Photo credit: GS1311

When I was 12 years old (1958) my parents and I went for our usual Sunday drive. We were in a then rural part of Sheffield Lake, Ohio when I spotted a Model A Ford sitting in a farmer's field. It was love at first sight for this 12-year-old and I convinced my dad to leave a note on the car, offering to buy it for $50.The next day my dad got a call from the owner who said it's yours for $50.

When we got it home and transferred the title, we noticed that it said, " 1927 Ford, Model A, Number 52". Of course there were a lot of "old-timers" who insisted that the first Model A was made in 1928, so it must have been an error. Our next long trip was to Dearborn and the Henry Ford where I found a book in the store that indicated the first Model A's were produced in October of 1927!

The car actually had some carryovers from the Model T, such as an emergency brake to the left of the driver's seat, but it was definitely a Model A. I worked on restoring it for a couple years, anticipating driving it when I turned 16, but we were forced to sell it before it was completed. I have since told the story to many people who remember the first Model A as being produced in 1928.

Franc