. That's when he asked his grandfather, Bill Lloyd, if he could drive the 1926/1927 Ford Model T Depot Hack that was stored in a shed on his parents' property in Barrie, Ont.
“I asked if I could take his Model T out and he said, `Sure, anytime,'” Lloyd says. “I took that quite literally.”
From then on, Lloyd, who now lives in Calgary, began driving the Model T on an almost daily basis. He drove it to college and around town — but it did have its limitations.
This particular Model T has been in the Lloyd family for decades. Lloyd's grandfather,
Bill, bought the project when he was in his early twenties. The vehicle started life as a Model T Touring, but Bill eventually built it up as a Depot Hack, a version of the Model T with a wooden body that was used to haul luggage and passengers from train stations to hotels.
“This Depot Hack has an earlier hood, but I'm not concerned about it being absolutely correct,” Lloyd says. “I'm looking to preserve the car the way my grandfather built it, rather than how Henry (Ford) did.”
The restoration of the Depot Hack was completed in the early 1980s, when Lloyd was still a child. After it was done and stored at his parents' house, Lloyd recalls playing in it, pretending he was driving down the open road. When the Depot Hack would come out of storage, Lloyd was there to watch how it all worked.
By the time he started driving it himself, he knew his way around an engine and understood the intricacies of adjusting the manual ignition and fuel/air mixture as a result of his time spent racing stock cars. In 2005 Lloyd moved to Lake Louise and the Depot Hack stayed in Barrie. When he'd return for summer visits, the Depot Hack would get started and driven.
“I just kind of took ownership of it,” Lloyd says, “but when I was in my early twenties, the same age my grandfather was when he bought the car, he officially gave it to me.
“When I'd have to do any work on it, my grandfather would often walk by and — I'm paraphrasing here — tell me when I was about to hit the self-destruct button.”
When Lloyd moved to Calgary seven years ago, he brought the Depot Hack with him.
“It was a 30-year-old restoration at that time, and it needed some work, but I didn't take it completely apart to fix everything. It went through a bit of a rolling repair period.”
One of his happiest discoveries was the kind of mentorship provided by his grandfather was available from helpful members of the Foothills Model T Club.
“I found the club when Googling for Model T information,” Lloyd says. “Being able to text photos to someone during a repair and having people to call mid breakdown is invaluable.”
Formed in the fall of 1971, the Foothills Model T Club celebrates its 50th anniversary on Sept. 29.
According to the club's website, one of its goals is “to keep the `Ford T' alive, and on the road, with continuing club events and activities.”
Lloyd spent a year as a member and then several more as webmaster. Last year, he took over the reins of presidency from Harry Lillo. Although COVID-19 has made doing much of anything difficult, the club remains active.
Lloyd continues to use his Depot Hack on club runs, and he's back to driving it on an almost daily basis. In fact, he'll drive it to work at the university, and he and his wife, Sujung Kim, often take it shopping to the South Calgary Costco and to local car nights at A&W.
“Obviously, you plan your route and stick to the 50 kilometres per hour roads as much as possible,” Lloyd says.
“I've never had a negative reaction from anyone about being slow, I think people are just fascinated that it's moving at all.”