Photo: Mecum
Way back in the day when automobiles where just starting to get mass-produced, Ford’s Model A was launched using the same recipe of the T. And it work, as just two years into production, the A became a best seller, with two million units off the lines.
That happened in 1929, at a time when truth be told there wasn’t even nearly as much competition around as it is today.
The A was in effect a chassis of sorts, on top of which literally dozens of body styles were fitted, only a handful of which are still in use today. The A came, for instance, as a leatherback, roadster pickup, Tudor sedan, or wood panel delivery.
What the A lineup lacked though was a proper factory-sanctioned tow truck version. Despite the idea catching on in Europe as back as 1908, creating a machine to pull other machines from a predicament was not a priority for the maker of cars for the masses.
Because the A in pickup guise was such a successful model though, countless versions of it surfaced over the years wearing a crane at the back, courtesy of both specialized companies and later on, custom shops.
One of the products made well after the A was kicked out of production is this 1930 model we have here, nicely dressed in a Texaco livery in red and green. The car went on sale last week at the hands of Mecum, but is yet to find a buyer.
We're not sure why, but this here truck is one of the best looking A pickups we’ve seen in a while. The red and green, an otherwise odd combination, blend perfectly on the body of the car, and even on the Weaver crane fitted at the rear.
This exterior is not how the A rolled off the assembly lines, but the engine that powers it, a 4-cylinder linked to a 3-speed manual transmission, develops the exact same amount of power it did 90 years ago: 40 hp.
Sure, this particular tow truck would have no business on today’s roads, but it looks exactly like something you would want parked in the backyard, for all the friends to admire.
The A was in effect a chassis of sorts, on top of which literally dozens of body styles were fitted, only a handful of which are still in use today. The A came, for instance, as a leatherback, roadster pickup, Tudor sedan, or wood panel delivery.
What the A lineup lacked though was a proper factory-sanctioned tow truck version. Despite the idea catching on in Europe as back as 1908, creating a machine to pull other machines from a predicament was not a priority for the maker of cars for the masses.
Because the A in pickup guise was such a successful model though, countless versions of it surfaced over the years wearing a crane at the back, courtesy of both specialized companies and later on, custom shops.
One of the products made well after the A was kicked out of production is this 1930 model we have here, nicely dressed in a Texaco livery in red and green. The car went on sale last week at the hands of Mecum, but is yet to find a buyer.
We're not sure why, but this here truck is one of the best looking A pickups we’ve seen in a while. The red and green, an otherwise odd combination, blend perfectly on the body of the car, and even on the Weaver crane fitted at the rear.
This exterior is not how the A rolled off the assembly lines, but the engine that powers it, a 4-cylinder linked to a 3-speed manual transmission, develops the exact same amount of power it did 90 years ago: 40 hp.
Sure, this particular tow truck would have no business on today’s roads, but it looks exactly like something you would want parked in the backyard, for all the friends to admire.
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