Abandoned roadster

D

Dave Mellor NJ

Well-known member
From pinterst. Know nothing about it
 

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This is how I prefer to see Model A's and T's, not in a line-up of shiny red and yellow restored ones. When I was younger, my greatest passion was combing through local farm fields, ravines, woods and creeks for abandoned Model A's, let alone peeking in rundown barns. Sometimes I found some gems, sometimes nothing. I still revel in that ditch near Washington, Iowa, that contained about 40 Model A, T and early V-8 bodies that had been dumped there in 1940 to fill the ravine for eventual farming. Boy, do I miss those days! The excitement of the hunt and "kill". This abandoned roadster photo awoke memories of all those years of excitement and hunting for abandoned antique cars. Thanks for posting it. I sure hope someone saves this car before nature completely reclaims it.
By the way, it looks more like a 1931 than a 1930 with that radiator shell.
Marshall
 
......Boy, do I miss those days! The excitement of the hunt and "kill". This abandoned roadster photo awoke memories of all those years of excitement and hunting for abandoned antique cars. Thanks for posting it. I sure hope someone saves this car before nature completely reclaims it.
By the way, it looks more like a 1931 than a 1930 with that radiator shell.
Marshall[/QUOTE]

You nailed it!

WW11 took a lot of the old cars to recycle into arms. It appears that was a good thing.
 
oldspert said:
Owner will not sell, is going to restore it "someday"
Click to expand...


X2, That was commonly heard remark back in the 1960's and 70's when I would find Model A's in similar condition out in a field or behind a shed in Idaho farm country.
 
Is it just me or do you try to see into every old barn you pass that has a door open? I often see cars that aren't there but I can't help but keep looking.
 
Yup. I am constantly looking in open garage and barn doors while driving around. 'Haven't found anything for decades, though. Either the cars are hidden from sight under mounds of cardboard boxes and tarps, or the cars are stashed in more dedicated storage facilities away from prying eyes - like mine. Time was, you could count on seeing a Model's rear end in an open garage while the owner was cutting his lawn. Those days are apparently gone, too. :(
Marshall
 
"Deluxe '31? I see a step plate for the Rumble Seat, and a chrome windshield frame...."

Could be. The stainless steel windshield posts seem to be the right height versus Standard Roadster posts, which are taller. The cowl lights are another possible DeLuxe identifier, although many Standards received them from owners or dealers, akin to rumble seat additions post-factory. The windshield frame itself would have been chrome plated. But after years of exposure in this environment, the plating would have certainly gone away, resulting in the frame looking like it does here.
The odds are also in favor of this being a Deluxe Roadster. According to the DeAngelis book, there were only 5,499 Standard Roadsters produced in 1931, while the DeLuxes reached a whopping 52,997. That equates to about 10 times as many Deluxe Roadsters that year than Standards. Why wouldn't anyone back in the day pay an extra $45 or so to upgrade from a Standard Roadster to a DeLuxe, considering all the extras one got with the DeLuxe model? Yes, $45 was actually $45 back then and a hefty chunk of change during the Great Depression. But what a difference between the two models for a measly $45 Yankee cartwheels!
Marshall
 
According to one Inflation Calculator I found online, $45 in 1931 equals $910 today. So it would equal almost 5% of a modern car costing $20,000. Not a bad deal....
 
As I recall, a 1931 Deluxe Roadster had these features that the Standard Roadster did not, unless specially ordered from the factory or dealer/owner installed:
(1) More attractive color combinations with coordinated colored wheels, including the classic Stone Brown and Deep Stone gray combo, as well as Washington Blue with Riviera Blue. Later in 1931, however, Ford specified that "no sale will be lost to due color limitations". So, a buyer COULD order his 1931 Model A any color Ford offered. Standard models came with black wheels, unless specially ordered in color.
(2) Cowl lights
(3) Rumble seat
(4) Brown leather seats with a more attractive pleat configuration
(5) Higher quality door panels that were padded instead of plain colored cardboard
(6) Pockets in the cowl kick panels
(7) More attractive top irons with wood bows and chromed arms
(8) Tan top instead of a black long-short grain material
(9) Chromed windshield frame and windshield wiper; Standard Roadster's were black
(10) Shorter windshield posts and windshield frame that made the car look sleeker.
Now, wouldn't all these upgraded features be worth the extra $45 cost?

Unlike the 1930 DeLuxe Roadster, in 1931 Ford deleted the left side spare mount, rear trunk rack and full-length rear bumpers in order to lower the cost and appeal to a cash-strapped Great Depression market.

Marshall
 
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"$45 was a lot of food in the 30s."

True. But after a week or two, that $45 worth of food would be history. The same $45 put instead towards upgrading to a DeLuxe Roadster over a Standard Roadster would still be present until the car was sold way down the road. I know ya' gotta eat, but I would have tightened my belt a couple holes for two weeks in order to afford the better Model A. Resale value would have also more than made up for that extra $45 spent at the time of purchase. :)
Marshall
 
Marshall, Thank you for that concise description of Standard compared to Deluxe Roadsters.
By the way, the food store advertisement says:
“For that “special” Sunday dinner roast a FORD SEDALIA CHICKEN”
$1.47 each
Boy, ol’ Henry diversified more than I thought.
 
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