08/11/2026
🚂 Before the SUV. Before the minivan. Before the station wagon… there was the Depot Hack.
This Ford Model T–based Depot Hack takes us back to a time when the automobile was completely changing the way America traveled.
These wooden-bodied vehicles were built to transport passengers and their luggage to and from railroad depots, hotels and resorts—essentially serving as an early version of the hotel shuttle.
Underneath all that beautiful woodwork was the legendary Model T platform, typically powered by Ford’s 177-cubic-inch four-cylinder engine producing around 20 horsepower. Not exactly fast by today’s standards, but it didn’t need to be.
What I love about vehicles like this is that they’re more than old cars. They’re a snapshot of how people actually lived and traveled more than 100 years ago.
And just look at that wood body. They definitely don’t build them like this anymore.
Would you take this for a Sunday cruise?
Owner: Brian Laing