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e car that changed the world
By CALEB BEEGHLY NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The popular Ford Model A car has proven to be timeless.
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Just ask members of the Model A Ford Club of America.
The Model A car was produced by the Ford Motor Co. from 1928 - 1931.
And in those four years, the Ford Motor Company produced almost 5 million Model A Cars — which means 20 million wheels plus spare parts had to be made. Almost 100 years later, people are still driving Model A Cars, even from California to Washington, which some of the MAFCA members in the Santa Barbara chapter have done.
According to mafca.com, MAFCA “is dedicated to the restoration, preservation and enjoyment of the Ford Model A and AA cars and trucks, as manufactured from 1928 through 1931.”
Members of the Santa Barbara chapter said one of their favorite parts of owning a Model A is seeing people’s reactions to the cars. People will stop to take pictures and even slow down while driving to get a better look, which always makes the members smile — at least until they worry the driver might cause an accident by holding up traffic.
On the other hand, members get just as much enjoyment in restoring and maintaining their cars as they do in showing them off (maybe not just as much, but close).
One of the pros about Model A
Santa Barbara enthusiasts praise Ford Model A
cars is that they are really simple. Members say you only need minimal mechanical understanding in order to figure out how the car works — or at least to get it working enough to get it to someone who can fix it.
It’s so easy that even a child could work on a Model A car, which MAFCA Santa Barbara member Aaron Machado knows from experience. When he was 6 years old, his grandfather had him take apart and put back together a Model A transmission.
Now Mr. Machado drives a beautiful maroon 1930 Ford Model A DeLuxe Coupe and acts as one of the resident mechanics of the club. When members need help restoring a car, they often go to Mr. Machado. When it comes to car restoration, there are usually two groups of people: people who try to use only original parts and people who use remanufactured parts. One of the pros of restoring Model A cars is the accessibility to parts. And although
