It is hard not to love Model A Fords.  While the Model T was meant to be nothing more than basic transportation, the Model A was designed from the wheels up to be attractive and desirable to every segment of the market.  Around 90 years later, Model As still look good, and many still manage to find their way down the backroads of America.  This 1931 Model A, found on eBay in Ulysses, Pennsylvania, is unfortunately not going to be puttering down the road any time soon.  Purchased from a lawyer in Gettysburg over 38 years ago for a father-son restoration project that never took wings, this Model A is currently sitting with a single bid of $5,000.  With Model A prices at historical lows, is even $5,000 too high a price for an A in this condition?

The biggest problem with purchasing a car like this one is the overwhelming costs of restoration.  While 38 years of covered storage have left the body of this car in good condition, we have no idea what condition the wood is in.  Model As bodies had extensive wood framing, and the costs to replace that framing are mortifying.  Wood kits are available, but the pricing is north of $5,000 if you needed to replace every piece.  That figure doesn’t include labor.  I have heard that restorers are having some success with injecting epoxy into damaged wood parts to stabilize them.  As nearly all of the wood in a Model A sedan is covered by upholstery, this may be an option for the future owner to look into.

The seller tells us that this is a Deluxe Touring Sedan, which they claim to be fairly rare for a Model A.  In the Ford Model A Collectors Originality Guide, I can find no reference to such a model, but there was one called the Town Sedan.  This was a more luxurious four door, and was built by both Briggs and Murray body companies.  This particular car was built by Briggs, and still sports its body number tag.  The first three numbers of the body number are 164, which is the correct designation for a Briggs built Town Sedan.

Inside, we see that that luxurious interior has seen better days.  The door panels look to be original, but the seats are either wrapped in seat covers or they were reupholstered in the most hideous fabrics available at the time.  The bits of cotton at the corner of the door suggest that the car might have hosted a hellacious rodent house party at one time.  Only closer examination by the eyes and nostrils would give you more definitive proof.  The turn signal apparatus attached to the steering column is an aftermarket accessory that the new owner might want to restore.  I doubt anyone remembers how to signal using their left arm anymore.  Even if someone did remember, what are the chances that the driver behind them would be able to decipher what was going on as well?

Looking at the rear seat, we see that the cover is falling off on one side to reveal what may be the original upholstery.  The only question about the rear seat is that the center armrest, standard on all Town Sedans, doesn’t stand out under the cover.  All of the handles and garnish moldings seem to be present along with the radiator and its shell.  While many old cars still can be driven with their original upholstery, this one might be a little too far gone.  Maybe the owner will throw in a bucket of Febreze.

We are given no information about the motor or its condition.  It may not even be with the car at all, but I doubt that.  By the looks of the car, the engine is probably sitting off to the side somewhere.  It just seems like the engine was pulled out and the seller and his kid just walked away.  Too bad, because they could have had a lot of fun touring in this car.  Model As were being restored by the thousands at that time, and the Model A Ford Club of America and the Model A Restorers Club were in their heyday.

While I would like to say that the Model A market is just as vibrant, but prices have been on the wane for some time.  These are fun cars to drive and enjoy, but a full restoration can only be described as a labor of love.  To restore this car would require an outlay of funds that the owner would never recover.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  Hobbies are hardly money making endeavors.  It is just that any prospective buyers need to know what they are getting into.