Meet a Model A Ford club keeping the classic cars on the road

GLEN ALLEN, Va. (Aging Untold) — The Model A was the Ford Motor Company’s next big step after the Model T, ushering in a whole new era for drivers.

The Model A was only produced for a limited time, but nearly a century later, clubs like the Old Dominion Model A Ford Club of Greater Richmond are helping to keep the iconic engines running.

“Oh, it’s great, you know, to see the smile on the faces coming here today. Some lady was hanging out the window just waving,” Dennis Stone, president of the Old Dominion Model A Ford Club, said.

Despite being almost 100 years old, the Model A continues to be fun for all ages.

“We get a lot of smiles per mile. People get excited. And then if we blow the ahooga horn, they are ecstatic, especially kids,” Stew Wolfe, vice president of Old Dominion Model A Ford Club, said.

Henry Ford created the Model A as an upgrade to the Model T.

“We’re looking at an advertisement that occurred in the newspaper in December of 1927, advertising the coming of the new Model A Ford,” Henry Nelson, secretary of Old Dominion Model A Ford Club, said.

Between 1927 and 1931, Ford cranked out roughly 5 million of them, but only a fraction of the cars are still around.

Stone said, for the most part, the cars had no radios, air conditioning or power brakes.

“Bare bones driving. They were the cheapest cars on the market back then,” he said.

But the Model A remained innovative, coming standard with an electric start instead of a crank to get it going. It also came with other bells and whistles.

“It had brakes on all four wheels. It had shock absorbers. It had a way to check your oil without having to get under the car. Had a dipstick. Also, it had gauges inside. You could tell how fast you were going,” Nelson said.

And the Old Dominion Model A Ford Club of Greater Richmond is doing its part to keep the old cars cruising into the future.

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