Model A in Athens Greece

[ahirt]

A few weeks ago someone posted about a Model A that had been found in Greece. The new owner joined MAFCA and a member here reported it. Since I spend summers in Athens (Don't like Florida weather in the summer), I decided to track down the new Model A owner

I did locate him - Adonis Raftopoulos. He is very excited about his barn find. I asked him where he found it and he told me that he went to the Greek Island of Milos and while driving on the island saw the car sitting in a field under a large pine tree. He tracked down the owner and told him "You must let me save this car". The Milos owner had purchased the car in 1939 from someone in Athens and immediately shipped it to Milos. In 1939, Milos did not have any paved roads. The car was used until sometime in the 50's when lack of parts and lack of experienced mechanics made it unusable. it was stored in a shed for about 30 years, and then moved outside under a big tree in a field where it sat for another 20 years or so.

From the pictures you can see that it is in somewhat rough shape. However, all parts seem to be present (except for original fenders). Fortunately, Mr. Raftopoulos runs a garage specializing in Restorations of old cars. He does European cars - Mini-Coopers, Citroens etc. When I was there he had a Citroen 2CV which had been stripped to the frame. They had reassembled the frame and it looked new so clearly he has the expertise to do this. He specifically told me that "the body is no problem, it is what we do". However, parts will be a challenge since there are none available in Greece, and shipping from the US isn't cheap.

I recommended that he look at this web site for advice and help. I told him that the expertise available here is amazing.

Note the carburetor is not anything I have seen. It does not use a GAV, but does have a manual choke

Anyway, I will visit the newest Model A every time I am in Athens. I wish him well. It will be nice to see another Model A resurrected!