Henry Ford and the Model A

Henry Ford must be the most well known name in Automobile history and together with his famous model ‘T’ has brought the name ‘Ford’ to the forefront.

The roaring 20‘s was the heyday for the Model T, but Henry Ford’s dominance was slipping as time went on and sales dropped from 57% of the market share in 1923, to just 34% in 1926, the lowest since 1918.

On May 25th 1927 after many rumours, Ford announced that it would build a new automobile. The official announcement of the new model’s completion was made by Henry’s son Edsel on August 10th 1927 and there the model ‘A’ was born.

The launch of the Model A

At the launch of the model ‘A’ on 2nd December 1927, the car was met with spectacular excitement the world over. It has been said that 10% of the American population saw the car during the first two days.

The new Ford was hailed as a huge success by the general public and although Henry Ford estimated the development cost at about $100,000,000 the car was priced almost the same as its model ‘T’ predecessor and was decidedly less than Ford’s immediate competitors.

Because the changeover to the new model was running slow not every dealer was able to show the new car on launch day but within a couple of weeks, new orders for the model A reached over 400,000.

PICTURED ARE HENRY FORD AND HIS SON EDSEL FORD

Model changes 1928 to 1931

The 1928 and 1929 models remained very similar with only small changes applied for the 1929 model.

In 1930, a re-styled model A was launched with a taller grille shell and higher body line. The 1931 standard models were kept relatively the same with only a few cosmetic changes. A slant windscreen version of the sedan and cabriolet models was introduced in the later part of 1931 and remain quite rare as only small numbers were produced.

Model A Engine 2,000,000

The Model A engine is a 4 cylinder flathead design, developing 40 horse power at 2200 rpm.
Unlike the previous Model T engine, the Model A powerplant used a more conventional battery, generator, coil and distributor system.

Picture shows engine number 2,000,000 being lowered into a chassis on July 24th 1929.

( Is that Steve Martin in the picture)?

The 20 Millionth Ford

Another milestone for Henry Ford arrived during Model A production.

Henry Ford drives the 20 millionth Ford off the production line at the Rouge assembly plant on April 14th 1931.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FORD MODEL A BODY STYLES.

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