Are there still a million Model A's?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Ca. Kid

Was Mr. Ford speaking about cars in the USA or world wide? Seems everyone here is just focused on the United States.

Ca. Kid,
The dog is schmart! He even mentioned, "HERE & AROUND THE WORLD!" Bill W.

[C26Pinelake]

Likely the best guesstimate will be from Mac's or Snyders. The likely use a figure for business plans !

[awander]

Originally Posted by Blessyouboys

No I can't.

At the same time, I wouldn't begin to think that club membership has anything to do with ownership.

Well, come on, it definitely has SOMETHING to do with ownership. I would bet that most members of a Model A club own a Model A.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by awander

Well, come on, it definitely has SOMETHING to do with ownership. I would bet that most members of a Model A club own a Model A.

Most but not all, I joined a club with no car.

Originally Posted by Blessyouboys

Local club membership (at least in my area) requires national club membership.

No thanks.

Yes and no. You can join a local club without national membership but you will have no national club insurance at events and the local club may be at risk if they sponser an event.

[Terry, NJ]

1,000,000 = 20,000 per state! Is that possible? Let's figure 80% in the US and 20% world wide, that's 16,000 per state. This would have to include registered drivers and show cars, plus those in garages, hot rods and barn finds, as yet unfound. Yeah, maybe it's possible!
Terry

[Terry, NJ]

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The more I think about what a phenomenon the modA is, the more I wish ole Henry were here to comment on it. Where can you find any hobby or pastime where the original owner are all passed on, yet there is a strong interest in the product. Enough to make those supplying replacement parts into self supporting businesses. A mechanical product that has a 20% survival rate over 80+ years. It's virtually unheard of! I'm wondering what it will be at 100 Years, 150 years.
Terry

[Chris in WNC]

Originally Posted by Richard Wilson

I know one old guy nearby that probably has 35 "driver" and/or "restorable" Model A's in the dry. (No, he will not sell any.) Most of the Model A guys that I know have three or more.

intertesting......how old is he? how's his health? what do his heirs think about the cars? be sure keep track of this fellow so I can go to the auction with you..........

[Bill Underwood]

I belong to the clubs to support them and keep them going. However, nothing new usually pops up in the magazines. Maybe the old addage "everything old is new again"? But, they are very professionally published and I still retain all of them.

Most everything except minutia is out there about the Model A, IMHO. National meets are interesting with super nice views of common and rare Model A's. If you haven't been you need to go. Fine point judging can wear one out and is not for the easily offended, faint of heart or something. Know what you are getting into!

I'm not young, as a matter of fact OLD. The interest in the four-bangers is in decline as things go. As the generations change, the memory bank and nostalgia moves along also. However, Model T's resurged but it is a small but loyal group and not all are old folks.

Just a sidelight, IMHO, there are more 30-31 deluxe roadsters on the road than Ford built! Conversion, repo bodies, the like. But nice, classy, fun little cars!

[denis4x4]

Originally Posted by 700rpm

It's the only reference I have to start with. Can you suggest a different one?

If you were to check state DMV records and insurance companies, you'd have a starting point for the number of "road worthy' Model A's. However, hot rods are generally registered as Model A's and your numbers would be skewed.

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by denis4x4

If you were to check state DMV records and insurance companies, you'd have a starting point for the number of "road worthy' Model A's. However, hot rods are generally registered as Model A's and your numbers would be skewed.

Nor would that account for unregistered cars or cars in process, which I would speculate are the majority.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Attention "Dog Whisperers," If I train Buster to sniff out hidden Model A's, should I use oooold gear oil or ooooold wood as training "bait"? Bill W.

[dumb person]

More and more organizations are losing members, in all sorts of areas, not just cars.

Haha, clubs. No club would accept me and if they did would i want to join it?
"Eww look at the lowly mortal admiring our car. Look at his ugly shoes!" "Those are shoes? you mean his feet do not look like that? how terrible"

[29ModelA]

My .02, most owners of Model A's are 50/60+ and hold their meetings during the week, and often around 4:30 - 6pm (around here anyway). I'm 30 and have a job just that I work 80+ hours a week. If I am going to be missing most of the meetings why should I waste the money?


Between that and the other crap that always comes up in a club and I have no desire for more stress than I have. I'm part of the Eagles organization and am an Eagle Rider, and that seems to give me enough drama.

[Purdy Swoft]

Any model A clubs are over 100 miles from me. I belonged to both national clubs for many years and have a large collection of the magazines. The only benefit was the magazines and sometimes the classified add section. After getting a computor about 12 years ago I started looking at the model A sites. The first thing that I did was not renew my subscription to Hemmings. I dropped out of the national clubs around 09. The club magazines were getting less interesting and the club politics were the last straw. I saved money and Ford Barn pretty much fills the gap. If I rejoined any clubs it would be F.A.S.T. and the Secrets of Speed Society. I like original appearing model A's but can do without the nit picking of the purists.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Yo, Brother Purdy, how's your day?
I'm no purist, but I like "original" stuff, but I know several PURISTS that are PURDY good fellas.' Boy! when you get down or sick, or need a part, (for free), they come a-runnin.'
Original question: If it was proven that there is a million out there, the bottom would fall out on prices! Bill W.

[Purdy Swoft]

Yo, brother Bill, I'm getting by. Original question, are there still a million model A's? I think there probably is but it would be impossible to prove. The bottom has already dropped a bit but people that are infected with the incureable model A disease never plan on selling their model A anyway.

[Russ B]

A good approximation could be obtained for the US by going to each state's DMV with a specific formal information request on the number of active and non-op Fords in their computer systems for the relevant years.

I would think that the national clubs should want to do such a project to know what the potential for membership is. It will capture a lot of hot rods, but if the info request also asked for number of cylinders, most could be factored out.

A bit of thought going into the project could make the resulting report into a great resource for many uses, especially if it were maintained with periodic updates. Twenty five years ago I used to maintain a national database on an obscure topic (hazardous waste incinerators) and found as the database became more accurate with updates and filled with additional information, a diverse group of agencies, manufacturers, stock analysts, waste generators, waste disposal companies, and so forth all became interested. I imagine the same would be true if a Model A or early Ford database were created.

I have three Model As, do not belong to a national club (except the cabriolet club), and am too busy to do it myself, but I can certainly see a benefit in having the information compiled. Maybe Ford has done the work and shares limited info with prospective licensees of reproduction parts. ...but I think the information has a broader interest and would be of real value.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

... Original question, are there still a million model A's? I think there probably is but it would be impossible to prove...

The one million figure is one that I've heard -- almost forever, and of course I've never heard of any documentation for that number, but I never doubted it. They were (are) a pretty popular vehicle. Maybe that's one of the reasons I own one, who knows!