[Steve Plucker]

[QUOTE=Capt Quahog;1480846]Since acquiring a late 1931 Ford sedan, have been seeking out specific information as to the highest VIN / engine serial numbered Model A Ford built and still in existence.

As it turns out, from various sources arrives specific information showing the End of "final" 1931 Model A Ford "assembly" to have happened in March of 1932 with a total of 4,858,644 units built. Assorted info has it that the main River Rouge plant in fact closed down regular vehicle production starting in September 1931. It was November 1931 for The Rouge for passenger cars...February 1932 for Commercial vehicles.

Since motor numbers were used for the Model A Ford identification, does that final production number, "if correct", represent completed vehicles or just engines? More than likely engine numbers. Also, Ford factories outside of the United States used other dedicated serial number series so that 4,858,644. "if valid", would include those Model A vehicles too? Only Canada used another "dedicated serial numbers"...all others used the USA documented list of numbers including the foreign plants and England.

The "post production" year 1932 assembled 1931 Model A Fords have not to my knowledge been defined. Happened to bump into an old 1970s era documentary about the Great Depression on YouTube. The first episode is entitled "A Job at Ford". There are interviews with people who worked at the River Rouge plant in 1931. Those former employees stated that thousands of assembly production workers were "released" during late summer by Ford Motor Company. Soon after, groups of fired workers returned to the Rouge in protest with episodes of violence erupting there. Though out fall of 1931 some workers were retained for the changeover work on the new 1932 Ford car. During that period, to all information, there was no Model A vehicle production. It is likely that as soon as facilities were ready in late 1931, the new 1932 Model B and V8 cars were coming down the production line.

It is known that starting sometime in January 1932 "assembly" of Model A Ford vehicles started up again. Figured is that those cars were put together from left-over 1931 Model A components. I believe you are correct on that thought.

So, one question is . . . how many 1931 Model A Ford cars were built in that separate year 1932 period?

Domestic (USA) production: 45..Edgewater was the last USA plant to end post era production with two (2) Deluxe Roadsters in April 1932.

Foreign production: 4923...Santiago was last foreign plant to end post era production with eight (8) Standard Phaetons in November 1932.

Canada Production: 1482...The last of the Canadian production were twelve (12) Standard Phaetons; three (3) Standard Roadsters; nine (9) Standard Coupes; seven (7) Deluxe Coupes; two (2) Victoria’s; twenty-six (26) Standard Tudors; twenty-two (22) Town Sedans; and seven (7) Cabriolets in April 1932.

Our 1931 edition Tudor sedan left the Ford factory as a Deluxe model.

That VIN / engine number is: A48209xx. Was this one put together in 1932? That is a September 29, 1931 engine...50/50 on that one.

There has to be higher numbers out there than our car. . .

Last question . . . who owns the "latest" 1932 built "genuine" Ford Model A vehicle that's still in existence? Great question.[/QUOTE]

Part 1 on Passenger Car production coming out soon followed by Part 2 Commercial Vehicle production followed by Part 3 AA Truck production.

Pluck