The original Ford Model A is the first car produced by the Ford Motor Company , beginning production in 1903. Ernest Pfennig, a Chicago dentist, became the first owner of a Model A on July 23, 1903; 1,750 cars were made in 1903 and 1904 at the Ford Mack Avenue Plant , a modest rented wood-frame building on Detroit 's East Side, and Ford's first facility. The Model A was replaced by the Ford Model C during 1904 with some sales overlap.
22-649: Model A may refer to: Ford Model A (1927–31) , a model of car built by the Ford Motor Company Ford Model A (1903–04) , a model of car built by the Ford Motor Company One of the letter-series models of Farmall tractors John Deere Model A , a model of John Deere tractor build by Deere & Company A structural model of personality in Socionics A character mode in
44-753: A 103.5 in (2,630 mm) wheelbase with a final drive ratio of 3.77:1. The transmission was a conventional unsynchronized three-speed sliding-gear manual with a single speed reverse. The Model A had four-wheel mechanical drum brakes . The Model A came in a wide variety of styles including coupes (standard and deluxe), business coupe, sports coupe, roadster coupes (standard and deluxe), convertible cabriolet , convertible sedan , phaetons (standard and deluxe), Tudor sedans (standard and deluxe), town car, Fordors (five-window standard, three-window deluxe), Victoria, town sedan, station wagon, taxicab, truck, and commercial. The very rare special coupe started production around March 1928 and ended in mid-1929. The Model A
66-572: A 72-inch (1.8 m) wheelbase and sold for a base price of US$ 750. Options included a rear tonneau with two seats and a rear door for $ 100, a rubber roof for $ 30 or a leather roof for $ 50. Band brakes were used on the rear wheels. However, it was $ 150 more than its most direct competitor, the Oldsmobile Curved Dash , so did not sell as well. The company had spent almost its entire $ 28,000 initial investment funds ($ 949,511 in 2023 dollars ) with only $ 223.65 left in its bank account when
88-590: A green and black 1931 Tudor sedan, has been a staple of University of North Texas football games and special events since 1974, maintained by the spirit organization Talons since the 1980s. The Ramblin' Wreck , a 1930 sports coupe, is the official mascot of the student body at the Georgia Institute of Technology and appears at sporting events and student body functions. Ala Kart , a customized 1929 roadster pickup built by George Barris , won two straight " America's Most Beautiful Roadster " awards at
110-521: A licensed version from 1932–1936. 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 2,043 cc (124.7 cu in), providing a claimed output of 28 hp (21 kW; 28 PS). However, this equated to a British fiscal horsepower of 14.9 hp (11.1 kW ; 15.1 PS ) (compared to
132-494: A two-seater runabout for $ 800 or the $ 900 four-seater tonneau model with an option to add a top. The horizontal-mounted flat-2 , situated amidships of the car, produced 8 hp (6 kW). A planetary transmission was fitted with two forward speeds and reverse, a Ford signature later seen on the Ford Model T . The car weighed 1,240 lb (562 kg) and could reach a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). It had
154-678: The A-Model Ford or the A , and A-bone among hot rodders and customizers ) is the Ford Motor Company 's second market success, replacing the venerable Model T which had been produced for 18 years. It was first produced on October 20, 1927, but not introduced until December 2. 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. The range of body styles ran from
176-689: The Henry Ford Museum . A 1930 Model A, used by the gangster John Dillinger to escape federal agents in 1934, was sold at auction in 2010 for $ 165,000. The West Side Lumber Company of California converted several Model As into railcars which could carry 12 people. A few still see regular service on the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad , also in California, alongside Shays Nos. 10 and 15. Ford Model A (1903%E2%80%9304) The car came as
198-451: The Model 18 , which introduced Ford's new flathead (sidevalve) V8 engine . Prices for the Model A ranged from US$ 385 for a roadster to US$ 1,400 for the town car. The engine was a water-cooled L-head inline four with a displacement of 201 cu in (3.3 L). This engine provided 40 hp (30 kW; 41 PS). Top speed was around 65 mph (105 km/h). The Model A had
220-659: 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 22,000 mi (35,406 km) 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
242-401: The 24 hp (18 kW ; 24 PS ) 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, so it was 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
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#1732780411652264-622: The Model T production system's rigidity, became apparent. The era of " flexible mass production " had begun. The Model A was well-represented in the 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 . High-quality die-cast Model As are represented in 1/24 scale by the Danbury Mint 1931 roadster and the Franklin Mint 1930 Tudor sedan. Several models have obtained particular fame. The Mean Green Machine ,
286-538: The Tudor at US$ 500 (in grey, green, or black) ($ 8,872 in 2023 dollars ) to the town car with a dual cowl at US$ 1,200 ($ 21,293 in 2023 dollars ). In March 1930, Model A sales hit three million, and there were nine body styles available. Model A production ended in March 1932, after 4,858,644 had been made in all body styles. Its successor was the Model B , which featured an updated inline four-cylinder engine , as well as
308-557: The first Model A was sold. The success of this car model generated a profit for the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford 's first successful business. Although Ford advertised the Model A as the "most reliable machine in the world", it suffered from many problems common to vehicles of the era, including overheating and slipping transmission bands. The Model A was sold only in red by the factory, though some were later repainted in other colors. 1904 Model A cars were equipped with
330-1113: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Model_A&oldid=1139371231 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Ford Model A (1927%E2%80%9331) Convertible sedan (400A) Business coupe Coupe Deluxe coupe Special coupe (1928–29 limited run) Sport coupe Ford or coupe Deluxe coupe Standard Fordor sedan – Murray Standard Fordor sedan – Briggs Deluxe Fordor sedan – Murray Deluxe Fordor sedan – Briggs Leatherback Fordor sedan Standard Fordor sedan – slant windshield Mail truck Panel truck Phaeton 2-door Phaeton 4-door Deluxe service pickup Roadster pickup Cabriolet Pickup Deluxe pickup Standard roadster Roadster utility Deluxe roadster Sport roadster Station wagon Taxi cab Town car Town car delivery Standard Tudor sedan The Ford Model A (also colloquially called
352-641: The sales success in Europe that would greet their smaller successor in Britain and Germany. 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 Ford in some areas, especially by offering more powerful engines, new convenience features, or cosmetic customization. Ford's sales force recognized
374-405: 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 design for manufacturability (DFM), which he had always strongly embraced and for which the Model T production system
396-471: The video game Mega Man ZX Advent Chu Hummingbird Model A , an experimental co-axial helicopter Ritz Model A , ultralight aircraft Wright Model A , an early aircraft See also [ edit ] Class A (disambiguation) Type A (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Model A . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
418-469: 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. It was during the period from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s that the limits of the first generation of mass production , epitomized by
440-471: Was famous. Although ultimately successful, the development of the Model A included many problems that had to be resolved. For example, the 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
462-466: Was optional. In cooler climates, owners could purchase an 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 safety glass in the windshield. The Soviet company GAZ , which started as a joint venture between Ford and the Soviet Union, made
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#1732780411652484-415: 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 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
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