Drive a piece of history: Sapulpa museum offers Model T driving lessons starting in June

A Sapulpa Museum will be offering a class starting in June where people can learn to drive a Ford Model T.

Three men from California were the first to try it out at the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum.

DRIVING A MODEL T

There’s a bit of a learning curve, but Chris Lipscomb is getting the hang of driving the 100-year-old car. 

“The pedals are completely different,” said Lipscomb. “The left pedal is your low speed/high speed, so that’s more of your gear shift, and there’s reverse, backwards, and then up on the steering column is the throttle, so it’s real weird.”

He made the trip from the Bakersfield, California area to Sapulpa with his dad and his dad’s friend just to be the first to try the Model T Experience at the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum.

“I’ve been interested in driving old cars for a while, I always thought they were cool, so my dad went and looked into it and found this,” said Lipscomb.

Lipscomb says it was scary at first, but it’s starting to make a lot more sense.

“It was not like driving a normal car, which I knew it wouldn’t be, but it’s been a lot easier than I expected, honestly,” said Lipscomb. ”I was really intimidated by start getting into it.”

THE CLASS

Students learn all about the history of the car and how it works, before getting the chance to put their skills to the test.

“The participant is allowed to drive around the parking lot and get comfortable with all the controls of the vehicle, so that we can take them on a longer excursion down a country road,” said Thomas McGahan, a volunteer at the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum.

His goal is to pass down the love of classic cars to a new group of people.

“We’re trying to do some things here, not only to bring the Model T experience to the general public, but what we need to do, as enthusiasts, is we need to bring this to another generation,” said McGahan.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITY     

The museum says it plans to take feedback they get from these men and use it to make the classes better when they kick off in June.

CLASS INFORMATION

The experience will be offered starting on Saturday, June 7, 2025, and will continue on the first Saturday of each month in July and August.

They say additional classes will be added if needed.

The classes will run from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and cost $150 per person.

The cost includes admission to the museum.

Refreshments will be provided as well as an overview of classroom materials.