1927 Model T "Snowbird". This is a rare restored snowmobile conversion that was purchased from the postmaster of Blairsburg, Iowa in 1970. It is fully operational but hasn't been run since its restoration, so everything remains in excellent condition. There are very few of these in existence. In 1917 Virgil D. White, a Ford dealer located in Ossipee, New Hampshire patented the idea of what he called the "snowmobile". Rather than making a completely new vehicle, White fabricated a conversion kit for his Model T allowing the car to travel in deep snow, making impassable roads accessible in the bitter New Hampshire winter. It included wooden and metal skis to replace the front wheels, plus an extra axle and wheels around back. The early kits used tracks made of metal cleats connected by heavy fabric, but that was later updated to stamped steel shoes with chain links connecting them. To accommodate the modifications, the factory rear axle, rear spring, radius rods, and driveshaft were swapped out. In their place went a 7:1 Ford truck worm gear driveline, which was anchored to the frame using two cantilevered semi-elliptical springs.