Ford Model A - a 1920s car which changed the world

Ford Model A

By the time the Model A came to fruition, Ford already had an enormous triumph: the Model T - so making sure the Model A was not only just as good, but better, was a tall order.

The new car was aimed at not only the emerging world of motorists across the globe, but the Model T driver who wanted something a bit more modern and Ford recognised the challenge and created an entirely new car - there are no parts shared between the T and A.

Which made this new car an incredibly exciting and modern prospect. In fact, Henry Ford described the evolution of the A so new for the company, it was wiping the slate clean and starting over again.

The car launched in the winter of 1927 for American buyers and essentially, the public went wild. Over 10 million people went to see the new car in the first week and the public gatherings were so excitable, the police were called to help keep the calm and keep the traffic flowing! I just don’t think we can compare that to anything launching today - it must’ve been an unbelievable sight.

However, despite getting it so right with the design, Ford had a hiccup: they hadn’t quite anticipated the sales volume and the new Rouge manufacturing complex was behind on orders until middle of 1929 - when the line was at full capacity churning out around 9,000 cars per day.

The new car was designed for the new roads being built and could achieve a top speed on the 3.3 engine of around 65 miles per hour and the engine was achieving around 40bhp. Which was very decent for the time and allowed motorists a considerable range of travel. The engine was paired with a fully crash 3 speed sliding gear manual box with reverse.

There are rod brakes and drums all round and it’s worth noting that whilst this sports the 3.3 engine - that wouldn’t have been a common sight in Britain.

The British cars were mainly fitted unless otherwise specified with the 2043cc engine which had a horsepower of 28. You might be wondering why they did this - well - the British taxation system of the time was related to the fiscal horsepower of the car and for each fiscal horsepower, there was £1 per annum to be paid in tax. If Ford had gone with the 3.3, it would’ve really pushed the tax up on the car and make it an unattractive prospect for the majority of buyers.

Overall, this meant Ford in Europe didn’t sell as well as it did in America, because they weren’t marketing a like for like product and that smaller engine really did hamper the appeal.

After a blinding launch in the December of 1927, the production ended in March 1932 with over 4.8 million of the As made and sold worldwide.

Nearly 100 years later, the car is still a huge favourite of many people across the globe, with many still in regular use as daily drivers, show cars and hot rodded motors.