This Model T is not the first car that White has restored. "I started with a 1915 Runabout. But that only holds two people. When the kids came along, we needed a touring car so the kids could go with us, so I sold the other one and got this."

Over the years, there have also been an '05 Cadillac and a '07 Buick. "But the Model T was about the easiest to find parts for. They were less expensive, and it is the simplest to maintain. That put it in my ballpark."

He has another finished "speedster — which is that era's version of a street rod." It is cobbled together of mismatched bits and pieces. He's also in the process of restoring one more T.

"I like the tinkering, the blacksmithing. The driving's fun, but I get as much enjoyment out of the refurbishing as the using it. I like bringing something back to life," he says.

White participates in some of the classic car tours around the country. He's not a big show person, he says, but on the other hand, it's better for the car to be used. "You have to baby-sit it. You can't just shut the door and lock it up."

If he's going any distance, he will trailer the T to the tour locations. There, with other aficionados, he will drive around the back roads. "We've done a lot in Colorado and California. We've done South Dakota and New Mexico. My kids have seen the West through the windows of a Model T. You can't beat that."

Yes, the pace is slower. Just how fast can you go? "Up hill or on the flat?" he asks. His optimal speed is around 30-35 mph. "Some of the later cars can get to around 40. But in the '10 you're not in control if you get going too fast. You also have to consider the brakes. They do not stop well. They are back-wheel brakes."

They "used to require that you looked the part on national tours," he says. Period costumes were kind of fun. But the best thing about the tours were the other drivers. "I've met a lot of interesting people."

It's getting so the Model T-ers are a vanishing breed, he says. "There are a few younger people who go ga-ga over the Model T. But most people — unless they are diseased like me — tend to relate more to the cars they knew as kids. The big muscle cars of the '60s are what collectors want today," he says.

But for all White jokes about his "condition," his enjoyment and delight in old cars have served him well. You only have to see him brush his hand lovingly across the fender of his 1910 Model T to know that.

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E-mail: carma@desnews.com