A 1925 Fordor Model T Ford has become the oldest vehicle in Ireland to join Ford’s free breakdown plan. The Model T qualified for free breakdown recovery and repair under Ford’s Service Activated Roadside Assistance (SARA) scheme after car collector William Cuddy took his prized possession for a service to main Ford Dealer, Abernethy’s of Midleton, Co. Cork.
SARA is available for Ford vehicles of any age or mileage and is also offered through Ford BlueService, a new range of benefits offered free to customers who book a service.
“The Model T was really the Mondeo of its day – a reliable, sturdy workhorse that could go anywhere. It is thanks to the great materials that went into the early Ford cars, in particular, the top grade steel, as to why there are still so many Model Ts still running compared to other models of the era which just rusted away. They were definitely built to last. Having said that, they do need the occasional loving care of a trained Ford technician and it is great to have the reassurance of breakdown assistance as part of the Ford BlueService package from Abernethy’s”.
William Cuddy with his 1925 Model T and Colman Abernethy of Abernethy’s, Midleton
As Secretary of the Irish Model T Club, Cuddy knows a thing or two about the iconic Ford car which brought car ownership to the masses.
“The Model T was built from 1909 until 1927 and more than 15 million were produced. It is interesting to note that during those years and for quite a few years after, more than half the cars on the roads of the five continents were Ford Model Ts”.
Cuddy has a lifelong affinity to Ford since, while growing up, his father always had Ford cars. His 1925 Model T was made at the Henry Ford & Son factory at the Marina in Cork City, one of the 10,000 or so models that were built in Cork between the years 1922-1927. Having purchased the car in 2007, Cuddy spent two years restoring and re-building the car to its former glory.
The Ford BlueService offering is available from participating Ford Dealerships and also includes a free eCheck safety inspection and report, a courtesy car and industry-first One-Call customer hotline. The hotline offers a single point of contact for customers whether they are looking for roadside assistance, accident management, brochures, dealer locations, service bookings or vehicle repairs.
“The Ford Model T might not have been the first car we had in mind when we launched Ford BlueService and SARA, but it certainly underlines that all our customers stand to benefit from this initiative – however old their car is,” said David Pimlott, Director of the Ford Customer Service Division.
For more details on Ford BlueService visit ford.ie.
