After 19 years, Ford stopped the production of the Ford model T. The production lines were then converted to 'The New Ford' in half a year.
The New Fords
At the end of 1927, the first Fords of the new generation rolled off the production line previously devised by Ford. The introduction of the successor to the 'Tin Lizzie' was not renamed 'Ford Model A' until later. The impact after the extremely successful marketing campaign was enormous. And that while the Internet was still far from existing.
On the day of the introduction, long lines were waiting in front of the showrooms in the United States. There were even Ford dealers who sold tickets to the curious in advance.
A big four-cylinder
That A-Ford had an 3300 cc 4 cylinder side valve engine with a capacity of around 40 hp. That was twice as much as its predecessor. The planetary gear change of the T was replaced in the A-Ford by a regular three-speed gearbox. All A-Fords had the same chassis, but were available with different open and closed bodies. They were also available as a truck. And in 1928 the first A Ford was introduced in the Netherlands. Production stopped after almost five million units were built.
A Fords are still popular classics
This also fits in with the trend towards pre-war classics. But it is more than nice that such an A Ford with all its history and years just remained a very usable automobile. In the current traffic image, such an A Ford with its 3300 cc four-cylinder is a surprisingly lively travel companion. And because the car is so simple and robust, there are still A Ford enthusiasts who are happy to make long journeys. A good, well-maintained A Ford is a real car.
And despite its respectable age of 85 + years, maintenance is very DIY friendly and the parts are readily available, whereby 'reference' has meanwhile replaced the stocks of new old stock. Of course, most providers are in the States. But here too there are things for sale through the A Ford club and some specialists. From that point of view, it is just about possible to build an A Ford from new parts.
This whole situation means that there is a nice range of these legendary Fords in the Netherlands and that there is an active club. 'The market' is such that the offer usually concerns high-quality cars. And that the current prices for 'normal' A Fords are around thirty thousand euros. We are talking about pure-bred copies, because in the land of unlimited possibilities, A Fords are and are still being rebuilt and built that are, for example, uninhibitedly equipped with V8s.
If a 'flathead' side valve V8 has been used for this, you can be lucky. But in those cases it has been a very long way for a car that once had the strong point of being supplied with a spare wheel as standard.
The more expensive A Fords
The truck versions and the 'specials' such as hearse cars are usually considerably more expensive. The closed A Fords cost less than the convertibles. And the A Ford story was inspired by the A Ford from 123 Trouwauto.nl. The ease of entry was praised on that site. The bride agreed. And we can imagine that after seeing a couple get married in a Morgan trike.
