Important fact that all Model A guys should know

HOTRODPRIMER

HOTRODPRIMER

Well-known member
Did you guys know that on today's date,,December 16,1927 Ford Motor Company unveiled its Model A automobile.

Just thought you guys would find it interesting,, HRP
 
Dec. 16th should conjure up in every American's mind, the opening day of the great German western offensive (Dec. 16, 1944) that we came to refer to as the Battle of the Bulge.

American losses numbered 82,000 casualties. KIA, WIA, POW We got the snot knocked out of us until we were able to shake it off and go on the offensive.

The Brits? They suffered a whopping 1200 casualties. As usual, Monty was more interested in sipping tea and letting the Yanks 'have a go at it.' He did nothing to help. Jerk.
 
I got it from Newspaper ads printed on Dec. 2nd as well as The Nevins & Hill Series of books which are the authority on 1903-1962 Ford History. There's many other sources that quote Dec. 2nd also.

I've never head of Dec. 16th being the introduction date of the Model A.
 
A book I have (History of the American Auto) says the all-new Model A Ford was announced on may 25, 1927, but not unveiled till December as a 1928 model.

Sorry for the wrench in this thread. Can't believe everything you read. I go with what is said here!
 
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On May 25, 1927, after many rumors, the Ford Motor Co. finally announced it would build a new automobile.

The official announcement of the Model A's completion was made by Edsel Ford on August 10, 1927.

The introduction of the Model A was on December 2, 1927 with more than 10 million people viewing the cars the first two days.
 
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Tinker,
May 25th is when the initial announcement was made on the Model A. The only reason they made the announcement then was due to several newspapers publishing stories related to the 'New Ford Car" altho not all of them were correct. The only newspaper successful in getting actual photos of the new Model A was a small newspaper in Brighton, Michigan when a couple of Ford people stopped to have lunch while driving a Model A Tudor.

May 26, 1927 was the day the 15,000,00th Model T rolled off the line.

The actual formal introduction with display models & signs, etc was Dec. 2nd.

If you have the book "Ford, Expansion & Challenge" by Allan Nevins, the chapters "Throes of New Birth" and "Model A, A New Era" go into great detail about all this.

I'm at the office so I can't access my copy until later.
 
Re: Dec 1944, Jeff

Jeff/Illinois said:
Dec. 16th should conjure up in every American's mind, the opening day of the great German western offensive (Dec. 16, 1944) that we came to refer to as the Battle of the Bulge.

American losses numbered 82,000 casualties. KIA, WIA, POW We got the snot knocked out of us until we were able to shake it off and go on the offensive.

The Brits? They suffered a whopping 1200 casualties. As usual, Monty was more interested in sipping tea and letting the Yanks 'have a go at it.' He did nothing to help. Jerk.
Click to expand...


Oh, C'mon, Jeff.
Monty was still reeling from OPERATION MARKET GARDEN.
He couldn't help a flea in December, 1944.
You may recall the 101st and 82nd were STILL IN HOLLAND in December, from Operation Market Garden, and had to do a Deuce & 1/2 TAILGATE JUMP into the Ardennes.
NOW, check out BATTLE OF THE HURTGEN FOREST.
The veterans of that battle were those "Zombies" with the Pennsylvania National Guard Keystones on their helmets, walking into Foy, Belgium, with warnings of Germans EVERYWHERE, when Maj. Dick Winters (506 PIR- CURAHEE) told them,

"We are Paratroopers !"
We are SUPPOSED TO BE SURROUNDED !"

There were about 35,000 US casualties in the Hurtgen Forest, Sept - Dec 1944, which was kept an even bigger secret than the Korean War. It led into the Ardennes, kind of a forefunner to "Watch on the Rhine."
 
Re: Dec 1944, Jeff

Bruce Adams said:
Oh, C'mon, Jeff.
Monty was still reeling from OPERATION MARKET GARDEN.
He couldn't help a flea in December, 1944.
You may recall the 101st and 82nd were STILL IN HOLLAND in December, from Operation Market Garden, and had to do a Deuce & 1/2 TAILGATE JUMP into the Ardennes.
NOW, check out BATTLE OF THE HURTGEN FOREST.
The veterans of that battle were those "Zombies" with the Pennsylvania National Guard Keystones on their helmets, walking into Foy, Belgium, with warnings of Germans EVERYWHERE, when Maj. Dick Winters (506 PIR- CURAHEE) told them,

"We are Paratroopers !"
We are SUPPOSED TO BE SURROUNDED !"

There were about 35,000 US casualties in the Hurtgen Forest, Sept - Dec 1944, which was kept an even bigger secret than the Korean War. It led into the Ardennes, kind of a forefunner to "Watch on the Rhine."
Click to expand...


One thing is for certain:

Were it not for the United States Army and the Lend/Lease Program the Brits would be speaking German.

As it appears now, it may not be too long before they're speaking Arabic.



.
 
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LukeDahlinger said:
Tinker,
May 25th is when the initial announcement was made on the Model A. The only reason they made the announcement then was due to several newspapers publishing stories related to the 'New Ford Car" altho not all of them were correct. The only newspaper successful in getting actual photos of the new Model A was a small newspaper in Brighton, Michigan when a couple of Ford people stopped to have lunch while driving a Model A Tudor.

May 26, 1927 was the day the 15,000,00th Model T rolled off the line.

The actual formal introduction with display models & signs, etc was Dec. 2nd.

If you have the book "Ford, Expansion & Challenge" by Allan Nevins, the chapters "Throes of New Birth" and "Model A, A New Era" go into great detail about all this.

I'm at the office so I can't access my copy until later.
Click to expand...


According to the book, The Model A Ford "As Henry Built It," it is not known when Ford changed his mind, or what inner pressures brought about his decision to stop producing the Model T and start producing the Model A, and make the announcement on May 25th.

In early July 1927, the first prototype Model A was ready. Ford was so pleased with the engineers' work on the engine that he assigned the lead engineer, Harold Hicks, to take the new Model A out on the road and race everyone in sight!

In order to obtain completely authentic and correct information about the Model A Ford; the authors, three Ford men, i.e., former employees/engineers, researched original sources in the Ford Motor Co., the Ford Archives and the Henry Ford Museum.

Of particular value were the interviews granted by Warren Meridith, Thomas Stevenson and Henry Todd, all former engineers and supervisors at the Ford Motor Co. during the actual years of production.

The book was first printed in June, 1971.



.
 
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