In just the first two weeks after its public introduction, customers placed deposits for more than 400,000 cars.
The Model T replacement, the Model A, was produced from 1927 through 1931. During that time many famous people owned Model A’s; for example, actress Mary Pickford and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, gangster John Dillinger, and actress Doris Day, who nicknamed her Roadster “Buttercup.”
Henry Ford gave his close friend, inventor Thomas A. Edison, the first production Model A (a 1928 Ford sedan) as a personal gift. As requested by Thomas Edison, Ford modified the Model A to a Phaeton body. Edison used the car until his death in 1931. (It’s now on display at the Model A Ford Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.)
Many ordinary people also bought Ford Model A’s. The general public anticipated the post-Model T vehicle with great enthusiasm, with a reported 10.5 million people coming to see it when it was introduced. Customers placed deposits for more than 400,000 cars in just the first two weeks after its public introduction. The most popular body style was the Tudor Sedan, with 1,387,270 units produced.
By February 4, 1929, one million Model A’s had been sold, and by July 24, 1929, three million units were sold by March 1930. Production at Ford Motor Company peaked in June of 1930 with 9,200 cars being produced a day. Approximately 4,858,644 Model A vehicles were built and sold during its production run.
In 1929, the Tudor Sedan was the most popular Model A body style, with 523,922 units built in the calendar year. This body style accounted for about one-third of the total Model A production across its entire run.
The big selling points for this Model T replacement were more performance, modern convenience, improved safety, and style. The Model A offered an improved engine that produced 40 horsepower — double that of the Model T. The top speed of the Model A was...
...about 65mph, whereas the Model T's was roughly 40mph.
The Model A used conventional controls such as a three-speed sliding gear manual transmission with clutch, brake, and accelerator pedal. In contrast, the Model T used a complex system of three pedals, a hand lever, and spark/throttle controls. The hand crank was replaced by a standard electric starter like most of the competition. Hydraulic shock absorbers and a more rigid chassis provided a more comfortable ride.
The Model A's safety was improved with mechanical drum brakes on all four wheels and a shatterproof windshield. Affordability and a wide variety of available body styles from roadsters and coupes to sedans and various trucks made such high sales achievable.
In the 1950s and 1960s, my grandfather was a top salesman at a Ford dealership. Every weekend I would go with him to work at Hettche Motor Sales in Detroit Michigan. I learned all about how to sell cars. Back in the day when they were selling Model A's, sales people worked on commission. An aggressive sales person could do well.
Ford Motor Company also sold Model A's in many countries besides the USA. Ford's international presence included assembly plants in such countries as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, the Soviet Union, and Turkey. While successful in many areas, the Model A faced challenges in some European markets due to tax systems based on engine size.
The Model A had a short production span, but was a wildly popular vehicle.
