1929 Ford Roadster Pickup

Description

If you're a car enthusiast, and you haven't owned a Model A, you're missing out on one of the truly great collector cars of all time. Rugged, simple, with plentiful parts supplies and thriving club activities, the Model A is the perfect early collectable, and I bet you'll find one in even the most impressive collections.

This 1929 Model A roadster pickup is one of the more desirable body styles that has recently come into fashion. The dark green paint is probably the car's original color, as Henry Ford had a fondness for darker colors, and it gives the tidy little commercial vehicle a ready-to-work look. There's no denying that the work is reasonably well done, with straight bodywork and a nice gloss to the finish, which is now a few years old. And any Model A without the black fenders is incorrect; as the saying goes, you could have your fenders any color you wanted as long as they were black. Black trim is also used on the belt molding at the tops of the doors, adding a little two-tone flash to the utilitarian bodywork, and the bed is fitted with oak planks that have a bit of patina, so you won't worry about throwing some stuff in there at the local Home Depot. There's not a lot of brightwork on the roadster pickup, with a black painted grille, accessory front bumper, and a side-mounted spare, which was standard equipment.

Basic is the right word for any open Model A's interior, with weather-resistant materials and exactly zero creature comforts being the norm, but I guarantee you'll love every moment of it. The black vinyl bench seat is springy and comfortable, and wipes down with just a damp cloth. The steel dash is also the outside of the fuel tank, which is mounted above the engine to facilitate gravity feed to the carburetor. And the gauges consist of speed, fuel, and ammeter, with a single instrument lamp in the center. The big hard rubber steering wheel makes the A lively on the road, and houses the headlight control in the center. A black rubber mat covers the floorboards, and the carburetor is adjusted via a knob on the far right side. Remarkably enough the top on roadster pickups looks like it should fold, but it does not. Instead, it's like a removable hardtop. Fortunately, it's lightweight and easy to move all by yourself.

On paper, the Model A's modest 40 horsepower from a 200 cubic inch inline four seems modest, but it makes great torque and delivers bright performance in the lightweight little truck. It also has a distinctive sound that fans recognize a block away. Carburetion and spark are brutally simple, and these cars will practically run underwater on a mixture of vodka and Aqua-Velva. The 3-speed manual gearbox is non-synchromesh, so brush up on your double-clutching, and the brakes are mechanical drums, so plan ahead. This truck has been dressed up with whitewall tires on the painted 21-inch wire wheels, adding just the right amount of contrast.

Model As are simply great cars, and they always bring a smile to everyone's face. This one is as functional as it is fun, and I can guarantee many years of happy motoring behind the wheel. Call today!