1930 Ford Model A Sedan

This Model A sedan was recently the recipient of a period correct restoration. The exterior received quite a lot of care, but the interior received a great amount of attention. The engine is a stock cast-iron 4-cylinder engine, mated to a manual transmission.

This Model A’s exterior is black with an exquisitely subtle green pinstripe going around the entire car. The paint is fantastic but does harbor some minor flaws. There are a handful of small chips in front of the driver’s door towards the bottom and a small chip on the passenger rear quarter panel. Other than those, imperfections in the paint are hard to come by, which is high praise because black normally shows everything. The 19” black spoke wheels are in great condition, although all have the center caps have one or more dings. The tires are in good shape, they aren’t cracking anywhere and plenty of tread remains. The spare tire on the back is in good condition as well, and the cover fits nicely around it.

This Model A’s interior looks excellent. Mohair seats up front and in the back look great with minor moth deterioration towards the bottom of each. The door panels all have a vintage look to them but are in great condition barring some minor discoloration. The black Bakelite steering wheel is in good condition but does show some cracks towards the center. There does appear to be some discoloration in the headliner above the passenger seat up front. The dark wood dash pad shows no damage, and the black dashboard itself also looks good with the lime green pinstriping from outside continuing inside the cabin. The rear bench resembles the front, it is in great condition, but minor moth damage is visible, and the headliner above those seats is clean. While this interior has clearly undergone some degree of restoration, it feels original, which is quite exciting for an almost 100-year-old car. Well done.

We are pleased to report that this Model A is not harboring any major damage underneath whatsoever. It does appear that some of the frame was repainted as well as all of the suspension components. The undercarriage could definitely use a power washing, but the good news is that there is no noticeable corrosion to be seen.

This Model A has a bit of interesting history. Supposedly, this car was meticulously restored by the President of Holly Farms Chicken. Restoration took place in North Wilkesboro, NC, where the moonshiners got their start, and this Holly Farms was an early sponsor in the Winston Cup Series, one of the first official NASCAR events. The seller’s father purchased this Model A in the early 1980’s. It sat for decades, but the seller has done the work to keep it in running condition. This car received a new battery, the fuel tank was cleaned out, fuel systems were purged, and the plugs were changed as well. The Model A now starts up immediately and delicately putters just as it did almost 100 years ago. The car also features classic “wolf whistles” that run off engine compression. The seller reports that the car runs just fine at 45mph, though he refuses to try going much faster.

The Model A is one of the most iconic cars in American automotive history. With 4,858,644 units produced, hundreds of thousands have either fallen apart, been destroyed, or chopped into Hot-Rods, and thousands have probably undergone some mixture of those three. The point stands, to find a Model A in this condition is no easy task. It is blatantly obvious that the seller has taken great measures to ensure that this car’s condition remained as close as possible to how the car was when it rolled off the assembly line 92 years ago, and for that, we congratulate you.

The Market by Bonhams is thrilled to offer this Ford Model A sedan for online auction with no reserve, and an estimate between $9,000 and $12,000.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BIDDERS:

All cars from the Southern Gem Collection must be paid in full within 48 hours and collected within two weeks of auction end. Collection must be done with a flatbed or trailer and is strictly by appointment only. In the event a car is not removed timely the owner reserves the right to remove the car to storage at the Buyer’s risk and expense, whereupon the Buyer shall become liable for uplift, removal, storage and handling charges.