Ford Model A Pick-Up

The Ford Model A of 1928–1931 (also colloquially called

the A-Model Ford or the A, and A-bone among rodders and

customizers) was the second huge success for the Ford

Motor Company, after its predecessor, the Model T. First

produced on October 20, 1927, but not sold until

December 2, it replaced the venerable Model T, which

had been produced for 18 years. This new Model A (a

previous model had used the name in 1903–1904) was

designated as a 1928 model and was available in four

standard colors.

By 4 February 1929, one million Model As had been sold, and by 24 July, two million. The range of body styles ran from the Tudor at US$500 (in grey, green, or black)[3] to the Town Car with a dual cowl at US$1200. In March 1930, Model A sales hit three million, and there were nine body styles available. The Model A was produced through 1931. When production ended in March, 1932, there were 4,849,340[citation needed] Model As made in all styles. Its successor was the Model B, which featured an updated 4-cylinder engine, followed by the Model 18 which introduced Ford's new flathead (sidevalve) V8 engine.

Features

Prices for the Model A ranged from US$385 for a roadster to $1400 for the top-of-the-line  Town Car. The engine was a water-cooled L-head 4-cylinder with a displacement of 201 cu in  (3.3 l). This engine provided 40 hp (30 kW; 41 PS). Top speed was around 65 mph (105 km/h).  The Model A had a 103.5 in (2,630 mm) wheelbase with a final drive ratio of 3.77:1. The  transmission was a conventional 3-speed sliding gear manual unsynchronised unit with a  single speed reverse. The Model A had 4-wheel mechanical drum brakes. The 1930 and 1931  editions came with stainless steel radiator cowling and headlamp housings.  The Model A came in a wide variety of styles: Coupe (Standard and Deluxe), Business Coupe,  Sport Coupe, Roadster Coupe (Standard and Deluxe), Convertible Cabriolet, Convertible  Sedan, Phaeton (Standard and Deluxe), Tudor Sedan (Standard and Deluxe), Town Car, Fordor  (2-window) (Standard and Deluxe), Fordor (3-window) (Standard and Deluxe), Victoria,  Station Wagon, Taxicab, Truck, and Commercial.  The Model A was the first Ford to use the standard set of driver controls with conventional  clutch and brake pedals; throttle and gearshift. Previous Ford models used controls that had  become uncommon to drivers of other makes. The Model A's fuel tank was located in the  cowl, between the engine compartment's fire wall and the dash panel. It had a visual fuel  gauge, and the fuel flowed to the carburetor by gravity. A rear view mirror was optional. In  cooler climates, owners could purchase an aftermarket cast iron unit to place over the  exhaust manifold to provide heat to the cab. A small door provided adjustment of the  amount of hot air entering the cab. Model A was the first car to have safety glass in the  windshield.  The Soviet company GAZ, which started as a cooperation between Ford and the Soviet Union, made a licensed version of the Model A from 1932-1936. This itself was the basis for the FAI  and BA-20 armored car, which saw use as scout vehicles in the early stages of World War II. In addition to the United States, Ford made the Model A in plants in Argentina, Canada,  France, Germany and the United Kingdom and Denmark.  In Europe, where cars were taxed according to engine size, Ford equipped the Ford Model A  with a 2,033 cc (124.1 cu in) engine providing a claimed output of just 40 hp (30 kW; 41 PS).  However, the engine size was still large enough to equate to a fiscal horsepower of 14.9 hp   (as opposed to the 24 hp of the larger engine) and attracted a punitive annual car tax levy of  £24 in the UK and similar penalties in other principal European markets. It therefore was  expensive to own and too heavy and thirsty to achieve volume sales, and so unable to  compete in the newly developing mass market, while also too crude to compete as a luxury  product. European manufactured Model As failed to achieve the sales success in Europe that  would greet their smaller successor in England and Germany.

Historical context of Model A development

From 1913 through the early 1920s, the Ford Motor Company dominated the automotive  market with its Model T. However, during the mid-1920s, this dominance eroded as  competitors, notably General Motors, caught up with Ford's mass production system and  began to outcompete Ford in some areas, especially by offering more powerful engines, new  convenience features, or cosmetic customization. Also, features Henry considered to be  unnecessary, such as electric starters, were gradually shifting in the public's perception from  luxuries to essentials.  Ford's sales force recognized the threat and advised Henry Ford to respond to it. Initially he  resisted, but the T's sagging market share finally forced him to admit a replacement was  needed. When he finally agreed to begin development of this new model, he focused on the  mechanical aspects and on what today is called design for manufacturability (DFM), which he  had always strongly embraced and for which the Model T production system was famous.  Although ultimately successful, the development of the Model A included many problems that  had to be resolved. For example, the die stamping of parts from sheet steel, which the Ford  company had led to new heights of development with the Model T production system, was  something Henry had always been ambivalent about; it had brought success, but he felt that  it was not the best choice for durability. He was determined that the Model A would rely  more on drop forgings than the Model T; but his ideas to improve the DFM of forging did not  prove practical. Eventually, Ford's engineers persuaded him to relent, lest the Model A's  production cost force up its retail price too much. Henry's disdain for cosmetic vanity as applied to automobiles led him to leave the Model A's  styling to a team led by his son Edsel, even though he would take credit for it despite his son  doing more of the work. It was during the period from the mid-1920s to early 1930s that the limits of the first  generation of mass production, epitomized by the Model T production system, became  apparent. The era of "flexible mass production" had begun. 

Film and media

The Ford Model A was well represented in media of the era since it was one of the most  common cars. Model kits are still available from hobby shops in the 2000s, as stock cars or  hot rods. Perhaps in reference to the remarkable upgrade from the previous Model T, a song was  written about the Model A by Irving Kaufman called Henry's Made a Lady Out Of Lizzie, a  reference to the moniker Tin Lizzie given to the Model T. Several Model As have obtained particular notoriety. The Ramblin' Wreck, a 1930 Sport  Coupe, is the official mascot of the student body at the Georgia Institute of Technology and  appears at sporting events and student body functions. Ala Kart, a customized 1929 roadster  pickup built by George Barris won two straight "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" awards at  the Oakland Roadster Show before making numerous film and television appearances.  Between October 1992 to December 1994, Hector Quevedo, along with his son Hugo, drove a  1928 Model A 22,000 miles (35,000 km) from his home in Punta Arenas, Chile to the Ford  Motor Company headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. The car required minimal service  including a flat tire and transmission work in Nicaragua and is now housed in the Henry Ford  Museum. Charlie Ryan's Hot Rod Lincoln was a Model A with a Lincoln flathead V12 and other  modifications. 

1929

Engine 201 cc / 3.3 l 4 cylinders Power 40 HP Top speed 105 km/h Lenght/width 4,19 m/1,7 m Weight 1.027 kg The collections A-model was bought from USA as the collector noted it in traffic. The car is now inspected by museum authorities and registerd to Finland. The car played a role in the movie Hella W.