But from these dangerous dirt ovals was born a racing sport to which today's organizers, with their super speedways and $7 hot dogs, owe everything. Racing on dirt ovals was different back then-way different. This body style came to be known as a track roadster. These racers were frequently fitted with noses and grilles borrowed from the classic front-engined Champ cars that dominated the Indy 500 at the time. Roadster racing was extremely popular in the immediate postwar years. Called roadster racing, the bodies were mostly topless Model Ts, although other framerails (like the stronger Essex) were allowed. The Model T was also active on circle tracks, where a new class was invented for them. In order to cut wind resistance, bodies were sometimes narrowed by taking a cut lengthwise down the middle of the body, or 'channeled' by dropping the body down over the framerails. Dry lakes cars emphasized streamlining and power, so stroker cranks, supercharging, and nitro took precedence over other considerations. Although Model A and '32 Ford rods (as well as a small number of rods built from other cars) soon joined the Model T on the tracks, T-buckets were the backbone of early speed events. The earliest places to race hot rods were SoCal's dry lakebed dirt ovals. Soon, these cheap and tunable mills began to find their way from junkyards to waiting Model Ts, and it was relatively simple to swap major components around since the cars were so basic in design. Although there were plenty of go-fast parts for the Model T and Model A four-cylinder engines, the biggest news for performance fans was the 1932 Ford with its Flathead V-8. The definitive T-bucket was starting to develop. First went the fenders, then the hood and the bumpers. Discarding every body panel that wasn't absolutely necessary was the easiest (and cheapest) way to improve the power-to-weight ratio. Young, cash-challenged hot rodders began with whatever Model T they could buy or trade their horse for, and experimented with ways to make it go faster. Ironically, Louis and Arthur Chevrolet built the best racing versions of the Model T four-banger and sold them under the Frontenac name. Alongside these custom bodies were thousands of speed parts that grew into a $60 million industry during the 1920s and 1930s. Automotive magazines of the era also published plan sets for handmade bodywork to fit the Model T. The Hine-Watt Company in Chicago sold the Happy Sport body for $97 in the 1920s and it featured mohair upholstery. Many companies built these, but some of the best known were sold by Mercury and Ames. Some of these early 'kit cars' appeared in the early 1920s, with aftermarket Speedster sports car bodies intended for the Model T chassis.

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