Ford Model T’s were converted into snowmobiles in the early 1920s with attachments sold through Ford dealerships. Photos from Model T Ford Snowmobile Club.

One of the coolest (pardon the pun) winter websites, and a personal favorite, is the Model T Ford Snowmobile Club. The group was founded in 2000, with a focus on preserving the history of the Model T Ford Snowmobiles. They have since included other makes such as Snow Flyer, Snow Bird, Arps, and Eskimobiles, but the heart and soul is still the Ford Model T vehicles.

The Model T Ford Snowmobile Club is a chapter of the Model T Ford Club of America (MTFCA), and they sponsor a national meet once each winter. These meets normally take place in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or New York – places where history, snow, and snowmobiles are plentiful.

According to the club, Virgil D. White patented an attachment to convert a Ford Model T into a snowmobile in 1917. The name “snowmobile” was coined and copyrighted by White, who was a Ford dealer in Ossipee, New Hampshire.

Model T Ford Roadster Ossipee Snowmobile.

White actually built the first snowmobile attachment in 1913, after which he applied for a patent. Within a couple of years, he had perfected the invention and put the attachment on the market in the winter of 1922, selling the product through Ford dealers.

According to the club, White’s kits contained everything needed to convert a Model T into a reliable snow machine, including front skis made of metal and wood to the rear driven tracks that provided the traction to move the machine.

More information about this wintery club can be found at www.modeltfordsnowmobile.com.