History

• Henry Ford didn't develop the Model A on his own. He clung to the sorely outdated 1908 to 1927 Model T far too long. His son, Edsel, encouraged a new design that debuted as the streamlined and graceful Model A. More than 50 Model A vehicle styles were produced between 1928 and 1931. More than a dozen Model A's were truck-based, including panel delivery trucks, and seven of those were pickups.
  
  

Types

• The 1930 Ford Model A pickups were limited to three body styles: open cab, closed cab and pickup box, in which the cargo box was sold with the cab instead of separately. The pickups were stripped-down models or were featured with Deluxe trim. The Deluxe model was equipped with a stainless-steel radiator, wide whitewall tires, chromed spare-tire cover and two-tone paint schemes, according to Pickuptrucks.com.
  
  

Features

• The Model A offered as standard equipment a six-volt starting system, spare tire mounted on the left fender, four-wheel mechanical brakes, hand-crank windshield wiper, steel cab, roll-up windows, running boards and a tool kit. The cowl for 1930 was smoothed out to integrate better with the cab and engine compartment. The hood was raised slightly and the fenders were restyled. The windshield could be pushed out for ventilation. The open-cab model featured a removable top and allowed for the windshield to fold flat onto the cowl.
  
  

Size

• The Model A chassis sat on a 103.5-inch wheelbase, but the big hauler, called the Model AA, featured a 131.5-inch wheelbase. The standard pickup, which would be thought of today as a half-ton model, measured 165 inches long and 67 inches wide and had a curbside weight of 2,265 lbs. The 1930 Model A truck was about 10 inches more narrow and about 46 inches shorter than the 2010 Ford F-150 regular cab pickup.
  
  

Power

• Buyers could order any engine for the Model A truck as long as it was the 40-horsepower 200-cubic-inch four-cylinder motor. The engine was mated with a four-speed manual transmission.
  
  

Production

• In all, total worldwide production for 1928 to 1931 Ford Model A trucks was 539,786. A total of 48,378 Model A's were produced in 1930. The 1928 to 1931 Model A pickup captured 11.11 percent of the worldwide truck market, including the U.S., and 11.16 percent of the North American truck market. The Model A accounted for 10.68 percent of the foreign truck market. The 1930 Model A pickup sold for $395.