model a style 28-29 or 30-31

[Special Coupe Frank]

My over-all preference is for the '28-'29...

I like the radiator, the Coupe' cowl-pillar, the 21" wheels, the look of the nickel-plating ( when it is in decent condition )...

Next-best I like the 1930 models... ( a black '30 Coupe with apple green wheels is the first A that I can remember seeing in person, at a little antique car museum somewhere between York and Lancaster, circa 1973 - it was parked out front under a canopy, and you entered the museum through the gift-shop in front ( of course! ) ).


I really do not care for the painted inset on the '31 Radiator shell...

Now, for trucks, I like them all, but have a special fondness for the '29 AA, especially the open express...


Not trying to flame anyone else, just offering my likes / dislikes...

[Purdy Swoft]

I really love them all !! My first was a 29 that I still have. I guess the reason that I voted 30-31 is because of my 30-31 roadster that I had wanted most of my life and finally was able to buy one on eBay that had been riddled with bullet holes and rebuild it about eight years ago.

[steve s]

28-29. If you're going to have an old car, why not have it look old?

Steve

[30ccpickup]

I was going to vote Chicago style, but I see 30-31 style is winning so far, so there is no need to.

[a sedan]

Like many have said. All of henerys a,s are a treat to look at . But me I love the looks of 30 / 31 the best...

[oldsman41]

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i own a 28 roadster and love it. but i like the 30 31 coupe

[supergnat]

I prefer the 28-29 due to the 21 inch tires.

[Mike V. Florida]

The slant windshield cars in '31 look like there is something missing. I also don't care for the emblem on 31's. I like the blue oval and looks of the 30.

[Bob in Ga]

Have to say the Slant Window models are my favorite, can not afford the Vicky so go with late 31 Slant. Got mine from our cousin after 26 yrs. Really enjoy touring with this model. Thanks

[RcT]

In my opinion, the times dictated the styling of the car. In 1927, the model A was quite an advancement. Still rather "T-like" in appearance with all the current upgrades. Color was the big thing, and the transmission design was a big jump for Ford. This was a modern car, attractive and functional, fitting for the times.

By late '29, the enthusiasm for the "New Ford" has waned a bit, and now the emphasis was on styling. The car became smoother in appearance, with new models and extra features. Different times, different appearance. Basically, the same mechanics, but Ford was now facing stiffer competition, and needed a car with more pizazz...

My favorite styling is the '28-'29 models, however, I would like a nice '30 cc pick-up one day. More room, more money, more time, please.

[Kiwi Helrod]

My preference... '28-'29

[Hoogah]

I'm in there for the '28/29. Like most of us, the preference is totally illogical and ruled by the heart.

It was a '28 Tudor that first got me excited about vintage cars when I was a young boy who had to practise on the piano in the front room of our house each morning before school. Every morning at the same time, the blue Tudor came down the hill and the owner honked the horn as he went through the intersection near our house (dunno why you'd do this, maybe he had no brakes?? ). I would dive off the piano stool and race to the window to watch this marvelous machine go past our house. That did it for me. I was hooked.

Some fifty years later I became the owner of a 28 Phaeton. By the way, there's nothing wrong with any of them!

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

For years I had an Early '29 & an Early '30 5 window coupe, side by side. It's AMAZING to study the DIFFERENCES! The stance & even the "FACE" is SO different! The '29 was the year of choice for the Dry Lakes cars, as it had LESS frontal area, resulting in LESS wind resistance. Few body parts will interchange!
On the Coupes, the '30 has more leg room & it's easier to get yo' LEFT foot in the car. On my '29, I "thought" about cutting about 5" off the front edge of the seat platform & the seat springs, where it overhangs the seat riser.
Bill W.

[mshmodela]

A very hard choice for me... I own a Late 31'... I see the 28' and 29' as a younger looking car due to the lower radiator and hood line and the 30-31' as an older looking version of the 28'-29' body style. All 4 years of the Ford Model A are charming in their own unique way.

[Russ B]

A resurrected old thread, but my favorites have always been the '28-29. The radiator shell and front fenders are just more attractive, imho. The cowl, however, is the BIG difference that causes folks to love one style more than another. I think though, the Briggs Body cowl for '28-28 is the most beautiful cowl until the '32 came out.

[DougVieyra]

RcT 's post #49 closely fits my thinking.

The two distinctive styles came from two distinctly different eras. One from the 1920's, the other from the 1930's. One style was pre-Depression, the other post-Depression. Each of the Model A's two styles reflected their respective eras.

As a historian who specialized in 1900 t0 1930 American cultural and automotive hiistory, I appreciate both equally as well. Today I have inter-active living-history examples of each era. An open car (which dominated the '20's) in my 1928 Touring (Phaeton); and a closed car (which dominated the '30's) in my late '31 Dlx Coupe.

To give myself more diversity, one car is a two-seat model, the other a one seat model, in addition to the - one open, one closed diversity. Each was selected to represent a multitude of characteristics of their eras and my own taste and needs.

- Doug Vieyra, Eureka, Calif - 65 degrees @ 4 pm

[glenn in camino]

I have 1 or more of each year. and I love them all.

[DJ S]

I voted for the 30-31 styling. This is a very bias opinion as I grew up around
30-31s. I do however love the look of a 28-29 roadster.

[TDO]

30-31, I just like the styling.

[al's28/33]

1928 best, the year my Dad was born!