The Model A had a huge grip on America’s soul. Although the Model T was a much more influential vehicle; the vehicle that put America on wheels, the Model A is what folks really fell in love with. It was the T perfected. And Americans never fell out of love with it, as it became the most popular “classic car”, and created a whole industry in catering those who were keeping their alive or restoring them.
I saw this first hand in Iowa City in the early ’60s: a neighbor who was a doctor had a ’62 Mercedes 220SE and a Model A sedan. A colleague of my father’s was restoring his. And there were others around.
Motor Trend decided to put one through their road test, in large part to answer the question of those many folks who were clamoring for a neo-A; how would one fare in modern traffic? What were its strengths and weaknesses? What was its 0-60 time?
Yes, the Model A was a success, but it did not come close to matching the Model T in its best years. But then the market had changed very substantially; Chevrolet was now duking it out, and bested the Model A in 1928, in its first year. But the mechanical perfection of the A quickly endeared it to all those that came in contact with it. It’s reputation for durability and reliability quickly became legendary.
The title “What Henry Never Knew” refers to the fact that in 1962 (the time of this review) there were still a half-million A’s in operation. And that by this time, almost any A is worth twice what it was when new (not adjusted for inflation, though). A mint restored Roadster was selling for some $2000 (in 1962). In 2023, Model A roadsters are selling for some $20,000 (based on several roadsters sold on BAT), which is exactly the same price as in 1962, adjusted for inflation. So they really haven’t gone up since the time this article was written, which suggests that the early sixties were peak Model A. Which of course makes sense, as those that were young at the time of the A could now afford one. That’s pretty much the same with most collector cars.
“Why doesn’t Ford bring the Model A back?” was a common refrain at the time. As to whether folks would actually buy a new one, at the price it would cost to build in 1962 is another question. It would presumably be adequate for city transportation, but forget about freeways and modern highways. The ride was stiff. The heater wasn’t exactly hot. And the brakes weren’t either. Never mind the skidding out on those skinny tires. Wishful thinking that was better realized by picking up a cheap A, which were plentiful at the time.
To put the A in perspective, M/T hooked up their fifth wheel and put this roadster through the paces. The 200.5 cubic inch flathead four rated at 40 hp was shifted at its 2785 rpm redline. 0-30 was attained in 8.4 seconds in one test, 7.9 on the second. 0-45 was 19.5 and 18.7 in the second take. 0-60? It never happened, as the A topped out at 58 mph.
The 1/4, for what it was worth, happened in 27.9 seconds @ 52-53 mph. That ET is close to what a VW did back then, although the VW would have had a somewhat higher speed in the traps.
Not surprisingly, the A’s mechanical drum brakes were a bit off the standards of the day: distances from 30 mph were 33 feet; from 58 mph: 206 feet.
As to handling, the A was decidedly tail-happy (oversteer) and was not happy to stay in a straight line in a wind. The very quick steering (2.5 turns lock-to-lock) required adjustment from those used to modern steering. And of course it was noisy.
But of course all that mattered little to those that loved it in 1931, 1962 or today.
Related CC reading:
COAL: 1929 Ford Model A Standard Coupe – Chapter 12, A Is For Awesome by Jim Cavanaugh
Curbside Classic: 1929 Ford Model A – The Best Ford Ever – Maybe Even The Best Car Ever by PN
I like the last picture there as it shows what the typical road looked like when the car was new. In the farm areas where these ran supreme unimproved or simply graded gravel roads were the rule. The road I grew up on in northern Illinois was not paved until the late 50s, and it was not an out-of-the-way street.
Wasn’t the Falcon advertised as the successor to the Model A? If it wasn’t it should have been.
Pintos were too. Back when the Pinto came out Ford dealers offered bumper stickers for Model A’s saying “I’m Pinto’s Grandpa”. I remember seeing a few.
And the Beach Boys did a tribute to the Model A with the song “Little Deuce Coupe” who was also featured in the movie American Graffiti.
The little duce coupe was a 32 ford not a model A.
’32 was either a Model B (a lightly warmed-over A) or a first-year V8.
I once read a script for the movie that called for the coupe to have a 392 Hemi. But in the movie, it can clearly be seen as having a SBC with Strombergs.
A Hemi would have been more fitting as a car that was supposedly the fastest of the area, but George Lucas didn’t care about accuracy so much as the car simply looking and sounding correct.
Stephane, you’re close but not quite right. “Deuce” refers to a 1932 Ford. “”Deuce” being a two, especially in card games. 1932 saw the introduction of the Model B, with styling changes and several improvements over the Model A Ford. 1932, though, also saw the introduction of Ford’s flathead V-8 engine. Called the V-8, to distinguish it from the Model B, it is still a hot-rodder’s favorite. I’m sure the Beach Boys were referring to a ‘32 V-8 coupe in that classic song. Thanks for your comment!
Model A’s remain as close as we can ever come to the Platonic ideal of a popular car for its time. It was the mature, conservative 1920s vision in metal, so its life would be brief. The right size, shape and with attractive details. That little heart-shaped touch that they put on the radiator cowling is the cherry on top.
About 1967 my family visited my mother’s aunt and uncle, who were Minnesota dairy farmers. They still had a couple of teens at the time and one of them drove an old Model A as everyday transport. It had evidently belonged to an old farmer in the area and Mom’s uncle Gerhard bought it just for that purpose. I got several rides in it on that visit and was absolutely thrilled with the experience. It didn’t look like much, the paint was badly weathered and it looked every bit of its 35 or so years then. Somewhere there is a photo of me standing on the running board.
I am a little surprised at that 0-30 figure. I checked and found one test of a 1960 Falcon that ran 0-30 at 5.2. and I would have expected a time around maybe 6 seconds. The A was reported to be the fastest car on the road up to 30 mph in its day, and was known for sharp acceleration at low speeds. My own experience was that the car did pretty well keeping up with city traffic in the early 90s when getting away from a stop light. Brakes? I agree with them completely on the brakes, and remember using that emergency brake for added stopping power more than once.
A delightful review to read, with lots of little things I didn’t know or wouldn’t have expected (mechanical brakes’ longer stopping distances included–yikes!). Doors with hardwood inner structure? That sure missed me through the years.
And, sixty years ago, a “half million” still one the road (between hobbyists and “drivers”), which is impressive–I wonder what the number is today?
I’d be interested to compare the data with the 1980-ish Shay reproduction “A” with the Pinto drivetrain and hydraulic brakes (that of course being “malaise” years anyway). Thanks for this, Paul!
I think it was The Budd Co. that was first to market with the all-steel body, which showed up on the 1914 Dodge. Most others were slower, and GM incorporated wood framing in parts of its bodies well into the 1930s. I have read that this is a reason that many non-Ford sedans of the 20s have been scrapped – that wood eventually rotted, and unless the car was worth a lot, the cost of replacing the body’s wooden members would be prohibitive.
I remember that the floor of my Model A used actual floor boards, as in wooden boards.
Interesting timing for this post, Paul as I’d been thinking about Model A’s recently … probably not unrelated to general thoughts about aging and the passage of time. In the mid-60’s, two of our neighbors had Model A’s that were daily drivers, and just a few years later a kid in my older sister’s high school drove a Model A. Not common, definitely from a very different era, but still on the road and in use. At the same time, I’d see them at the occasional car show, restored and “historic”. By the late ‘70’s, a colleague had a Model A pickup he sometimes drove to work, and he lived at least 20 miles away. By then, it was definitely unusual but by no means a rarity. Fast forward to about ten years ago, and we were waiting outside a downtown movie theater and a guy pulled and parallel parked his Model A sedan at the curb. I chatted with him briefly; he’d upgraded to 4 wheel hydraulic brakes and slightly more modern (but still painted spoke) wheels and tires, and told me it was a fine urban/suburban driver.
So why have I been thinking about them? Recently I’ve spotted a bunch of ‘79-83 Toyota pickups, box-body Chevy’s and bump side Fords, and realize they’re the same age or even older than those Model A’s. And like the Fords (though I think these are more commonly seen) they seem equally at home stock, in traffic or modified or restored at a show. But they don’t look as “old” as those 40-50 year old Model A’s.
The first time I saw an A was up close and personal, and definitely related to the brakes. I was about 4 years old, and Mom had sent me out to fetch the mail, which was in a rural box on the other side of the street. After I got the mail from the box, a Ford A very nearly hit me. I still remember the squeal of the brakes. (Of course I already knew it was an A, because I was reading car books from birth.)
Back in the 1960’s the model A was the most popular antique car, the ’55 Chevy was just a used car that was just starting to be recognized as something worth preserving. I agree that the Falcon was the answer to those who wanted a new Model A. It was a simple, spacious, practical, low priced car that was perfect for contemporary uses. However it was up to it’s sibling the Mustang, to capture the car collector’s heart.
I would really be wary of driving an antique car like an A in modern traffic, they don’t do very well in collisions and passengers are quite likely to be severely injured or killed. It’s not like I can’t accept a degree of hazard, I’m someone who extensively rode motorcycles for over 35 years.
That’s a big four: 200.5 cubic inches = 3.3 liters.
Huge today, but not particularly big for the time, though. The T had a 177, and the ’31 Plymouth had a 196 inch four.
You remind me that I had a conversation awhile back with a guy who has an early Plymouth six (maybe a 1933?). He said that his brother-in-law’s Model A will out-accelerate it.
I attended a wedding in Mexico in the past year which used a Model A Ford to transport the bride to the wedding. It was basically still original, with working 6 volt electrics and everything. Everyone loved it. As the author mentioned, for driving along city streets (even at night) it was fine, though a bit loud!
People who have them don’t seem to get rid of them, because they are simple and relatively economical to fix, parts are available, and still fun to drive, to say, a Sunday afternoon jaunt for a picnic or to the grocery store.
Great article – I have a friend who uses his A sedan regularly to go to and from work. An A with overdrive unit fitted will happily cruise at 60mph – and whilst the seem to be as tough as old boots due to their mechanical simplicity and good design, parts are easily available to keep one running. Great cars.
Funny to think that my daily driver is 20 years older than this Model A was at the time of the test….
Model As are great cars – still usable today, especially when fitted with an overdrive unit, which allows cruising at 60mph. Great initial quality and sound mechanical design, plus simplicity of maintenance and parts availability.
A friend of mine uses his almost daily – see pic.
Funny to think that my daily driver is 20 years older than the Model A in the article was at the time it was written….
The wife’s ‘Land Yacht’.
Body off Frame-up.
Lambard blue 1930 Standard 40-B Roadster. [Henry had a thing for Betty Lombardo]
Engine machined and stamped February 12th, 1929.
Sold as a 1930 During the height of The Great Depression.
Back then few had the coin for white walls and a Quail radiator cap.
The significance of the quail was to signify the snappy performance of the Ford Model ‘A’ as it would “Beat The Pants Off Anything From 0 To 30 On Dearborn Ave.” Henry Ford.
When I was a kid, an elderly local had an A roadster like this that she used to take shopping once a week. I still remember the sound as she rounded the corner into our street – that slow-revving engine and gear whine. There were a few late thirties cars in regular use around home back then (’37 Plymouth, ’38 Chev), but the A looked way more than seven years older. That massive difference in just a few years was probably what got me so interested in car design.
Although it was quite okay for off-peak around town use in 1963, it would never do as daily transport for the average driver today!
This is an interesting article. In the late 80s I was thinking about getting a hobby car and I considered a Model A for many of the reasons mentioned in the article, e.g. simplicity, parts availability, and I like the looks. I joined the Toronto Model A club to learn more, and really enjoyed the atmosphere, but in the end I decided against it. I wanted a car that I could easily drive in modern traffic, and I just felt that the Model A did not quite make it, especially the brakes. A couple of years later I bought a Citroën 2CV which really did fit my requirements.
A lot of missing info here :
The ‘A’ model’s original camshaft had serious lift that gave it lots of “oomph” but tended to wear quickly .
The brakes were designed for dirt roads and so had 40% braking on the front and 60% on the rear wheels, it’s not difficult to reverse this .
The brake shoes were pinned ad their tops and rode on rollers on their bottoms, these rollers and tracks wore very quickly, if you replaced them with toggles (“floaters”) instead of the rollers and ramps the brakes were actually very good and you were only hindered by the 2″ or so trades contact .
I’ve had four ‘A’ Models and all were very good daily commuters, the ’31 DeLuxe pickup truck made a dandy shop truck for several years .
Henry had the Vanadium steel made in house because the American steel mills said they couldn’t do it co$t effectively .
-Nate