It is no secret that Henry Ford loved his flathead four-cylinder engine. Once he had locked in the design for the motor that served so faithfully in his venerable Model T, he had little interest in any other configuration. Cars like this 1930 Model A rolled off the line with a flathead under the hood, but a previous owner of this one has performed a relatively rare performance boost by installing an Overhead Valve conversion. This change has unleashed significantly more power and should make the old Ford a lively performer. All good things must come to an end, and the current owner has decided that the time has come for this Model A to find a new home. It is located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. It seems that people like what they see because the car has already attracted twenty-eight bids. The action has pushed the price to $10,601 in a No Reserve auction.

There’s a lot to like about this old Ford, and the owner’s decision to pursue more of a ratrod appearance seems to be the right call. Applying a coat of paint that shines magnificently would have been an option worth considering, but the aged look has an indefinable “right” feel. It has a few dings and marks in the panels, but these merely serve to add to its character. None of these are bad, so if the buyer wanted to return the exterior to a showroom fresh state, they could do so without the need to purchase replacement panels. The good news for potential buyers is that the car is structurally sound and appears to be rust-free. The panels show no evidence of problems, while the underside shot reveals nothing but the occasional odd spot of surface corrosion. The glass is in good order, some of the trim is spotless, while other pieces retain the aged look that merely serves to add to the Ford’s overall visual appeal. However, it is the lack of a hood that reveals this Model A’s trump card.

While it is true that Henry Ford was passionate about his beloved four, that doesn’t mean that he dismissed other engines out of hand. He and a team of engineers trialed several ideas during the production run of both the Model T and A. These included a pretty radical “X8” design, which the company developed to the point of producing a running prototype. However, lubrication issues with the cylinder on the bottom of the “X” meant that the design, and the engine, were eventually scrapped. When Ford finally introduced its V8 to the product range, the four that had served so faithfully fell quickly out of favor with the buying public. Some hardy souls carried a flame for these motors, but they were as relevant to most people as yesterday’s news. However, that didn’t mean that development stagnated, although it had found its way from Ford to aftermarket tuners. One of the more radical was the development of an OHV conversion for the four. It retained the flathead’s existing placement for the exhaust valves, but the inlet valves were housed in a new cylinder head. A gentleman named George Riley was the first cab off the rank with his design, which he brought to market in 1930. Wind the clock forward to 1998, and Charlie Yapp from the “Secrets of Speed Society” managed to get his hands on one of Riley’s original conversion kits. He saw the benefits and performance potential of the conversion and eventually set to work producing his own version. The change that it made was nothing short of profound. While Ford always claimed that the flathead pumped out 40hp, the truth was that one of those ponies was lame because the actual figure was 39hp. With the OHV conversion in place, the Ford four was capable of churning out around 100hp! It is one of these Yapp kits that adorns the four in our feature car. While the engine has undergone some radical upgrades, the vehicle retains the rest of its original Model A drivetrain. The owner has recently treated the engine to a rebuild, and the car has accumulated a mere 500 miles since he completed the work. While he doesn’t provide any specific information on how this Ford runs or drives, the video I’ve included at the bottom of this article tells a pretty positive story.

The interior shots that the owner supplies are pretty limited, but the overall impression that I gain is that it appears to be serviceable. The basics are present if the buyer wishes to perform a complete restoration, but leaving it untouched would be in keeping with the rest of this classic’s character. If the buyer wanted to restore the exterior to provide a striking contrast to the aged exterior, complete upholstery kits generally retail for around $1,500. However, the simple design of these interiors means that many owners with reasonable sewing skills have pursued the DIY path with surprising results.

This 1930 Ford Model A won’t suit the buyer seeking spotless originality, but it has many strong points that make it worthy of serious consideration for people seeking a classic to park in their garage. Its generally tidy presentation and lack of rust problems make it an attractive proposition, but that converted flathead takes the entire vehicle to another level. If you have always longed for a Model A but would like one that offers a significant performance boost, the car of your dreams might be staring back at you from this screen.