Ford Model A
This is the eightieth Ford ever manufactured and probably also one of the oldest Fords still in existence.
The engine and chassis of this ‘Model A’ were not yet produced by Ford, but by Dodge Brothers. The car has an early semi-automatic gearbox with two forward gears and one reverse; its maximum speed was approximately 70 km/h.
The standard bodywork is that of a two-seater (‘buggy’), but a ‘tonneau’ – a section with two extra seats and a central door at the rear – could be added at the back. This option cost one hundred dollars at the time.
The Ford Motor Company came very close to shutting down shortly after it was established in 1903. The investments made in the new company were so large that little money was left over and everything depended on the success of the first production model, the A.
Fortunately things went well. A doctor in Chicago paid 850 dollars for the first A and after that the orders flooded in. Ford ultimately sold some 1,700 Model A cars and even exported them to Europe, Australia and South Africa.