Vintage Cars

from Classical Fragments Addendum 2023

INTRODUCTION

1929 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan

Ford offered nine different style passenger car bodies of which the Tudor Sedan was one. Black was the traditional style as pictured here.

Mechanical upgrades for the Model A Ford included a new 3-speed transmission, hydraulic shock absorbers, and four-wheel mechanical brakes.

In an effort to meet demand, Ford steadily boosted production, peaking at around 9,200 cars per day by June of 1930.

If there’s one iconic part of the Model A, it’s the signature “Ah-Ooh-Ga”sound of the horn.

Shown here under the left headlamp..

1929 Ford Model A Tudor Coupe

The more stylish rendering here is of the author’s design. Chrome wire wheels were never a part of the Model A original production. I’m not sure that Dad would have liked my attempt for this more stately model design.

Of the Model T, Henry Ford reportedly said: “You can have any color you want as long as it’s black.” However, when he introduced the Model A in 1928, colors were definitely in.

Original Model A wheel colors included black, red, orange, green, and others. The Tudor 2-tones were black or green, gray or beige. For the entire Model A model lineup, there were 50+ production colors for the body, moldings, and hardware.

The successful development of the new V8 Ford for 1932 would ultimately put an end to the short but successful run for “Henry’s Lady,” the Model A Ford.

MGTD - 1953

Dad bought the MGTD in 1960 when we settled on La Tijera in Los Angeles. He succumbed to relentless requests to partially restore the exterior. The author and Brother Tom went to work at the LA Air Force Station auto hobby shop.

The chrome was restored all-round and the dashboard got cosmetic fixes. But the biggest improvement was transforming the body paint from gray to candy apple red. It looked like a new car.

In the early 1950s, 80% of British production was exported to the US. There, demand was driven by a growing economy and sports cars becoming socially acceptable.