2025 AFD highlight – C1930 Model A Touring

The passion for patina on old cars has seen some people ‘fabricating’ the ravages of time – in the form of vinyl wraps that replicate rust, wear, faded paint and dents. That’s what made the presentation of a nearly 100-year-old Model A touring sedan with genuine patina at this year’s All Ford Day in Geelong a standout.

While there are other cars out there that are genuinely showing their age, not many of them are also running and driving, as this one was.

Marking the 100th Anniversary of Ford Australia, this year’s All Ford Day was huge, with more than 1,600 cars on show. Along with Model As like this one, there was a special display of Model T Fords. When Ford Australia was founded in 1925, Model Ts were the first cars to be assembled, rolling out of a former woolstore on the Geelong waterfront before a purpose-built facility was constructed on the city’s northern outskirts.

By the time the car pictured here was built, Ford Australia was well and truly established, with its own casting and stamping facilities. Every Australian-made Ford would originate in Geelong until the Broadmeadows factory opened in 1959.

In late-1927, the Model A replaced the wildly successful Model T in the USA, but wouldn’t reach Australia until May, 1928. Key differences were revised styling, safety glass for the windscreen and a 3.3-litre four-cylinder engine that was twice as powerful as the Model T’s engine. The Model A was also the first Ford to feature the now famous ‘Blue Oval’ badge.

Body styles varied according to market, with Ford Australia offering four-door ‘touring’ bodies with a folding hood (also called a tourer or phaeton), as pictured here, and two-door roadsters. Fixed-head coupes and sedans came later.

Unlike the Model T, which had been bodied in different styles by a variety of coachbuilders locally, all Model As were produced in-house at Ford Australia, so they had a standardised design.

The history of this particular Model A is unknown. It was complete, running, and appears to have been registered until relatively recently. On the outside, a horn was slung under the left-hand headlight, with the very Aussie waterbag accessory hooked to the front bumper. There was also a small kookaburra attached to the driver’s side windscreen. A trunk sat on the fold-down rack at the rear, with an extendable, bellows-style cage holding a fuel container on the running board.

The canvas top showed numerous patches along the hood bows, with rivets and repairs along the hood’s leading edge, too.

Inside, this Model A showed just as much evidence of its age as the outside did. The seats had been recovered in a mixture of vinyl and woollen blankets, held in place with tacks and nails. A Havelock tobacco tin attached to the dash presumably functioned as some sort of glovebox, with other add-ons visible in the cabin, too.

While there were older cars on display at the 2025 All Ford Day, none looked as old as this one!

To see JUST CARS’ report from the 2025 All Ford Day, click HERE.