Everyone needs a friend who owns a Model A Ford. And it helps if he likes you and is generous.
My friend is all of the above, and last week after church he offered to take my wife and me on a tour of the town. We jumped at the chance. After all, this was a car I spent many a dreamy Saturday working on in my neighbor’s back yard when I was a kid.
My friend’s A is a late 1928 model, which means it has a few of the model changes planned for the 1929 version. Henry Ford had a habit of doing that, and it used to rankle those who bought earlier in the year.
The price of a Model A ranged from $385 for the Roadster to a whopping $1,400 for the luxurious Towncar. My friend’s car is a Roadster, perfectly restored to showroom condition. The only things he has added are seat belts and turn signals, making it street legal.
Model As had simple four-cylinder engines that propelled you along at speeds between 40-65 mph. They used regular leaded gasoline, which is no longer available, so my friend has to add a lead additive when he fills the tank.
One of the more charming things about the Model A is the horn. Today’s car horns are a carefully tuned two-tone blast. “Honk-honk.” The Model A warned pedestrians out of the way with a resonating “Oogah-oogah!”
It was in the 70s and sunny. We climbed into the rumble seat in the back of the car and off we went. During our brief tour we got so many smiles, thumbs-up and wide-eyed wows, I lost count. The Model A was a stellar machine in 1928, and it still is today.
So, the next time you see some guy driving a Model A Ford, invite him to dinner. It could pay big dividends.