How many are still on the road?

[ivoryjohn]

How many of the 15,000,000 Model A's built between 1928 and 1931 are there still on the road? How do you take a census of cars? Shouldn't you count the number of road worthy cars world wide? I suppose you could canvas the individual Departments of Motor Vehicles in every state but would they cooperate or be able to break down their data to specify a single car company and set of years?

The number of Model A's must be an important consideration when a producer decides to offer manufacture of a needed reproduction part. What is his potential market and repeat market for a part? Considering the number of mail order parts franchises in existence and the amazing variety of parts down to the last detail available, there must be thought to be hundreds of thousands of Model A's still chugging the back roads. Can there really be that many Model A's?

[Karl]

Just a small correction 15,000,000 Model T's produced but 'only" about 4,000,000 Model A's . Its a guess but probably only 1 in 4 survived

[harvsfl]

I have heard an estimate of 250,000 worldwide

[Terry, NJ]

Let's assume that 250,000 survive. It seem a fair number. What percentage are still somewhere recognisable as still stock and not rotted ?(Oopz I meant Rodded) How many still have flathead fours under the hood, and not a later chevy? You get the picture. Of stock restored, running and registered mod As, the figure goes way down.
Terry

Originally Posted by ivoryjohn

How many of the 15,000,000 Model A's built between 1928 and 1931 are there still on the road? How do you take a census of cars? Shouldn't you count the number of road worthy cars world wide? I suppose you could canvas the individual Departments of Motor Vehicles in every state but would they cooperate or be able to break down their data to specify a single car company and set of years?

The number of Model A's must be an important consideration when a producer decides to offer manufacture of a needed reproduction part. What is his potential market and repeat market for a part? Considering the number of mail order parts franchises in existence and the amazing variety of parts down to the last detail available, there must be thought to be hundreds of thousands of Model A's still chugging the back roads. Can there really be that many Model A's?

[raprice]

Even so, there is an incredible number of Model A cars still around.
Rog

[Bob Johnson]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Actual number of Model As produced world wide from 1928 to 1931 was 4,776,299 as per Ford production figures.

Estimates of the number around today range from 20,000 to 2,000,000. Every number is a guess no one can know for sure how many there are.

Bob

[roccaas]

Doesn't MAFCA quote approx. 250,000 in the US alone??

[30ccpickup]

I"ll start the count I have one.

[Flathead]

I've got one stock and one not stock, so we are up to at least 2 1/2 still around.

[ct50f1]

Originally Posted by Bob Johnson

Actual number of Model As produced world wide from 1928 to 1931 was 4,776,299 as per Ford production figures.

Estimates of the number around today range from 20,000 to 2,000,000. Every number is a guess no one can know for sure how many there are.

Bob

I've always guessed the number is close to 10% - 450,000. No way to support that number but if you include them all the restored cars, hot rods, doddle bugs, etc. I bet it comes close. Just look around your own town. How many do you know about and how often are you surprised to find out about another just down the street that you'd never seen before.

Dan

[Lawrie]

Ilive in a town of 25000 ,my A is the only one used as a daily car,there are maybe 5 others in town one another ute and the others in various stages of repair.
In the town 100klms up the road pop 70000 there are maybe a dozen road going ones that turn up for events. plus probhably 20 laying around on farms etc.

Lawrie

[Kurt in NJ]

there are many that are hiding, not registered, there are at least 10 in a 10 mile radius of mine, 0 chevys

[Vanspeed]

I know of atleast 7 in a 5 mile radius of me. Two are not stock but body wise they are Model A. I would say the number is higher than people think.

[denis4x4]

It's been my opinion that somebody ought to get a DMV data base from every state and then cross reference it with numbers from the insurance companies. At least that will give a fairly accurate number of Model A's on the road. Your guess is as good s anyone's as to the number stashed away or under construction

[FL&WVMIKE]

Ivoryjohn ..................
A strange thing, is that the number keeps growing ! Nowdays, cars are being built from hulks, that used to be just considered "parts cars".
Recently, there was a story, on here, where a fellow started with only a gas tank.
MIKE

[Terry, NJ]

Good point! Plus the fiberglass repros. Is anyone still parting cars out?
Terry

Originally Posted by FL&WVMIKE

Ivoryjohn ..................
A strange thing, is that the number keeps growing ! Nowdays, cars are being built from hulks, that used to be just considered "parts cars".
Recently, there was a story, on here, where a fellow started with only a gas tank.
MIKE

[Chris in WNC]

".......... Is anyone still parting cars out?"


occasionally. I made an unsuccessful bid on a local "car" a few years back that was a mishmash of stuff- 30-31 Tudor body on an early 28 running gear with a lot of loose odd parts in the back seat.

my intention was to part that one out, but normally I would try to keep one together if was more or less all from the same car originally.

[azmodela]

635,894, just finished counting them...

[Cool Hand Lurker]

There are 5 Model A Fords in my town of 14,000 which translates to one per 2800 people. The latest U.S. census is about 300 million, so that in turn translates to exactly 107,142 Model A Fords in the country. Just about what I figured.
By the way, my town is just down the road from Lake Wobegon so it is exactly average.

[Special Coupe Frank]

Well, we had about 20 stock or nearly stock cars at the Model A Day meet in Tunkhannock, PA in September, mine included. So this would include cars from Western NE PA... that's cars that were driven there and driven home... who knows how many more are lurking in garages & barns or are being restored.

I have heard that more 1928 & later Fords have survived versus their GM counterparts due to their relatively minimal use of structural wood in the coachwork.

Dad has a 1930 Chevy Special Sedan whose body structure is entirely wood... and that wood is in sad shape.