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The original Model T was a game-changer. Its modular design allowed the Tin Lizzy to be mass produced on an assembly line and was the car that put America on wheels. So it might strike you as odd that the Blue Oval chose a design penned by a European university as the best modern interpretation of what a Model T would look like in 2015. For their efforts, the team of eight students and engineers earned the ika (Institute of Automotive Engineering Aachen) from Aachen University in Germany $25,000 in scholarship funds.

Any modern vehicle must take the environment and its emissions into account, and the new T concept is no exception. With three occupants — the driver is front and center with a passenger on either side — and a small pickup bed in back, the concept is definitely ready for work. Other body styles would be possible on the modular architecture. If produced, the University estimates it would cost $6,780 to build in base form and would let off 100 g/km of carbon emissions per kilometer, with hybrid and electric versions costing more and emitting less. It’s a good design, but we could do without the upright, retro-style front grille.

Recently, Ford Motor Company sponsored a contest with the goal of modernizing the iconic Model T, a car which revolutionized motorized transportation the world over. The winner of the competition, a 24-year-old junior at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit named Dong Trang, came up with an electric crossover of sorts. That’s fitting, according to Peter Horbury, head of design for Ford in the Americas, because Henry Ford’s original Model T sat high off the ground and had a modular design, capable of hauling people and their stuff at the same time.

What the modern-day designs don’t share with their forebear is retro looks. Each of the modern T adaptations features fairly sleek styling and alternative power that goes along with our modern-day energy and emissions problems.

Trang’s design is rather unique, featuring solar panels on the vehicle along with an energy-capturing suspension design that would help recharge the on-board batteries. Those batteries are also removable to provide power outside the vehicle. The seating arrangement is modular, allowing for up to four occupants or offering increased storage capacity. The rear hatch is also capable of folding away to offer a small pickup bed. Click past the break for some videos of Trang talking about his design.
[Source: Detroit Free Press, Autoweek]