Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Maybe refurbished, but not restored. The bill of sale is very interesting. Note the cowl lights are on it so I wonder if the ones on the car are the ones the dealer installed? When did cowl lights start on some models?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1928-Ford-M...QAAOSw~YldPeph

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Wow, that is one example of "high quality restoration".
While I'm no purist, one of the first things I look for when ads use such descriptions is whether the engine pans are installed.
And wouldn't an early '28 have a radiator shroud?
Forgot to mention that the '28 California plates should be blue with yellow numbers.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I used to tell the children in Art Class, "Know when to stop!"

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

For some reason did not paint the engine in Ford green.....to me, that really detracts. Lots of mods, but looks very nice....

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I'd call it a very nice, pretty, customized Model A, almost a hot rod. Not a restoration.
I also doubt it was the first Sport Coupe sold in the San Francisco Bay Area at that production date. I wouldn't be surprised if the first one sold would have been at Billy Houghson
Ford in San Francisco.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Nice but for that kinda money, there are other cars that I would have bought, done already.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Yes it is a nice car, but some of the stuff done can not be fixed without a lot of work , for example gas tank cut up to install radio, this is very nice car and if It was the first car sold in that area and the owner knew this why would you modify it and not restore back to the original way it was sold with just adding some of the mods such as motor work and overdrive unit but paint everything to stock condition so if someone did want a nice AR coupe this would of been a great car to buy, but a lot of work would have to be done to put it back to a fine point or even a touring car especially with gas tank cut up.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Regardless, it's a good looking motorcar !

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Yes, and will very likely sell to someone who could care less about authenticity simply because how the seller described it all seems believable.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Looking at the original sales docket, I'll bet the salesman went home that night with a smile on his face. Nice to see an early sport coupe with the correct top.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

look at that radio they cut into the tank.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

that engine color just doesn't get it in my opinion, but to each their own!

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Are those correct early cowl lights? They look good but I've never seen them before and given the rest of the car it's hard to tell what is authentic.


It's odd they went though the effort of cutting the gas tank up to install the radio and made up the tank in the trunk but still kept the old 7 tooth steering box. It all seems well done, just confuses the hell out of me.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Boy, you guys are tough! Looks like a really nice car to me (guess that's why i should take a Model A guy with me when Im ready to buy). There are a few things that stand out for my untrained eyes, but all in all top shelf. I wouldn't be crazy about the gas tank relocation, and for the quality of work done I would have done something else with the stereo.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

In regards to the cowl lights , it looks like the hole the wire harness comes through is rough around the hole, like drill burrs, also I would think there would be a rubber grommet in place , still a nice job , also would two tail lamps be on the car originally?

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Thats a car someone went to great lengths on,the chassis is impeccable.Fit and finish is first class.Folks get wadded up on authenticity and the word 'restored'.If you strive for that,great,if not,this is a fine example of a modified model a..32k worth? debatable..the market is flat,and personalized cars are just that,they have a narrow market. All the hoo-hah about provenance is just that,hoo-hah,makes a buyer skeptical about what he's getting.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

When the Model As came out, the Sport Coupes were in very big demand and especially with folks that could afford better cars. Dealers were promising them to the famous and well to do. The "new" sort of wore off of them in late 1929. The Cabriolet might have had something to do with that but the depression was likely the rest of the story.

It was sort of like what happened when the Mustangs first came out in mid 1964. I own a Sport Coupe and they are a fun little car but not something I'd pay that much for especially when it's been restomoded that much.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Not sure about the cowl/parking lights? Was Ford offering the type we see now for 28/29 or did the dealer have to used non-Ford on the early cars?

The rear end: looks like wrong bolts (with star washers?) holding the tubes to center?

No one has said anything about the carburetor.

Looks like chrome plating instead of nickle.
I would not be wild crazy about the fuel tank location, almost like lets just hang it off the rear as an after thought.


Yes the finish on the car looks top shelf, just not Ford points judging. :)

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I’m sure someone is very proud of this car.

It’s like a custom house. The owners taste but not always easy to sell. Enjoy.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I seriously find it hard to believe that this was the FIRST Sport Coupe to be sold in San Francisco, especially when the San Francisco plant start up date was January 4, 1928, if in fact this car came from that plant!