the team. [ 11 ] Production of the Model T began in the third quarter of 1908. [ 12 ] Collectors today sometimes classify Model Ts by build years and refer to these as " model years ", thus labeling the first Model Ts as 1909 models. This is a retroactive classification scheme; the concept of model years as we conceive it today did not exist at the time. The nominal model designation was "Model T", although design revisions did occur during the car's two decades of production. The Model T had a front-mounted 177-cubic-inch (2.9 L) inline four-cylinder engine, producing 20 hp (15 kW), for a top speed of 40–45 mph (64–72 km/h). According to Ford Motor Company, the Model T had fuel economy on the order of 13–21 mpg -US (16–25 mpg -imp ; 18–11 L/100 km). [ 13 ] The engine was capable of running on gasoline , kerosene , or ethanol , [ 14 ] [ 15 ] although the decreasing cost of gasoline and the later introduction of Prohibition made ethanol an impractical fuel for most users. The ignition system used an unusual trembler coil system to drive the spark plugs , as used for stationary gas engines , rather than the expensive magnetos that were used on other cars. This ignition also made the Model T more flexible as to the quality or type of fuel it used. The need for a starting battery and also Ford's use of an unusual AC alternator located