Rides from the Readers: 1931 Ford Model A Roadster
Hagerty readers and Hagerty Drivers Club members share their cherished collector and enthusiast vehicles with us via our contact email, tips@hagerty.com. We’re showcasing some of our favorite stories among these submissions. To have your car featured, send complete photography and your story of ownership to the above email address.
Today’s featured ride is a 1931 Ford Model A Roadster. 1931 was the last year of production for the Model A, which replaced the venerable Model T. Available in four body styles at its debut in 1927, the Model A had developed three additional configurations by 1931. Depending on the year, you could get a Model A as a convertible sedan, a roadster pickup, a station wagon, a deluxe coupe, or, in the case of today’s Model A, a roadster. Each model was powered by a 3.3-liter L-head inline four paired with a three-speed manual, and for the first time in Ford history, the driver used the now-standard arrangement of controls: a floor-mounted lever for the gearshift, plus conventional clutch, brake, and throttle pedals.
This particular Model A was a fixture of current owner Tim Andrew’s childhood, but he wouldn’t own the car until thirty-odd years later. Andrew spent his high school years working at Happy’s Sunoco gas station and garage, which he bought from Bill Happy when he was 20 years old. “All those years,” Andrew writes, “a friend of the family would come in for gas for his 1931 Model A Roadster.” Little did 20-year-old Andrew know that, decades later, cancer-free and trekking 1800 miles of the Appalachian trail for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, he’d still be thinking about that Model A Roadster. He tracked down the current owners and discovered that yes, the family was willing to sell it to him.
“It’s my everyday driver,” Andrew writes. “To the dump, post office, store, or any place for an excuse to get in it and go.” The Model A is still going strong, bringing the joy of driving to Andrew and to anyone he invites to hop in the rumble seat.
