1928 Ford Model A Roadster Pick up

200ci Flathead Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
Single Two-Barrel Carburetor
40bhp at 2,200rpm
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Leaf Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes

*Offered from the Austin Automobile Collection
*Beautifully resorted inside and out
*Open air motoring and utility: The best of both worlds!
*An excellent starter car to join the pre-war hobby


THE FORD MODEL A

Despite achieving the hard-earned title of America's Greatest Industrial Innovator, by the mid-1920s Henry Ford and his once-revolutionary Model T were both rapidly approaching obsolescence. Fortunately, Ford's only son and heir Edsel carried the same adventurous and enterprising spirit his father had so successfully employed in earlier days. After years of dogged persistence and much personal heartache, the tragic aftereffects of which would ultimately cost the brilliant young Ford his life, Edsel finally triumphed over his hard-headed father.

Development of a Model T replacement began in earnest, and by the tail-end of 1927 it would be unveiled as the Model A, its seemingly incongruous name a nod to the senior Ford's earliest production model of 1903.


THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This early 1928 example represents one of the more interesting and scarcer standard Model A bodystyles; namely, the open-cab or roadster pickup. Despite what appearances, not to mention the word "open" might suggest, these trucks' tops were permanently affixed and did not fold.

Whereas the preceding Model T was the first Ford to standardize left-hand drive, the A pioneered pedal and major control placement familiar to modern day drivers; that is clutch on the left, brake in the middle, throttle on the right, and a shift lever situated between driver and front seat passenger.

Four-wheel brakes were another modern idea first introduced to Ford buyers with the Model A, though they remain activated by steel linkage. Skeptical of early hydraulic systems, Henry Ford remained a stalwart for mechanical brakes, a characteristic marketed with the tagline, "The safety of steel, from toe to wheel." Starting is electric, though the adventurous and strong may wish to turn over the 40-horse, 201ci L-head four with a hand crank.

This example displays as largely standard, and appears to benefit from a careful, sympathetic restoration of unknown age. Optional Ford extras include a moto-meter radiator temp gauge and spare tire cover with rear view mirror, while whitewalls, gleaming wood bed stakes and floor panels, and straight, shiny bodywork and trim all suggest that the truck has seen more pampering than hard work in past years.