The Ford Barn - VIDEO: Motoring Over Ben Nevis in 1911

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUl9SIvCdQY

Step back to 1911 and witness one of the most remarkable motoring publicity stunts of the early automobile age — a Ford Model T making its way up Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, standing 1,344 metres (4,409 feet) above sea level.

This extraordinary footage has now been beautifully restored, colourized, and upscaled to 4K, bringing the grit, drama, and determination of this incredible feat vividly back to life.

The idea was bold: prove that Ford’s “affordable” American assembly-line motor car could stand proudly alongside — and even outdo — the hand-built British machines of the day. The American flag seen near the end of the film makes the point rather plainly!

Behind the wheel was Henry Alexander Jr., son of Scotland’s first Ford dealer. Between the 9th and 13th of May 1911, after careful planning and no shortage of determination, the Model T made its steady ascent. Interestingly, the surviving film appears to begin at the snowy summit and captures much of the difficult descent rather than the actual climb.

Watching the tyres churn through rock, snow, and mud — with even the odd blast of dynamite helping clear the way — one can only admire the courage, madness, and sheer mechanical faith involved.

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