Ford Model AA.
1928 would herald the launch not only of the Ford Model A car, but also the commercial variant, in the shape of the roadster pickup, swiftly followed by the Model AA truck. The example shown below turned up in a group of photos purchased from the US a while back. Where this muddy lane was I do not know, it had certainly been well churned up by the time that the old Ford decided to take a run at it. Despite having chains fitted to the rear tyres, it had become well and truly stuck - its entire bodywork was splattered with the brown stuff. The gent with the hat was making a concerted effort to get things moving when this photo was taken, his plan involving not just the chains, but a sturdy length of timber.
|
|
Several notes written in ink surround the scene, the most legible being that along the lower edge which simply reads "Asleep in the Deep". On the right there's a reference to "Welche's Pockets", while along the upper edge is, perhaps, the gent's name - Tifford? or Jifford? Faded signwriting can just be made out on the rear canvas sheeting, although other than "Co." I can't make much of it out sadly. The fitment of spoked wheels, rather than heavy duty steel rims, suggests this is an early example of Ford's Model AA, probably dating to 1928 or 1929.
|
| (Please click the thumbnail to view full-size image.) |
|
|
|
Propulsion was provided by the same 201 cubic inch four-cylinder engine as found under the bonnet of the Model A, producing its maximum power of 40bhp at a lowly 2,200rpm. A four-speed 'box was standard fitment, while early Model AAs had a worm drive rear axle. Mechanical drum brakes were fitted to all four corners.
|
|
All Model A and AA Fords are keenly collected nowadays, this page for instance features a collection of classic American trucks owned in the UK, and included is a cracking Model AA truck in fantastic, time-warp original condition. A period photo of a bus based on this vehicle's running gear can also be found on this page of the site, while a post-war camper conversion based on an AA in Britain can be seen here.
|
An abandoned chassis & cab.
If you go down to the woods today .... you're unlikely to stumble across a chassis and cab belonging to an abandoned Ford truck. Yet here, two children and maybe their father, have located just such a vehicle, or what's left of one. The rear chassis, sat in the long grass, appears to be slightly distorted, as is the back panel of the cab, so this truck may well have had a rear-end shunt.
|
|
Very little remains, just the cab, the chassis, and one front wing are all that is visible. The engine, gearbox, steering column, rear body and most of the front end metalwork, have vanished - perhaps scrapped, or kept as spares for another AA.
|
|
The photo isn't dated, but probably hails from the 1940s or 1950s. Nor is the location known sadly (maybe the Ford is still sat there!?). This black and white image is printed on Ilford paper (a company that survives to this day, with headquarters in Cheshire, England). One thing's for sure, if this scene was taken today and the Ford was in this condition still, there'd be quite a few people keen on rescuing it, despite the accident damage.
|
|
|
|
Return to Page 16 in the photograph gallery.
|
