QOTD: Know Anyone With a Pre-War Car?
So, it seems the Cannonball Run record was smashed once again this week, with a team from Ohio making the New York-Los Angeles run in XX hours and XX minutes thanks to a specially outfitted German land missile and plenty of electronic help. The actual duration of the feat has no bearing on today’s question, so we’ll leave you to read about it somewhere else.
These Cannonball Run attempts are, frankly, getting annoying. They’re also inherently dangerous. But the news did dredge up an old article about a very different cross-country trip that proved far more interesting to this writer.
A 2013 feature in Autoweek details the crossing of the continental U.S. in a 1930 Ford Model A in 50 hours and 20 minutes, unofficially shattering the record for such a feat in a pre-war car.
Average speed? 58.5 mph. In a 40-horsepower Model A, which topped out at about 65 mph when showroom fresh, that’s quite an achievement. This is the kind of thing your author loves reading about, and it inspired today’s question.
As the internets fill with glamorous social media photo shoots depicting musclebound pony cars, ‘Vettes, and 1970s-90s Euro exotics, the pre-muscle car era classics are being forgotten. Time and lack of attention (brought about by a fiscal inability to do so) is slowly taking a toll as current owners age out of their vehicles. What becomes of the cars? Junior isn’t likely to share the habit, or even possess a garage.
As for the running board era, appeal isn’t nearly as broad as later models. Yet Ford made millions of Model As, and they remain the most achievable of the pre-war set to get into. Parts can be sourced online, and the basic makeup of the vehicle was the picture of durability and simplicity from Day One.
So, B&B, do you anyone who owns — and drives, even if only on special occasions — a pre-war car?
[Image: General Motors]
More by Steph Willems
Comments
Join the conversation
Nate always good to see the next generation interested in keeping the old cars and trucks running and maintained especially those vehicles that were in their families. It is always sad when the older vehicles that were well maintained end up being neglected and then scrapped and forgotten. That is one thing I like about Jay Leno and his car collection that some of the good old cars that are plain and have lesser value are kept up and preserved. I like Leno's philosophy in that he doesn't really own these cars but he is taking care of them and preserving them for future generations. Leno also drives his vehicles. It is always a good thing when the next generation takes an interest in older vehicles.
A co-worker's mother keeps a 1938 Ford up at the collective cabin. Allegedly it still runs, but infrequently since her dad died.