One such aftermarket variant of the Model TT was the Depot Hack, which was used to ferry hotel guests to and from train stations. It took part of its name from the word “hackney,” an antiquated term for a horse-drawn carriage later applied to taxicabs of all types. The body of the Depot Hack was made mostly of wood, at a time when this was not seen as an aesthetic choice but rather a practical one. Wood was light and plentiful. As often as not, it was often sourced from the packing crates that suppliers used to ship parts to Ford. Wood could also be easily replaced when it was damaged from traveling over the unimproved roads of the era.
The Depot Hack was made from 1919 through 1923, during the Model T’s peak production years. It was powered by a version of the Model T’s four cylinder, four-stroke engine that put out 20 horsepower and 83 lb-ft. of torque. The engine was mated to a two-speed planetary gearbox, giving the Depot Hack a top speed of 42 mph.
Original Depot Hacks are hard to find, but several examples have sold at auction over the past few years, bringing in prices from $8,000 to $18,000.
[Featured Image by Ryan Hildebrand via Wikimedia Commons| Cropped and scaled| CC-BY 4.0]
