Footnotes

• 'The gift of being able to sugar the "pill" of utility with an attractive coating has always been a notable facet of the Ford Motor Company... Ford could make a utility car still look like a "car", low purchase price often being accompanied by a lively performance and good fuel economy...' - Bruce Hudson, British Light Cars 1930-1939.
  
  Replacement for the ubiquitous Model T, the Model A went on sale in December 1927. A more complex car than its predecessor, the 'A' was also more powerful, its four-cylinder sidevalve engine producing 40bhp - double the output of the T - which was good enough for a top speed of 65mph. A three-speed sliding gear transmission replaced the T's planetary gears, there was coil-and-battery instead of magneto ignition and at last there was a brake for each wheel. The T's ungainly styling was abandoned, and the eagerly awaited Model A's up-to-the-minute looks, choice of colours and, needless to say, competitive pricing, helped ensure its success. Ford priced the new Model A at just $450 and would go to build 4.8 million over the next four years despite the prevailing economic gloom.
  
  After two years in production the Model A was face-lifted for 1930, receiving wider tyres on smaller-diameter (19") wheels and being mildly restyled with wider mudguards to achieve a lower, more modern look. Ford outsold Chevrolet 2-to-l in 1929/30 when more than 1.4 million were sold - the Model A's best year - and production continued until the V8's arrival in 1932 saw Ford's four-cylinder car renamed 'Model B'.
  
  This Model A Roadster was purchased at auction in July 1993 having previously belonged to Sir John Robson Rogers of Colchester, Essex. Re-commissioned and made useable some 3-4 years ago, it comes with associated invoices totalling more than £5,500, an original Model A/AF instruction book, three expired MoT certificates dating back to 2009, Swansea V5C document and MoT to May 2103.
  

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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