Day (1217) @AlMachFineArt - 1903 Ford Model A (Ford "Alphabet" Cars)

[Albert Mach]

#Pic_A_Day  (1217) @AlMachFineArt

1903 Ford Model A  (Ford "Alphabet" Cars)

 

The Model A Two is part of the Alphabet Ford Collection, was seen and the information came from the AACA Museum in Hershey. http://www.aacamuseum.org/

This auto can now be seen with the rest of the Alphabet Ford Collection at The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant.

 

The Black & White picture is a Ford publicity shot.

 

The next image came from The Henry Ford in Michigan. http://www.thehenryford.org/museum/exhibits.aspx

 

The next image was taken at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.

https://www.gilmorecarmuseum.org/

 

The commemorative model is part of a private collection but some of this private collection is rotated at the Seal Cove Auto Museum in Maine.

And the final image of a 1904 auto was taken at the Seal Cove Auto Museum in Maine where the auto is on display. https://www.sealcoveautomuseum.org/

 

1903 Ford Model A Two

Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company – Detroit and Lansing, MI
Model: Model A Two
Base Price: $850
Engine: Two-cylinder, 8 hp

On June 16, 1903, the Ford Motor Company was incorporated and started building automobiles that the average worker could afford in the Mack Avenue factory in Detroit, MI. Similar to the horse-drawn buggies of the day, the “A” was built on a rectangular, box-like chassis and looked similar to the Cadillac motor car built in the same era because Henry Ford had a hand in designing both vehicles. The two-cylinder engine was supplied by the Dodge Brothers and was coupled to a two-speed transmission, with foot operated controls. The car weighed 1,250 pounds and could reach a top speed of 30 miles per hour. Headlamps and a horn were accessories. Production figures are unclear but 607 units is the total number accepted by historians.

Museum Collection: Larry Porter Trust – “Alphabet Ford Collection”

 
Wikipedia said:
The original Ford Model A is the first car produced by Ford Motor Company, beginning production in 1903. Ernst Pfennig, a Chicago dentist, became the first owner of a Model A on July 23, 1903. 1,750 cars were made from 1903 through 1904. The Model A was replaced by the Ford Model C during 1904 with some sales overlap.

The car came as a two-seater runabout or 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 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, and so did not sell as well.

The company had spent almost its entire $28,000 initial investment funds with only $223.65 left in its bank account when 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

 

Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Heritage Days

On April 8, 2018 there will be a special unveiling of this wonderful collection.

Join us for a very special annual meeting as we dedicate the return of the Ford "alphabet" cars to the plant where they were assembled and honor the people who built them. 

It's a new chapter for the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant and we want to share it with you. We will have a special reunion for the descendants of the original workers and shareholders of the plant.

Details: Sunday, April 8, 4:30-6:30 pm
Ford Piquette Avenue Plant
461 Piquette, Detroit
Dinner by Slow's BBQ and drinks served by Miss Mixology

Member tickets: $29
Non-member tickets: $34

Tickets must be purchased in advance by calling 313-872-8759 x2 or by visiting:

http://www.fordpiquetteavenueplant.org/register-for-heritage-day/

 

I will have quite a bit of information about this collection and early Ford History in the next little while.

Some of the images I will feature will be in this collection and others have been seen a other locations.

I hope you enjoy the presentation and get to see The Porter Collection of "Alphabet Ford" cars during the special event or in the near future at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan.