The Complete Ford Model A Evolution: 1928–1931
The Ford Model A carried the weight of a difficult succession. It followed the Model T, a car that had put the world on wheels and sold more than fifteen million units over nineteen years, and it had to do so against a Chevrolet that had finally caught up. Henry Ford shut his factories for six months to retool, and what emerged in late 1927 was a genuinely modern automobile: a sliding-gear transmission, four-wheel mechanical brakes, a proper 40-horsepower four-cylinder engine, and safety glass in the windshield as standard. Built only four years, the Model A still survives in large numbers because Ford made nearly five million of them and because they were engineered to last.
Ford Model A — Generation by Generation
Key Changes
- → Sliding-gear three-speed transmission replacing the Model T planetary
- → Four-wheel mechanical brakes
- → 201 cubic inch 40 hp flathead four
- → 21-inch wheels and short radiator shell
- → Nickel-plated brightwork on early cars
Specs
| Engine | 201 cu in flathead four, 40 hp |
| Transmission | 3-speed sliding gear |
| Wheels | 21-inch |
| Bodies | Tudor, Fordor, Coupe, Roadster, Phaeton, Pickup |
Dealer
United States
1929 Ford Model A
Dealer
United States
1929 Ford Model A
Key Changes
- → Restyled with taller fenders and 19-inch wheels
- → Stainless-steel radiator shell and headlamp buckets
- → Victoria and Town Sedan body styles added
- → Deluxe Cabriolet with roll-up windows
- → Slant-windshield closed cars for 1931
Specs
| Engine | 201 cu in flathead four, 40 hp |
| Wheels | 19-inch |
| New bodies | Victoria, Town Sedan, Deluxe Cabriolet |
| Total A production | Approx. 4.8 million (1928–1931) |
Dealer
United States
1931 Ford Model A
Dealer
United States
1930 Ford Model A
Dealer
United States
1931 Ford Model A
Legacy & Impact
The Model A occupies a comfortable place in collecting because it asks little and gives a great deal. Parts are reproduced to a degree that few pre-war cars enjoy, the mechanical simplicity rewards an owner willing to learn, and the range of body styles means a buyer can find anything from a workmanlike Tudor sedan to an elegant cabriolet or the coveted closed-cab pickup. Originality matters to judges, and matching engine and frame numbers help, but the Model A remains one of the few pre-war cars a newcomer can actually use. That accessibility is its enduring achievement.
Frequently Asked Questions