While it is an indisputably noteworthy achievement for a human to live to celebrate his or her 100th birthday, a 100-year-old automobile that still runs is nothing short of astounding.

Donald Sullivan bought his 1919 Ford Model T in the 1950s as a farm vehicle, according to his son, Don Sullivan of Morton.

“We lived on a farm in Wisconsin, and dad did custom silo-filling,” said Don Sullivan. “He got the Model T for that. We used it as a pickup (truck) for many years. We also had a standard pick-up” .

Sullivan believes his father bought the Model T for its novelty. He bought the car from his father’s estate in 1992. There was no argument from his five brothers and sisters as to who the car’s next owner would be.

“I was the only one who even knew how to start it, let alone drive it,” he said.

Sullivan learned his driving alongside his father, operating tractors and pickups. The Model T was the first vehicle he learned to drive and had an early brush with a law enforcement official while behind its wheel.

“I was on my way to the cheese factory to get whey, which we fed to the pigs,” he said. “When I pulled out onto the highway from the farm, the (Wisconsin) state trooper came over the hill and saw dad didn’t have a current (registration) sticker on the plate. That’s why he stopped me. I was 14 at the time and did not have a driver’s license.”

Sullivan did not receive a ticket for his unlicensed driving episode. He did, however, apply for and receive a farm permit that would allow him to operate a vehicle at 14 years of age shortly after his close call.

The Model T has been converted from a pick-up truck to a one-passenger car by removing its original wooden bed and replacing it with a trunk, according to Don Sullivan. Otherwise, the vehicle has been modified very little and still starts with a hand-operated crank. The car had not been driven in the past 10 years before Don Sullivan decided to bring it out of retirement this summer. With a top speed of 30 mph, the Model T was designed for an age when the world was in much less of a hurry than it is today, and it is not suitable for modern highways.

“We’ve had it out six or seven times,” he said.

When he first acquired the Model T in 1992, Sullivan drove it in the Morton Pumpkin Festival parade. He has declined to drive in other parades because he did not wish to pay a participation fee and because preparing the car for each year’s festival would be a demanding task. Currently, he gives rides to his grandchildren, takes his wife, Jane, on after-dinner excursions to Dairy Queen, and drives the Model T to church. Unlike many people with spouses who own vintage cars, Jane Sullivan does not view the Model T as a rival for her husband’s affections. Through the trips to Dairy Queen and the Sunday rides to church, the car has earned a place in her own heart.

“I get excited when (Don) takes me for a ride in it,” she said. “It’s fun. He has fun playing with it and it’s fun to ride in because everybody waves at you and gives you the high sign. He honks his horn, which isn’t a “ooga” horn, but an old bicycle horn. It’s just a great time.”

Sullivan does not see himself parting with his vintage car during his lifetime and is planning to hand it down to his son, Andy, who also lives in Morton. He added that the engine needs some work and the interior upholstery could use refurbishing. Other than that, he has kept the car in good working order.

“I would be willing to sell it, but my kids don’t want me to, and my wife doesn’t want me to,” said Sullivan.