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The Ford Model A doesn’t get the historical respect of its 15-million-unit predecessor, the Model T, nor is it as beloved as the 1932 Ford V8 which followed. But when the Model A went on sale on December 2, 1927, it was an important transitional model for Ford.

Following the unparalleled success of the Model T, Ford had been reluctant to develop a new model, or even upgrade the T with features that were increasingly driving customers to other brands. The Model A was the first Ford to feature modern controls, with clutch, brake and throttle pedals, and a gearshift lever sprouting out of the center of the front floorboards.

Selling for as little as 5, the Model A was a huge success. Ford built almost five million units over five years. Had it not unveiled the A when it did, the Blue Oval might have met the same fate as many auto manufacturers of the 1920s that didn’t see the other side of the Great Depression.

Surprisingly enough, this 84-year-old car can actually provide somewhat serviceable transportation today, although with limitations. While its four-cylinder engine provides fuel economy in the high 20′s, Interstate travel is a bit beyond its meager 40 horsepower output. Mechanical drum brakes are the weakest point in the A’s specifications, with a lack of climate control rating a distant second.

For more on what it’s like to drive an A everyday, check out the 365 Days of A blog.

This Day in History: Ford Model A goes on sale originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For years, I never knew how the story ended. I’ve taken many hours of enjoyment reading the fictional exploits of Gus Wilson and his Model Garage in my collection of vintage Popular Science magazines, but this one from July 1968 has left me hanging. The mystery of how “Gus Has An Argument With The Brass” ends is finally solved. No, I didn’t find the missing page that has vexed me for twenty years, but I have discovered I’m not the only one who loves these tales of diagnostic derring-do.

The Gus Project, put together by Mike Hammerberg, Don Miller and the flying typist fingers of Mary Viramontes, has archived all 529 stories online for easy searching and, most importantly, reading. The tricks and techniques chronicled by “author” Martin Bunn (a nom de plume for several writers over the years) may not be fully modern, since Gus hasn’t appeared in PopSci since 1970, but many of them are still useful. Learning the fine art of diagnostics at the elbow of a master, fictional or not, is a fulfilling way to while away the hours, and thanks to modern technology, you won’t have to leaf through musty, silverfish-infested pages. Pull up a chair and a tablet and lose yourself in nostaglia while learning a thing or two.

Classic Gus and the Model Garage stories indexed and posted online originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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