View source for Engineering:Ford Model A (1927–31)

{{short description|Compact car}}
{{Infobox automobile
| image        = 1928 Model A Ford.jpg
| caption      = 1928 Ford Model A Tudor sedan
| name         = Ford Model A
| manufacturer = [[Company:Ford Motor Company|Ford Motor Company]]
| production   = 1928-1931
| predecessor  = Ford Model T
| successor    = [[Engineering:1932 Ford|Ford Model B]]<br />Ford Model 18<br />GAZ A<br />GAZ-MM<br />GAZ-AAA
| class        = [[Engineering:Full-size Ford|Full-size Ford]]
| platform     = A Chassis
| layout       = FR layout
| assembly     = Chester, Pennsylvania<br />Chicago, Illinois<br />Dearborn, Michigan<br />Jacksonville, Florida<br />Long Beach, California<br />San Francisco, California<br />Saint Paul, Minnesota<br />Windsor, Ontario<br />Winnipeg, Manitoba<ref>https://www.winnipegrealestatenews.com/publications/real-estate-news/1797</ref><br />[[Place:Buenos Aires|Buenos Aires]], {{wipe|Argentina}}<br />[[Place:Santiago|Santiago]], {{wipe|Chile}}<br />Cologne, {{wipe|Germany}}<br />Yokohama, {{wipe|Japan}}<br />[[Place:Copenhagen|Copenhagen]], {{wipe|Denmark}}<br />Cork, Ireland<br />Trafford Park, {{wipe|England}} <br /> Trieste, Italy <br />Geelong, Victoria<br />[[Place:Nizhny Novgorod|Nizhny Novgorod]], {{wipe|Russia}}<br />Istanbul, [[Place:Turkey|Turkey]]
| body_style   = A – Chassis<br />
Convertible sedan (400A)<br />
Business Coupe<br />coupe<br />Deluxe coupe<br />
Special coupe (1928–29 limited run)<br />
Sport coupe<br />
Standard coupe<br />
Deluxe coupe<br />
Standard Fordor sedan – Murray<br />
Standard Fordor sedan – Briggs<br />
Deluxe Fordor sedan – Murray<br />Deluxe Fordor sedan – Briggs<br />
Leatherback Fordor sedan<br />
Standard Fordor sedan – slant windshield<br />
Mail truck<br />
Panel truck<br />
Phaeton 2-door<br />
Phaeton 4-door<br />
Deluxe service pickup<br />
Roadster pickup<br />
Cabriolet<br />
[[Engineering:Pickup truck|Pickup]]<br />
Deluxe pickup<br />
Standard [[Engineering:Roadster (automobile)|roadster]]<br />
Roadster utility<br />
Deluxe roadster<br />
Sport roadster<br />
[[Engineering:Station wagon|Station wagon]]<br />
Taxi cab<br />
Town car<br />
Town car delivery<br />
Standard Tudor sedan<br />
Deluxe Tudor sedan<br />
Victoria<br />
Wood panel delivery<br />
| engine       = 201&nbsp;CID (3.3 L) [[Engineering:Flathead engine|L-head]] I4
| wheelbase    = {{convert|103.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="kimes1996">{{cite book|last=Kimes|first=Beverly|title=standard catalog of American Cars 1805-1942|year=1996|publisher=Krause publications|isbn=0-87341-428-4}}</ref>
| length       = {{convert|165|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| width        = {{convert|67|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| height       =
| weight       = {{convert|2265|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}
| aka          =
| transmission = 3-speed sliding gear [[Engineering:Manual transmission|manual]]
| related      = Ford Model AF<br />Ford Model AA
| designer     =
}}
The '''Ford Model A''' (also colloquially called the '''A-Model Ford''' or the '''A''', and '''A-bone''' among hot rodders and [[Engineering:Custom car#Language|customizers]])<ref>Bianco, Johnny, "Leadfest" in ''Rod & Custom'', 9/00, p. 86.</ref> was the [[Company:Ford Motor Company|Ford Motor Company]]'s second market success, after its predecessor, the Model T. First produced on October 20, 1927, but not introduced until December 2,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2bcW0WDEKgMC&pg=PA10 |title=Collector's Originality Guide Ford Model A |last=Schild |first=Jim |publisher=MotorBooks International |year=2009 |isbn=9781610608886 |language=en}}</ref> it replaced the venerable Model T, which had been produced for 18 years. This new Model A (a previous model had used the name in 1903–04) was designated a 1928 model and was available in four standard colors.

By February 4, 1929, one million Model As had been sold, and by July 24, two million.<ref name="Gauld, p. 693">Gauld, p. 693.</ref> The range of body styles ran from the Tudor at US$500 (in grey, green, or black)<ref name="Gauld, p. 693"/> to the town car with a dual cowl at US$1,200.<ref>Gauld, p. 694.</ref> In March 1930, Model A sales hit three million, and there were nine body styles available.<ref name="Gauld, p. 693"/>

Model A production ended in March 1932, after 4,858,644 had been made in all body styles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mafca.com/data_production.html|title=Model A Production Figures|publisher=Model A Ford Club of America|accessdate=April 12, 2015}}</ref> Its successor was the Model B, which featured an updated inline four-cylinder engine, as well as the [[Engineering:1932 Ford#Model 18|Model 18]], which introduced Ford's new flathead (sidevalve) V8 engine.

==Features==
Prices for the Model A ranged from US$385 for a roadster to US$1,400 for the top-of-the-line town car. The engine was a water-cooled [[Engineering:Cam-in-block#L-head|L-head]] inline four with a displacement of {{convert|201|CID|l|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Cheetham">{{cite book|last1=Cheetham|first1=Craig|title=Vintage Cars - The Finest Prewar Automobiles|date=2004|publisher=Grange Books|location=Rochester, United Kingdom|isbn=1840136359|pages=31}}</ref>  This engine provided {{convert|40|hp|kW PS|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Cheetham" /> Top speed was around {{convert|65|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The Model A had a {{convert|103.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} wheelbase with a final drive ratio of 3.77:1. The transmission was a conventional unsynchronized three-speed sliding gear [[Engineering:Manual transmission|manual]]<ref name="Cheetham" /> with a single speed reverse. The Model A had four-wheel mechanical [[Engineering:Drum brake|drum brake]]s.<ref name="Cheetham" /> The 1930 and 1931 models were available with stainless steel radiator cowlings and headlamp housings.

The Model A came in a wide variety of styles including a coupe (standard and deluxe), business coupe, sport coupe, roadster coupe (standard and deluxe), convertible cabriolet, convertible sedan, phaeton (standard and deluxe), Tudor sedan (standard and deluxe), town car, Fordor (five-window standard, three-window deluxe), Victoria, town sedan, station wagon, taxicab, truck, and commercial.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} The very rare special coupe started production around March 1928 and ended mid-1929. <!--a source saying all of these are real would be good-->

The Model A was the first Ford to use the standard set of driver controls with conventional clutch and brake pedals, throttle, and gearshift. Previous Fords used controls that had become uncommon to drivers of other makes. The Model A's fuel tank was situated in the cowl, between the engine compartment's fire wall and the dash panel. It had a visual fuel gauge, and the fuel flowed to the carburetor by gravity. A rear-view mirror was optional.<ref name="kimes1996"/> In cooler climates, owners could purchase an [[Engineering:Aftermarket (automotive)|aftermarket]] cast iron unit to place over the exhaust manifold to provide heat to the cab. A small door provided adjustment of the amount of hot air entering the cab. The Model A was the first car to have [[Engineering:Laminated glass|safety glass]] in the windshield.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford/1930_Ford/1930_Ford_Brochure_02/1930%20Ford-14-15.html |title=Directory Index: Ford/1930_Ford/1930_Ford_Brochure_02 |publisher=Oldcarbrochures.com |date= |accessdate=November 20, 2011}}</ref>

The [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet]] company [[Company:GAZ|GAZ]], which started as a [[Finance:Joint venture|joint venture]] between Ford and the Soviet Union, made a licensed version from 1932–1936.<ref name="Sorensen1956pp206-208">{{Harvnb|Sorensen|1956|pp=206–208}}.</ref> This served as the basis for the FAI and BA-20 [[Engineering:Armored car (military)|armored car]]s which saw use as Soviet scout vehicles in the early stages of [[Social:World War II|World War II]].

In addition to the United States, Ford made the Model A in plants in Argentina, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

In Europe, where in some countries cars were taxed according to engine size, Ford in the UK manufactured the Model A with a smaller displacement engine of {{convert|2043|cc|abbr=on}}, providing a claimed output of {{convert|28|hp|kW PS|abbr=on}}.<ref>Werner Oswald. ''Deutsche Autos 1920-1945'' <!--publisher & place? and is his name Werner Oswald or Oswald Werner?--> p. 416 {{ISBN|3-87943-519-7}}</ref> However, this equated to a British [[Tax horsepower|fiscal horsepower]] of {{convert|14.9|hp|kW PS|lk=on|abbr=on}}<ref>Clutton, Cecil, Paul Bird and Anthony Harding. ''The Vintage Car Pocketbook'' <!--publisher, place, date, & page...?-->; ''The Motoring Encyclopaedia'' (1935?)</ref> (compared to the {{convert|24|hp|kW PS|lk=on|abbr=on}} of the larger engine) and attracted a punitive annual car tax levy of £1 per fiscal hp in the UK.  It therefore was expensive to own and too heavy and uneconomical to achieve volume sales, and so unable to compete in the newly developing mass market, while also too crude to compete as a luxury product. European manufactured Model As failed to achieve the sales success in Europe that would greet their smaller successor in Britain and Germany.<ref name=AutoExpress2002>{{cite journal|  title = 0 – 100...We celebrate a century of Ford in style....| journal = Auto Express| volume = Issue 724| pages = 56–62|date = October 2–8, 2002| ref = harv}}</ref>

==Development history==
From the mid 1910s through the early 1920s, Ford dominated the automotive market with its Model T. However, during the mid-1920s, this dominance eroded as competitors, especially the various General Motors divisions, caught up with Ford's mass production system and began to better<!--higher quality is not "outcompeting", is it?--> Ford in some areas, especially by offering more powerful engines, new convenience features, or cosmetic customization.<ref name="Sorensen1956pp217-219">{{Harvnb|Sorensen|1956|pp=217–219}}.</ref><ref name="Hounshell1984pp263-264">{{Harvnb|Hounshell|1984|pp=263–264}}.</ref><ref name="Sloan1964pp162-163">{{Harvnb|Sloan|1964|pp=162–163}}.</ref> Also, features Henry Ford considered to be unnecessary, such as electric starters, were gradually shifting in the public's perception from luxuries to essentials.

Ford's sales force recognized the threat and advised Henry to respond to it. Initially he resisted, but the T's sagging market share finally forced him to admit a replacement was needed. When he finally agreed to begin development of this new model, he focused on the mechanical aspects and on what today is called [[Engineering:Design for manufacturability|design for manufacturability]] (DFM), which he had always strongly embraced and for which the Model T production system was famous. Although ultimately successful,<!--aside: this was clear, if unencyclopedic, before :D Feel free to remove the cmt. ;p--> the development of the Model A included many problems that had to be resolved.<ref name="Hounshell1984pp280-292">{{Harvnb|Hounshell|1984|pp=280–292}}.</ref> For example, the [[Engineering:Die (manufacturing)|die stamping of parts from sheet steel]], which the Ford company had led to new heights of development with the Model T production system, was something Henry had always been ambivalent about; it had brought success, but he felt that it was not the best choice for durability. He was determined that the Model A would rely more on drop forgings than the Model T, but his ideas to improve the DFM of forging did not prove practical. Eventually, Ford's engineers persuaded him to relent, lest the Model A's production cost force up its retail price too much.<ref name="Hounshell1984pp280-281">{{Harvnb|Hounshell|1984|pp=280–281}}.</ref>

Henry's disdain for cosmetic vanity as applied to automobiles led him to leave the Model A's styling to a team led by his son Edsel, even though he would take credit for it despite his son doing more of the work.

It was during the period from the mid-1920s to early 1930s that the limits of the first generation of [[Finance:Mass production|mass production]], epitomized by the Model T production system's rigidity, became apparent. The era of "flexible mass production" had begun.<ref name="Hounshell1984pp263-301">{{Harvnb|Hounshell|1984|pp=263–301}}, Chapter 7: Cul-de-sac: The Limits of [[Social:Fordism|Fordism]] & the Coming of "Flexible Mass Production".</ref><ref name="Sorensen1956pp217-231">{{Harvnb|Sorensen|1956|pp=217–231}}, Chapter 16: Farewell to Model T.</ref>

==Film and media==
The Model A was well represented in media of the era since it was one of the most common cars. Model kits remain  available from hobby shops as stock cars or hot rods.

Several Model As have obtained particular fame. The ''Mean Green Machine'', a green and black 1931 Tudor sedan, has been a staple of [[Organization:University of North Texas|University of North Texas]] football games and special events since 1974, maintained by the spirit organization Talons since the 1980s. The ''[[Engineering:Ramblin' Wreck|Ramblin' Wreck]]'', a 1930 sport coupe, is the official mascot of the student body at the Georgia Institute of Technology and appears at sporting events and student body functions. [[Engineering:Ala Kart (custom car)|''Ala Kart'']], a [[Engineering:Custom car|customized]] 1929 roadster pickup built by George Barris, won two straight "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" awards at the Oakland Roadster Show before making numerous film and television appearances. Between October 1992 and December 1994, Hector Quevedo, along with his son Hugo, drove a 1928 Model A {{convert|22,000|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} from his home in Punta Arenas, Chile to Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. The car required minimal service, including a flat tire and transmission work in Nicaragua, and is now housed in the Henry Ford Museum.<ref>Cardinale, Anthony. "Chileans on a Roll in Vintage Car Trek Detroit-Bound Model A Ford Arrives Here After 21,700 Miles". ''Buffalo News''. Buffalo, N.Y.: November 30, 1994, p. A.1.</ref>

Charlie Ryan's song "Hot Rod Lincoln" featured a modified Model A. The song has been covered several times since its original release.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:1928-ford-archives.jpg|1928 Model A business coupe
File:Ford_A_de_Luxe_Roadster_blue_vrd.jpg|1930 deluxe roadster
File:1931_Ford_Model_A_roadster_engine.JPG|1928 Model A engine with modern [[Engineering:Aftermarket (automotive)|aftermarket]] air filter
File:1929_Ford_Model_AA_Truck_DGO099.jpg|1929 Model AA heavy-duty truck variant of the Model A
File:1928 Ford Model A 76A Open Cab.jpg|1928 Model A open-cab (roadster) pickup
File:1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Tudor.jpg|1931 deluxe Tudor
File:'28 Ford Model A Hotrod (Auto classique St. Lazare '10).jpg|1928 Model A hot rod with roll pan, chopped top, and late-model headlights and mirrors
File:'31 Ford Model A (Auto classique).JPG|Another hot rod with 1931 roadster body and chassis,{{citation needed|date=October 2010}}<!--←Do we need a citation here? Yes: it's for the details. Is it a '31 body & chassis?--> Deuce grille shell, chrome-hatted [[Engineering:Carburetor|carburetor]]s,<!--is that four 97s?--> drilled I-beam dropped front axle, finned drum brakes<!--Buicks?-->, and zoomie pipes
File:HFM Chile to Michigan 1928 Model A Ford.jpg|Hector Quevedo's 1928 Model A on display at the Henry Ford Museum
File:1929_Ford_Model_A_Gazogene.jpg|1929 Model A Gazogene on display at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum. This car was modified in 1939 to use an alternative fuel in the form of wood or charcoal.
File:Ford_Model_A_1928_Wood_Gas_01.jpg|1928 Model A Fordor with a 1941 Kaiser [[Chemistry:Wood gas generator|wood gas generator]]{{cn|date=April 2018}}
File:1929 Ford Model A Station Wagon.jpg|A 1929 Model A station wagon, on display at the Museum of Automobiles in Arkansas
File:Ford Model A Town Car.jpg|1929 town car from The Museum of Automobiles in Arkansas
File:1928 Ford Model A in Bucharest.jpg|1928 sedan with suicide doors in Romania
File:1962 Holiday in Dixie Parade, Mayor Clyde Fant, Jim Bowen driver.jpg|1930 Model A, with [[Engineering:Rumble seat|rumble seat]]s
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Hounshell1984}}
* Gauld, Graham. "The Ford Motor Company", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automobile'', Volume 6, pp.&nbsp;681–700. London: Phoebus, 1974.

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last = Henry| first = Leslie R. | title = How to Restore the Model A Ford | publisher = Echo Point Books & Media, LLC | location = Vermont | year = 2013 | isbn =978-1626549418 }}

==External links==
* [http://www.motormayhem.net/model-a-ford-reference-page/trackback/ Model A Ford Reference Sheet, Owners Manual, and Help]
* Model A Ford Club of America - [http://www.mafca.com/]
* Model A Restorers Club - [http://www.modelarestorers.org]
* Ford Model AA Truck Club - [http://www.fmaatc.org/]
* A-Ford Club Nederland - [http://www.a-ford.nl]
* {{dmoz|Recreation/Autos/Makes_and_Models/Ford/Model_A/|Ford Model A}}
* [http://moes-garage.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!4FC3316B3CBDCA99!2649/ Follow Henry As We Tour The Long Beach Assembly Plant circa 1930]{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150321060236/http://www.independenceharbor.com/History/History.html Ford Model A Assembly Plant in Edgewater NJ]
* [http://www.fordbarn.com/ Fordbarn, An active forum for discussion about the Model A Ford]
* [http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/18/365-days-of-a-one-mans-quest-to-drive-a-ford-model-a-for-entir/ 365 Days of A, One man's quest to drive a Ford Model A for an entire year.]
* [http://www.classiccarcatalogue.com/FORD%20USA%201930.html 1930 Model A sales brochure]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford Model A (1927-1931)}}
[[Category:Full-size vehicles]]
[[Category:Pickup trucks]]
[[Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles]]
[[Category:Sedans]]

{{Sourceattribution|Ford Model A (1927–31)|1}}