1928 Ford MODEL A ROADSTER PICK UP & TRAILER

This is a 1928 Roadster Pick-Up, imported from the USA in 2017 and the subject of a great deal of expensive work since then. The vendor, Nigel, found it on Ebay and imported it as a runner, though this turned out to be something of an exaggeration.

‘It was owned by one family from new, and it came originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia,’ he says. ‘We couldn’t get it running right, so my son had a serious look at it. When I came back in the morning, he’d stripped it to a bare chassis!’

So began a restoration that grew legs, and then more legs. The highlights include a powder-coated chassis, a heck of a lot of new running and rolling parts, a re-wire to 12v, a full high-spec engine rebuild and a trailer restored to match the truck. Nigel has not managed to add up everything that was spent, at least not so accurately that it might hurt, but he reckons around £25,000 has gone into the car since it arrived in the UK.

About the only thing that didn’t change was the truck’s outward appearance, which is what attracted Nigel to it in the first place. The bonnet, wings and running boards have been left off and there’s no convertible roof, all contributing to a slightly hot-roddish moonshiner vibe.

This vehicle starts on the button, sets off briskly with its nose in the air, keeps up with modern traffic and stops well, but don’t plan on using it for serious hauling - the trailer is un-braked and the truck is 92 years old, after all.

The leafy green paint is certainly patinated, having been artfully sanded through by the previous owner to reveal glimpses of primer here and there. You’ll find the odd ding and wrinkle - all part of the aged charm - but no corrosion, and it’s all received a protective coat of wax. The door fit isn’t brilliant but everything opens and closes sweetly and stays put. The pick-up bed is straight and smart with new wooden boards; the same goes for the trailer.

Both truck and trailer sport new whitewall tyres and rebuilt wheels, looking very clean in shiny black paint and with undamaged Ford-logo hub covers. The wings and running boards come with the car, as does the bonnet, which is in primer. The lighting is mostly new and there are Duolamp-type combination units at the rear of the truck and of the trailer too, which is wired for easy connection and disconnection.

Inside? There isn’t a great deal…the door cards and seat came from the USA during the restoration and are plainly but neatly trimmed in a sober black leatherette. The floor is covered in a cut-to-measure rubber mat exposing the odd glimpse of sturdy ply floorboards beneath, while the dash panel - a masterpiece of minimalism - offers an ammeter, a barrel-type speedo, an odometer and a fuel gauge. Good luck reading any on them when you’re bouncing along a mountain road, running from the revenuers…

The pick-up bed has been upholstered with hay bales in the past, which gave a tolerable ride for a bride and groom, with four young bridesmaids following in the trailer. While we can’t recommend this for use on public roads, nothing will create broader smiles on a show field.

This is where so much of the money has gone. Wherever you look you see lovely shiny black metal components meeting in clean and tidy joints with new fixings and bushings. Away from the engine bay, the brake drums and steering rods are the most obvious items, but the story is the same - it hasn’t been bodged by adding new bits amongst old, the original parts have been thoroughly refurbished front to back and everything consumable or subject to wear has been replaced.

The engine is the star of the show. It was built by the wonderfully-named Nervous Bob Froch, a Flathead Ford guru to whom Nigel went after the running faults that arrived with the car just couldn’t be overcome. Bob diagnosed a terminally worn-out cylinder head and rebuilt the engine with a new one, plus a long list of upgrades that Nigel says includes a ‘touring sports’ camshaft, a lightened flywheel, bigger inlet valves, new rings, pistons, new white metal bearings for the con-rods, a main bearing set, new valve guides and springs, an upgraded oil pump and a reground and balanced crankshaft.

Most of what fills the A’s folder are invoices from O’Neill Vintage Ford, the guru-like supplier for almost anything Model A. Leafing through these gives you a good idea of just how much there is to buy even for an apparently simple old bus like this, but it also reinforces just how much needed doing. There can’t be a moving part on the pick-up that hasn’t had attention…plenty of non-moving ones are new too.

Also present are the V5C and a letter from HMRC confirming the VAT and duty were paid. The registration document records the vehicle as a tourer, something that may have been down to the DVSA’s inspector who decided that ‘tourer’ was the right word for an open pre-war car, regardless of whether it had a pick-up bed on the back.

This Model A has a great deal going for it. We’ll start with the most obvious aspect, which is its visual appeal. It looks incredibly cool and draws crowds like you wouldn’t believe - taking it to the Vintage Hot Rod Association’s Pendine Sands weekend in July would cause outbreaks of mass envy.

But crucially, it only looks like a hot-rod. Put the wings and bonnet back on and it’s a standard Model A Roadster Pick-Up, and a vintage one too - that’s vintage in the sense of being made between 1919 and 1930 and therefore eligible for Vintage Sports Car Club events like trials and rallies. It can straddle both worlds quite easily.

Then there’s the mechanical condition. The difference between buying a decent original example and one with a very thoroughly restored engine and running gear is profound - the former needs frequent tinkering and occasional big spends, the latter just keeps going. And if you intend to put that appeal to work as a promotional vehicle, a wedding car or especially for running artisan moonshine to the Farmers’ Market, you want one like this.

Finally, it’s a pick-up. They are very rare in the UK and the few you see tend to have a metal-roofed cab. Like Morris Minor and Mini pick-ups and VW Type 2 commercials, there aren’t enough to go round so values are higher than standard passenger models. This one, being left-hand drive, has appeal to European and American buyers and should you ever need to sell, they’ll be queuing up. As such, we estimate this glorious example to sell for between £24,000 - £34,000, with the reserve set even lower - which could turn out to be a shrewd buy……….

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us in Abingdon. To arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply.