Autoblog

365 Days of A: One man's quest to drive a Ford Model A for entire year

Zach Bowman — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Etc., Ford

Jonathan Klinger's 1930 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan - Click above for high-res image gallery

Spend enough time shuffling through buff books or clicking around enthusiast blogs and you'll eventually come up against the term "appliance" used with a derogatory bent. For fans of the automobile, few things are more terrifying than the degradation of the car's reputation. Whereas vehicles once required their operators to possess intimate knowledge of an encyclopedia's worth of quirks to get them to function properly, they've now slipped into the same realm of soulless servile technology occupied by washing machines, refrigerators and the Shake Weight.

But there are still a few relics of this long-forgotten Age of Involvement bumping around. Just ask Jonathan Klinger. The guy has taken on a brave quest to pilot a 1930 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan as his daily transportation for a full year. Through snow, wind, rain and heat, Klinger will turn no wheel other than the wire-spoke rollers of his A.

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Gallery: Jonathan Klinger's 1930 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan

Continue reading 365 Days of A: One man's quest to drive a Ford Model A for entire year

365 Days of A: One man's quest to drive a Ford Model A for entire year originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dillinger's 1930 Ford Model A getaway car up for auction at Barrett-Jackson

Noah Joseph — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:25:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Ford

John Dillinger's 1930 Ford Model A - Click above for high-res image gallery

If you saw Michael Mann's Public Enemies, the car above may look familiar. It isn't just the same model that the notorious John Dillinger used to escape The Law in one of the most daring shootouts in American history - it's the actual car. And the same one used in the movie.

After robbing banks across the country, Dillinger and his gang took refuge in the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin, on April 22, 1934. When the proprietors alerted law enforcement to their presence, the FBI - led by the legendary Melvin Purvis - arrived on the scene and shot the place up. Dillinger, along with two of his cronies, escaped out the windows into the woods nearby before stumbling upon Robert Johnson driving the Ford Model A coupe you see here. They commandeered the car and the driver along with it, and escaped to Minnesota as Dillinger smashed the rear window and opened fire with his tommy-gun at pursuing law enforcement.

The bullet-ridden car remained in the possession of the Dillinger family for decades until it was carefully and faithfully restored by the producers of Public Enenies for use in the scene depicting the historic chase. Now the coupe will be up for auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, by Barrett-Jackson. Follow the jump for the full story in the press release, and check out the images in the gallery below.

Gallery: John Dillinger's 1930 Ford Model A

[Source: Barrett-Jackson]

Continue reading Dillinger's 1930 Ford Model A getaway car up for auction at Barrett-Jackson

Dillinger's 1930 Ford Model A getaway car up for auction at Barrett-Jackson originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finnishing Touch: Cosworth-powered Ford Model A

Noah Joseph — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Tuners, Ford

Click to view more images of the Cosworth-powered 1929 Ford Model A

Ford owners love to swap out their stock powerplants for high-performance crate engines. No news there. But this has to be the most extreme application we've seen yet: a 1929 Model A with a 250hp rally-spec Cosworth.

The custom job is the work of Finnish outfit Mäkelä Auto Tuning, the same firm that built the ice speed record-setting Bentley Continental GT. This time, MAT received a mandate from the Model A's owner to restore the classic to pristine condition while giving it some extra juice. So they took the engine out of a Ford Escort BDA Cosworth Group 4 rally car and dropped it into the restored chassis. The result could very well be the ultimate sleeper: a vintage Ford that hits sixty in five flat and tops out at 124 mph. That's got to be one heck of a scary ride.

Check out the pics in the gallery below and here.

[Source: MAT via Carscoop]

Gallery: Cosworth-powered Ford Model A by MTA

Finnishing Touch: Cosworth-powered Ford Model A originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2007 RM Auction, Scottsdale: The oldest Ford in the world sold for $630,000

Frank Filipponio — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:36:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Ford

1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau - Lot 247

So maybe you looked through the RM Auction catalog and saw the Bauer Duesenberg. The thought of having the last Duesie SJ ever built seemed appealing, but the price was a little out of your league and you prefer vehicles that are a bit older. Scanning through the rest of the lots you came across a unique Ford: A 1903 Ford Model A horseless carriage that had ties to the blue-oval-wearing vehicle in your driveway. Sure it only had 8 hp compared to the 325 in the supercharged Duesenberg, but you loved the look and heritage.

So you looked a little closer and realized this was a pretty special old Ford. One of the first ever made. And with a little more research, you discovered it's actually the oldest Ford in existence. If you bought it you'd have THE OLDEST FORD IN THE WORLD. That's something no other person could say. Well, they could, but they'd be lying. The auctioneers really played that aspect up trying to tempt museum and special collection owners. In the end, it brought pretty good money, but far less than the Duesie. For a mere $630,000 before fees, this old Ford found a new home.

[Source: RM Auctions]

Gallery: 2007 RM Auction, Scottsdale: Oldest Ford

2007 RM Auction, Scottsdale: The oldest Ford in the world sold for $630,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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