FACT OR FICTION?

Motoring myth-busting

The car world is full of commonly held beliefs that seem too good to be true. JAMES ATTWOOD sorts fact from fiction

The Ford Model T was offered only in black FICTION

There are few quotes more famous in motoring than Henry Ford describing the styling options for the Model T: “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.” But that’s not strictly true, or at least it wasn’t when Ford said it to his eponymous company’s management team in 1909, because it wasn’t a statement of fact – it was a request.

At that stage, the Model T was offered in four different hues, none of which was black. From 1908 until 1911, different variants of the car were available in grey, green, red and blue. In 1912, all cars were painted a dark blue with black bumpers, before the all-black Model T arrived in 1914 – which was then made the only option for the next 11 years.

Why black? That’s not entirely clear, but the common theory is that Ford felt it was cheaper, more durable and dried faster than other colours – although there’s no evidence for that final part.

Another fun fact: there wasn’t actually a singular black. More than 30 different formulations of black paint were applied to Model Ts during its famous production run.

A monkey once won a Nascar race FACT

Tim Flock was an early star of Nascar racing, winning the first of two Grand National titles in 1952 driving a Hudson Hornet run by Ted Chester. Early the following year, Chester was in a pet shop when he spotted a rhesus monkey who, according to a tag on his cage, was named Jocko. The PR-savvy Chester spotted an opportunity, and a few weeks later Flock gained a co-driver: the newly renamed Jocko Flocko, who sat in a special seat, mounted high in the car, wearing a race suit and helmet.