Look under the hood of the LEGO® Icons Ford Model T set

In the incredible history of the car, there is one vehicle that almost all modern cars owe a debt of thanks to: the Ford Model T.
It was the legendary automobile, originally made by the Ford Motor Company in 1908, that made cars affordable and accessible to many people for the first time. Thanks to innovative production and groundbreaking design, it set cars on the road to becoming the world’s favorite mode of transport.
So, as the first LEGO® Icons Ford Model T sets begin to make their way off the assembly line, we chatted to Ann Healy, a Senior Model Designer at the LEGO® Group and Ted Ryan, the Archives and Heritage Brands Manager at the Ford Motor Company, to learn more about the new set and the original car that inspired it.

Celebrate an icon of automotive history

This authentic replica of the 1913 Ford Model T will be immediately recognisable to many, with its unique shape finished with black bodywork, golden accents and tall spoked rims with slim rubber tires.

But what really made this car special was the way that it was made and distributed.

“It was a car that changed the world,” says Ted. “The goal of Henry Ford was to reduce the price of cars and to make a car for everybody.”

He and his team achieved this by revolutionising the way cars were produced.

“With the advent of the moving assembly line in 1913,” continues Ted. “The cost of manufacture went from the $850 to $250 a car.”

This meant that they could be sold to a wider range of people. This began the process of cars becoming the dominant means of transportation around the world.

Building a legend from LEGO® bricks

When LEGO designer Ann joined the project, her first task was learning about the original car, and she soon came to love it.

“I learned a lot about the simplicity and elegance of how the car was originally engineered,” she says, and the original car keenly influenced the details featured in the final set.

“We added unique details, like the throttle that is built into the steering wheel, and you can see that how the three pedals operate on the bottom. We also have the emergency brake or the handbrake on the side as well, and just like on the original Model T, we have the gas tank underneath.”

This is unusual for sets based on cars, which don’t usually have tanks, but if you lift the seat, you’ll see the gas tank. The hood panels also open from both sides and reveal the engine, and you can even turn the crank to spin the fan.

Another interesting feature is the steering. We’ll let Ann explain!

“We have a very specific way of how we build steering for typical LEGO sets, but that is nothing like the original Model T,” she says. “It was very interesting for me to figure out how we were going to translate the steering. We ended up with a new type of steering that we have never done before and is very authentic to how the actual car steering would have worked.”  

This wasn’t the only new element. There was one other important change that Ann learned about during the design process, or, you might say, after the rubber hit the road!

“We learned that a lot of the early tires actually did not have carbon in them, so they were actually white,” Ann says. “The car is so black in general, it's also nice to have a little bit of contrast for design. We also worked with element designers to get new rims in here as well, as we wanted them to have the spindly look of old tires.”

An iconic car embarks on a new journey

Now that the LEGO® Icons Ford Model T is ready to journey into people’s homes and LEGO set collections, we asked Ann and Ted what they are most looking forward to sharing with car-lovers everywhere.

“I really enjoy the engineering of the car,” she says. “There is a simplicity to the engineering that is really elegant.”

Ted hopes that the link between the building process of the original car and the new set will be inspired.

“The Ford Model T and the LEGO brick show that there is no limit to what you can build,” he says. “Except for your own imagination.”