Teams of students from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Lawrence Technological University in Southfield will compete against three other universities from around the world “to dream big and create a Model T concept for the 21st century.”

The competition, announced by Ford Motor Co. executives at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn on May 12, challenged the students “to create a revolutionary global vehicle for today that shares the Model T’s attributes: simple, lightweight, practical, compelling -- and priced below $7,000.”

The competition is part of Ford’s celebration of the centennial of the Model T.

At UM-Dearborn a team of both undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science will work under the leadership of professor P.K. Mallick, director of interdisciplinary programs in the college.

Working on the Lawrence Tech team are David Boehmer, William Consiglio, Jamie Dobrowolski, Ben Graf, Jason Falenski, Scott Lindberg, Taylor Manuilow, Christopher Nichols, Kyle Post and Jeffrey Saunders.

The faculty advisors are Keith Nargara and Vance Hanna, co-directors of the Transportation Design degree program; Kenneth Cook, director of the Technology Engineering degree program at Lawrence Tech; and Thomas White, an adjunct faculty member.

Each university received $75,000 in funding from Ford Global Technologies LLC to support the creation of a vehicle concept through sketches, models, research papers and potentially even working models.

The teams have until Sept. 1 to design the Model T for this century.  Five judges from Ford Motor Co. will determine which two concepts best embody the Model T spirit, personify the Ford brand and meet the challenge criteria On Oct. 1, the official centennial date of the introduction of the Model T, two teams will be awarded $25,000 in scholarship funds for their universities.

"The Model T is a true product of an engineering genius. Although simple and practical, it changed the way we live, work and play and met the needs of millions," said Paul Mascarenas, Ford's vice president of engineering for global product development. "Through this challenge we're looking for the students to push the boundaries and deliver an alternative transportation concept for tomorrow -- and beyond."

The teams are challenged to create a vehicle that is simple, durable and lightweight. Each vehicle must accommodate at least two passengers and offer systems and concepts that address assembly, power train and sustainability. The vehicle must have a range of at least 200 kilometers (approximately 125 miles) and a base price of only $7,000.

The competition will be a major test for the first class of students in Lawrence Tech's transportation design degree program who enrolled as freshmen last fall. They are joined by three engineering students and an architecture student.

More than 15 million Model Ts were sold from the vehicle’s introduction in 1908 until May 26, 1927, when a ceremony marked the formal end of Model T production. Henry Ford called the Model T “the universal car,” a low-cost, reliable vehicle that could be maintained easily and could successfully travel the poor roads of the era. In 1999, the Model T was named “Car of the Century” by a panel of 133 automotive journalists and experts who began with a list of 700 candidates.