This Ford Model A went down in $ to $264K

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...s-auction-264K
October 15, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Rare 1903 Ford Model A sells at auction for $264K

• By Karl Henkel
• The Detroit News
• 3 Comments

The original 1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau, a model sold from July 1903 to March 1904, sold for less than half of its 2007 auction value of $630,000, according to RM Auctions. (Theo Civitello / Courtesy of RM Auctions)


One of the oldest surviving cars sold by Ford Motor Co. was auctioned for $264,000 this weekend in Hershey, Pa.
The original 1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau, a model sold from July 1903 to March 1904, sold for less than half of its 2007 auction value of $630,000, according to RM Auctions.
Carlton Pate III, a collector of antique cars and author of "Pate's Early Ford Automobile Encyclopedia," said the winning bid was a more reasonable price compared to the price paid in 2007.
"With its provenance, and it's an early one, it's a great little car," he said. "It's also got a little history behind it."
RM Auctions did not release the name of the winning bidder or how many bids the 8-horsepower vehicle received.
The car had last gone to auction in 2010, receiving a high bid of $325,000, but that amount did not meet the auction reserve.
RM had estimated the value of the vehicle, the only surviving Model A from the first production run of three cars, at $350,000 to $500,000.
The 1,250-pound car originally retailed at $850, according to an archived ad on the website EarlyFordRegistry.com.
Pate said Ford records show this Model A is not the oldest car Ford sold, because there was at least one other car shipped the same day.
Pate said the car is one of the oldest sold and that automobiles at the time were stamped with as many as four separate serial numbers in different places, which makes it difficult to determine exactly which surviving car is the oldest.
The Model A has had five owners during its 11-decade lifespan, the most recent being John O'Quinn, a Houston trial lawyer who died in a 2009 auto accident. The Model A was one of about 1,200 automobiles in O'Quinn's vintage collection.
The car comes with extensive documentation which details its history and condition. RM said the car has performed "flawlessly," including during the famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in 2003, the same year the car turned 100 years old.
The engine underwent a complete and professional rebuild prior to O'Quinn's acquisition in 2007.
RM said the car retains all of its original early features, including the rare Kingston carburetor and the original coil box stamped No. 30.
An RM vehicle description said Henry Ford and an associate originally placed part orders for the 1903 Model A which included: car bodies with C.R. Wilson Carriage Co. at a cost of $68 each; a set of wheels from W.K. Pruden Wheel Co. at $26 per set; and tires from Hartford Rubber Co. at $40 per set.
The Dodge Brothers supplied Ford's chassis and running gear at $250 each.
EarlyFordRegistry.com said 677 of the original closed-rear Model A cars were produced; an additional 1,131 updated open-rear Model A with a 10-horsepower engine and improved cooling were also produced.








From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz29ZSmzj8B

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I was there at the auction last week and they were struggling to get bids on it. Lots of stalling and delays by the auctioneer.



-Tim