Boones Mill man to ride Model T across country

A Boones Mill man is preparing to leave on a cross country trip in his 1920 Model T Ford coupe.  He’s taking part in the re-enactment of the 1909 great race.

55 cars are participating in the Centennial run which starts in New York City on Sunday.
They’re all expected to travel over four thousand miles and end in Seattle on July 12th.

Jon Griesenbeck is getting his 1920 ford model-t ready for his cross country road trip.  Griesenbeck’s is excited about the trip and shows us some of the specs of the eighty-nine-year-old car.
“We put blinkers on the front, wire wheels, original model t motor, original carburetor, running board rack, and a micro trunk in the back,“ said Griesenbeck.
Henry Ford’s always said you can get a Model T in any color you want, as long as it’s black.  Griesenbeck says that’s going to play a big factor in his trip because of the heat.

“Of course there’s no air conditioning so you’re subject to outside temperatures.  The seats are wool, ha ha, so that’s going to get a little sticky,“ said Griesenbeck.

Getting eighteen miles-per-gallon, with a top speed of fifty-miles per hour, he says it’s going to take a while to get to Seattle.
 
Griesenbeck says he’s going to be one passenger short this time.
“My best friend’s not going to be with me, Joe Chopski, who passed away a couple years ago,“ said Griesenbeck.
His friend Joe always went with him to antique car shows and was supposed to go on this trip.  He says Joe will still be with him, as the car that put America on wheels, takes him across the country.