Uni students create a modern-day Model T

Okay, it's not exactly an oil painting, but this utilitarian looking contraption is the winning entry in a global competition staged by Ford that challenged five universities to create a vehicle that recaptured the affordability and practicality of the Model T -- a century after the 'Tin Lizzie' put the world (or at least America) on wheels.

The vehicle you see here was created by Aachen University's Institute of Automotive Engineering (also known as 'ika'), based in Aachen, Germany.

For their efforts, the team bagged $US25,000 in scholarship funds for delivering "an innovative concept that embodied the spirit of the Model T and best met the criteria of the challenge".

The eight-member team succeeded in nailing the core requirements of the car -- namely, that it be simple, lightweight, practical, durable and offer a range of at least 200km.

What's more, the vehicle needed to be capable of accommodating at least two passengers and priced no higher than $US7,000 ($A10,500).

The Aachen University's entry -- the Model T for the year 2015 -- has a projected price of $6,780 ($A10,100), and the base model is a mini-size pick-up version of a three-seater, with passengers sitting two abreast.

As per the iconic McLaren F1 -- a car with which it otherwise shares little -- the driver's seat is centrally located, which means there are no extra costs for right-hand drive or left-hand-drive versions.

The vehicle weighs just 800kg -- increasing if its petrol engine were combined with an electric motor to become a hybrid, or if converted into a battery-powered car. 

Its creators say an electric-only system would cost double that of the standard petrol unit. Keeping the enviro brigade happy, its CO2 emissions would vary between 54 and 100g/km -- depending on the chosen propulsion system.

"We are very proud, as the only European institute, to have been able to participate in this exciting competition. Then to top it off with winning is not only very satisfying, but also confirms that German engineers and students have the capability to compete successfully on the international stage," said Professor Stefan Gies, managing director of ika.

Auguring well for our own automotive brains trust of the future, the team from Melbourne's Deakin University placed second in the competition.

Trivia buffs may be interested in gleaning that the original Model T -- sold from 1908 to 1927 -- was voted the most influential car of the 20th century in an international poll.

The Model T is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile and it pioneered the concept of assembly line production in lieu of individual handcrafting (as was the norm before).

The first production Model T was built on September 27, 1908, at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan.

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