Image credit: © conceptcarz.com (Reproduction Or reuse prohibited).
The Ford Model A was introduced in 1903. It was a vehicle meant to embody principles that Henry Ford deemed important - simplicity, economy and high volume.
Producing automobiles was an expensive task, and Ford's cash balance was very low in July of 1903. The company's credibility with investors was exhausted, and income was slow. The survival of the company came down to July 13, 1903, when three customers made the first payments to the company. Of those three vehicles purchased, only one has survived, with only five owners since it left Detroit. The Model A Tonneau with chassis number 30 was sold to Herber L. McNary of Britt, Iowa.
The years that immediately followed were rough for the Ford Motor Company. It would take several years and many false starts before Ford's vision of his automobile business would finally come to reality.
The Ford Model A was powered by an opposed two-cylinder engine that displaced 100 cubic-inches and produced around eight horsepower. It rode on a 72-inch wheelbase and weighed roughly 1,250 pounds depending on the coachwork.
The first three purchasers of the Ford product were Dr. E. Pfenning who sent his full payment of $850 ($750 for the Model A Ford and $100 for the tonneau body) by the 13th of July. The Indiana Automobile Company sent a $300 deposit and Herbert L. McNary sent a $170 deposit against an $880 order for a Model A with Tonneau and $30 of Ford options. The total money received - $1,320 - would help keep the Ford Motor Company in business. The next fifteen months that followed, 1,700 Model A Fords would roll out of the Mack Avenue plant.
Dr. Pfenning got chassis number 11, Indiana Automobile received chassis number 9, and Mr. McNary got #30. There was apparently, no sequence to the numbers of the cars. Thus, there is no way to determine which vehicle was completed first.
The Ford cars were built in batches in one large assembly room. Parts were attached to the different chassis, and when they were finished (in no particular order), the cars were test driven before being brought in for improvements.
Mr. herbert L. McNary was a butter maker at a creamery in Britt, Iowa. The car would be kept in their care for about fifty years until - after much negotiation - it was acquired by Harry E. Burd of Waterloo, Iowa. Burd had it restored by Lloyd Sievers.
In 1961, the car was sold to a Swiss Ford dealer. It would remain in Europe, on display at Ford's European headquarters in Cologne and in other locations, until the previous owner acquired it in 2001. In 2007, it was acquired by the late Mr. John M. O'Quinn.
In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $600,000 - $800,000. The car would leave the auction unsold. The high bid of $325,000 was not enough to satisfy the cars reserve.By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2011
Producing automobiles was an expensive task, and Ford's cash balance was very low in July of 1903. The company's credibility with investors was exhausted, and income was slow. The survival of the company came down to July 13, 1903, when three customers made the first payments to the company. Of those three vehicles purchased, only one has survived, with only five owners since it left Detroit. The Model A Tonneau with chassis number 30 was sold to Herber L. McNary of Britt, Iowa.
The years that immediately followed were rough for the Ford Motor Company. It would take several years and many false starts before Ford's vision of his automobile business would finally come to reality.
The Ford Model A was powered by an opposed two-cylinder engine that displaced 100 cubic-inches and produced around eight horsepower. It rode on a 72-inch wheelbase and weighed roughly 1,250 pounds depending on the coachwork.
The first three purchasers of the Ford product were Dr. E. Pfenning who sent his full payment of $850 ($750 for the Model A Ford and $100 for the tonneau body) by the 13th of July. The Indiana Automobile Company sent a $300 deposit and Herbert L. McNary sent a $170 deposit against an $880 order for a Model A with Tonneau and $30 of Ford options. The total money received - $1,320 - would help keep the Ford Motor Company in business. The next fifteen months that followed, 1,700 Model A Fords would roll out of the Mack Avenue plant.
Dr. Pfenning got chassis number 11, Indiana Automobile received chassis number 9, and Mr. McNary got #30. There was apparently, no sequence to the numbers of the cars. Thus, there is no way to determine which vehicle was completed first.
The Ford cars were built in batches in one large assembly room. Parts were attached to the different chassis, and when they were finished (in no particular order), the cars were test driven before being brought in for improvements.
Mr. herbert L. McNary was a butter maker at a creamery in Britt, Iowa. The car would be kept in their care for about fifty years until - after much negotiation - it was acquired by Harry E. Burd of Waterloo, Iowa. Burd had it restored by Lloyd Sievers.
In 1961, the car was sold to a Swiss Ford dealer. It would remain in Europe, on display at Ford's European headquarters in Cologne and in other locations, until the previous owner acquired it in 2001. In 2007, it was acquired by the late Mr. John M. O'Quinn.
In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $600,000 - $800,000. The car would leave the auction unsold. The high bid of $325,000 was not enough to satisfy the cars reserve.By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2011
2012 RM Auctions - Hershey, PA
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $300,000-USD $500,000
Sale Price :
USD $264,000
2010 RM Auctions - Sports & Classics of Monterey
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $600,000-USD $800,000
High Bid (Lot was not sold)
USD $325,000
2007 Vintage Motor Cars in Arizona
Sale Price :
USD $693,000
1903 Ford Model A Two Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Ford Model A Two
(Data based on Model Year 1903 sales)
1903 FORD MODEL A RUNABOUT Sold for USD$173,600 2023 Gooding & Company : Estate of Mark Smith Auction | |
1903 Ford Model 'A' Sold for USD$137,760 2019 Bonhams : Collectors Motorcars and Automobilia Auction | |
1903 Ford Model A Open Tourer Sold for USD$166,505 2018 Bonhams : Den Hartogh Sale | |
1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau Chassis#: 30 Sold for USD$264,000 2012 RM Auctions - Hershey, PA | |
1903 Ford Model A Runabout Chassis#: 317 Sold for USD$147,960 2012 Aalholm Automobile Collection | |
1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau Chassis#: 206 Sold for USD$85,250 2010 RM Auctions - Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey | |
1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau Chassis#: 881 Sold for USD$79,750 2010 RM Auctions - Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey | |
1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau Chassis#: 30 Sold for USD$693,000 2007 Vintage Motor Cars in Arizona | |
1903 Ford Model A Runabout Chassis#: 1628 Sold for USD$46,750 2004 S. Ray Miller Collection |
Ford Model A Twos That Failed To Sell At Auction
1903 Ford Model A Two's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1903 Ford Model A Rear Entry Tonneau | 30 | 2010 RM Auctions Sports & Classics of Monterey | $325,000 | $600,000 | $800,000 |
1903 Ford Model A 10hp Four Seater Rear Entrance Tonneau | 2009 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia | $150,000 | $170,000 | ||
1903 FORD MODEL A RUNABOUT | 2002 Kruse Auction Scottsdale, AZ (Rawhide) | $78,000 |
Vehicles With Comparable Market Values
Similar sales to the $199,397 range.
1968 FORD MUSTANG ELEANOR TRIBUTE EDITION Chassis#:8R01C165503 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Palm Beach | |
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Chassis#:2c3cdzl92ph101891 Sold for $198,000 2024 Mecum : Houston | |
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Chassis#:2c3cdzl92ph102751 Sold for $198,000 2024 Mecum : Houston | |
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe Chassis#:194377s109368 Sold for $198,000 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible Chassis#:5662028758 Sold for $198,000 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS Chassis#:124379n705427 Sold for $198,000 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1967 Porsche 911 S 'Soft-Window' Targa Chassis#:500691 Sold for $199,739 2024 RM Sothebys : Paris | |
1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster Chassis#:875256 Sold for $199,739 2024 RM Sothebys : Paris | |
1967 CHEVROLET CORVETTE CUSTOM COUPE Chassis#:194377S112425 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1973 CHEVROLET CAMARO CUSTOM COUPE PROJECT ENVIOUS Chassis#:1S87K3N152993 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
2022 FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500-H Chassis#:1FA6P8SJ7N5501543 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1971 DE TOMASO PANTERA CUSTOM COUPE Chassis#:THPNLY01713 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
2019 CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1 Chassis#:1G1Y22D95K5802267 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1965 CHEVROLET CORVETTE 327/350 CONVERTIBLE Chassis#:194675S112448 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1970 PLYMOUTH HEMI CUDA Chassis#:BS23R0B187995 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1971 CHEVROLET BLAZER CUSTOM SUV Chassis#:KE181S628216 Sold for $200,200 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1956 CHEVROLET NOMAD CUSTOM WAGON Chassis#:B56B123518 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1970 MERCURY CYCLONE GT 429 SCJ DRAG-PAK Chassis#:0H16C521072 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
2023 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT DEMON 170 Chassis#:2C3CDZL98PH101460 Sold for $198,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Chassis#:194677s108659 Sold for $198,000 2024 Mecum : Kissimmee |
1903 Ford Model A Two
• Additional valuation insight and sales data• History
• Specifications
• Image gallery
• Other Ford Model A Two model years