America's top-selling truck for 45 years, the Ford F-Series goes back all the way to 1948. But Ford has been making haulers since the early days of the automobile. The T-based Model TT, for instance, debuted in 1917. But when the Model T became obsolete, Ford rolled out the Model A, which spawned a brand-new truck in 1927.
While not as famous as the F-Series, the Model AA remained in use for decades, despite Ford putting an end to American production after only five years. Come 2022 and many of these trucks have disappeared after being abandoned in junkyards, but a few lucky ones carry on as preserved and restored vehicles thanks to America's national Model AA clubs.
This 1931 example is not a club member just yet, but it was salvaged after spending more than 30 years in a barn. And according to YouTube's "Jennings Motor sports," it was rescued right before the previous owner wanted to take it to the crusher.
And that's awesome news because the pickup truck presents itself quite well. There's not a lot of rust to worry about and the paint (it has been refinished at some point) looks like it could hold on for a few more years. The interior is decent, to say the least, and the reupholstered bench seat has survived the test of time rather well.
Making things even better, the old four-cylinder engine fires up after just a bit of work. And it still has enough grunt to take the old 1.5-ton truck for a spin in the yard.
If you're not familiar with these trucks, all AA haulers shared a 201-cubic-inch (3.3-liter) four-cylinder with the Model A. These engines were rated at 40 horsepower and relied on a four-speed manual gearbox to transfer oomph to the rear wheels.
How valuable are these old Model AAs, you ask? Well, they usually fetch between $15,000 and $30,000 when in excellent condition, so they won't set any records for classic vehicles anytime soon. But it's definitely great to see that yet another one has been saved from becoming a big pile of scrap metal.
Check out this old gal running for the first time in at least 30 years in the video below.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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