The 1896 Ford Quadricycle Replicas
In the early 1960's, Popular Science magazine ran a large article about a Ford Motor Co. Engineer who built a replica of this famous first Ford. George DeAngelis was fortunate enough to live in the proximity of the Henry Ford Museum, where Henry's one and only was kept under a protective glass cover. He received museum permission to extensively measure the original and produce enough drawings to duplicate it. (I have no knowledge of what happened to these drawings). People who have inquired, have met a stiff arm from the Ford Motor Co.
To add to the mystery, the Ford Museum has issued specifications about the Quadricycle containing irronious information. One of the most glaring is the wheel size. They state that the wheels were 26 inch, when, in fact, they were 28. They, also, say that there was a foot operated brake. Wrong! There was a foot brake — Henry's foot against the front tire!
While DeAngelis' replica was nearly a carbon copy, including custom made 28" wheels, he did add a brake, for safety's sake.
This article in PS inspired a man in Wayland, Missouri, Tom Daw to build an accurate replica. Armed with only the PS article, Model T experience and a burning desire, He collected parts and knowledge, including a trip to Detroit to visit the museum. This continued for nearly 40 years (talk about tenacity) until 2002, when he was able to cruise around the block in the shadow of Henry Ford!
We have reproduced both the PS article and have a link to the Rural Missouri magazine that has a feature article about Tom Daw. The PS article is a PDF copy of a copy of PS magazine. On screen viewing as a bit difficult and can best be read after printing out.
To view the PS article click on: ( PS Ford Replica )
To read about Tom Daw's replica click on: ( Tom Daw's Replica )