Autoblog

This Day in History: Ford Model A goes on sale

Jeff Sabatini — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:58:00 EST

The Ford Model A doesn't get the historical respect of its 15-million-unit predecessor, the Model T, nor is it as beloved as the 1932 Ford V8 which followed. But when the Model A went on sale on December 2, 1927, it was an important transitional model for Ford.

Following the unparalleled success of the Model T, Ford had been reluctant to develop a new model, or even upgrade the T with features that were increasingly driving customers to other brands. The Model A was the first Ford to feature modern controls, with clutch, brake and throttle pedals, and a gearshift lever sprouting out of the center of the front floorboards.

Selling for as little as $365, the Model A was a huge success. Ford built almost five million units over five years. Had it not unveiled the A when it did, the Blue Oval might have met the same fate as many auto manufacturers of the 1920s that didn't see the other side of the Great Depression.

Surprisingly enough, this 84-year-old car can actually provide somewhat serviceable transportation today, although with limitations. While its four-cylinder engine provides fuel economy in the high 20's, Interstate travel is a bit beyond its meager 40 horsepower output. Mechanical drum brakes are the weakest point in the A's specifications, with a lack of climate control rating a distant second.

For more on what it's like to drive an A everyday, check out the 365 Days of A blog.

This Day in History: Ford Model A goes on sale originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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

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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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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That's dedication: 84 years old and still driving his first car

Dan Roth — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:34:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Ford, Lifestyle

We all remember our first car, and some of us have managed to hang on to that car for years. While we all have some kind of impression left on us by our inagural vehicles, Clarence Curtiss' story is far better than any yarn we could spin. The 1929 Ford Model A shown above was purchased by a 15-year-old Curtiss for $10 in 1938, and he's had it ever since. The most charming part is that Curtiss and his future wife Dorothy carved their initials into the steering wheel shortly after he'd bought the car, and they went on to be married for 56 years. To this day, you can see the characters scratched into the bakelite.

Though the A is unrestored and has racked up 200,000 miles, it's not entirely original. Way back in his teenage days, a Hudson Terraplane's powerplant found it way under the front bodywork. It seems that the A just didn't have enough speed to satisfy a young Mr. Curtiss. The Terraplane engine fixed matters, enabling the speedometer needle to twist itself deep to the right. Curtiss, who eventually owned Curtiss-Ryan Honda, still takes the Model A to car shows, and it's just one of the roughly 25 cars he owns.

Thanks for the tip, Matt

[Source: NY Times]

That's dedication: 84 years old and still driving his first car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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