‘It’s a journey into slowness’: on the road with a Model-T Ford through Europe in winter

At 89 years old, Lizzie doesn’t get around as easily as she once did – but the fact that she’s traversing Europe at all is still quite an accomplishment for a Ford Model T. After years of driving the historic automobile, the Swiss author and automotive historian Bernhard Brägger has developed a distinct love of Lizzie’s characteristics and quirks, taking pleasure in everything from her idiosyncratic handling to the ‘monstrous’ sound of her engine. In Matkalla (which means ‘en route’ in Finnish), the Swiss director Thomas Horat follows Brägger as he drives Lizzie on a snowy winter road trip through Europe to Norway’s northernmost fishing village. Beyond the thrills of driving this ‘unpredictable machine’ in less-than-ideal conditions, Brägger cherishes the journey as an exercise in problem-solving, positive thinking and meditative solitude.