A buddy of mine found this Model A pickup that appears to be coming up for sale soon. I was wondering what folks thought of it and what kind of money you would expect to pay for it? I don't know anything much else about it, other than what can be seen in the pic's. Somebody may have seen it around and know more about it which would be nice.
Yeah Clem, that was my first thought as well. Probably has a lot more legroom than a stock 30/31 pickup for the long distance driving. Apparently it has been up Pikes Peak as well.
Looks like a well done coupe conversion, basically a one off. Hard to price because of that, check the workmanship, ask for any history and take it for a drive. If you like it, make an offer. Share the rest of the story with us, Carp.
That's the rare first edition prototype Ranchero pickup! Designed by Edsel Ford for his wife to ride in comfort when she went to town to get flowers for her garden. Henry wouldn't let Edsel build any more of them, said they were too feminine to use as a truck!
That thing is actually got some nice work on it. It looks pretty good to me, from the dropped headlight bar, to the way the running boards are molded into the rear fenders, right down to the model A wheel centers in smaller hoops.
i'd bet it will sell for quite a bit more than a stock pickup or coupe in the same condition because it's so different, and seems to be very well done...not looking like a hack job. it took a lot of time to do just those front fender mods, so it likely has pretty good workmanship throughout. A local oldtimer collector has had quite a few conversions like this one, but all of his were done back in the 30s as shop trucks by garages, and people really like them a lot more than his other stock antique cars and stock trucks. .
I know it was at the Route 66 hill climbs in Cajon Pass about 5 or so years ago. Thats where the first photo was taken.
It has an overabundance of white trim and chrome but there's really nothing wrong with it. If it was a coupe or a roadster, you wouldn't blink an eyelash.
I know everyone has one....an opinion....and that is what makes this forum great. I LOVE that little ride. I think the proportions are just right and looks like a BLAST to get around in. Being that it's not from a pickup, you have more leg room. I had a 1928 pickup and I was chewing on my kneecaps and I am only 5'-7".
To me, the ‘curvature’ from behind the rear window, between the white tray cover and the white roof top, looked like a coupe, minus the dickey seat, if that makes sense.
I just took a look at a bunch of pic's of Model A's on Google images and I have come to the conclusion that it was originally a coupe body. However, I can see why you would also suggest that it is the rear from a Fordor sedan. Then I noticed the shape of a Victoria, but they have a more rounded area where the door would close at the B pillar. I believe that it is a coupe and the 1/4 windows have been trimmed over to provide the effect of what we mostly see in a Spots coupe. If you look real close at the rear shot in the 2nd pic, it almost looks to show the hidden 1/4 window shape. If the builder had used those Landau arms on the sides we probably would have just accepted it as a Sport coupe.
You may be right The curved roof is more like a coupe, where as a sport coupe seems to have a sharper roof line When you buy it, you will be able to confirm
Not me I have enough projects, but maybe my buddy will get the chance and we will know the whole story then.
Some things I like, some things I don't'. Overall. the sum of everything is greater than it's individual features. Historically I would call it a Phantom or Fantasy build. What time period? Late 50s or 60s. It's trying to be ealier but some of the work places it later. All in all it's a neat truck.
Too me, I would call it a novelty vehicle with some practical features. It appears that the workmanship is of good quality and it is a functional ride. I'm sure some of the Banger guys out there would appreciate it for what it is....
Think of all the time it took to cut the 19 inch Model A wheels and weld each spoke onto 16 inch rims. Bob
I was told by somebody else that this vehicle may have in fact been built in NZ. Any chance that could be a possibility?
This has been discussed in the past, but I couldn't find it using the search. I've no doubt someone will be able to chime in with better (more specific) info. Back in time in America, perhaps the 40s or 50s, Farm Trucks were tagged and taxed much, much, much cheaper than cars. So what some farmers would do it to cut off the trunk if they had a car and slide a pick-up bed into the area where the truck used to be located. My Uncle has/had one such Model A in his pasture that's quietly rusting away the last time I was there (I last visited him about 15 years ago so I don't know if its still there). I do remember that the one my uncle has/had looked like they used an axe to cut the sheet metal of the trunk off in order to slide the pickup bed in. So to me, I think it was a coupe that had that modification possibly done back in the day to save the tax money, then later in the car's life, someone cleaned up the job and molded the bed sides in better when it was updated and put back into use as the vehicle you now see. Seems odd that they did all that work and didn't put on the running boards.
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