Basic transportation becomes a classic

AMANA - For all the attention it gets now, sometimes it's hard to remember that the Ford Model A was conceived and built as basic transportation.

For all the fancy touches some of them have, they were mass-produced and therefore much cheaper than all the competition's cars. Ford produced a lot of them - nearly 5 million in four years.

In all, 94 cars - mostly Model A's, but with a few Model T's and tractors thrown in as well - were at the first Amana Model A Days.

The show was the brainchild of the Hawkeye Model A club, including several members who live in and around the Amanas.

One of those members, Dennis Zuber, took me for a ride in his 1931 Model A in the days leading up to the show. The car belonged to his grandfather, a country doctor who bought it new in 1931. Zuber started working on it when he was 14, and when he turned 18, his grandfather gave it to him. The only thing not original on the car is the paint job, which Zuber did himself in the 1950s.

The car is basic inside: a metal dash, a panel with speedometer, fuel gauge and electrical gauge.

It starts and drives pretty much like any modern car - no need for a crank to start the engine - with a few exceptions. The engine isn't very powerful; Zuber figures the best speed to cruise is about 45 mph. There are no seat belts and only very thin padding on the floor, so you feel the heat of the engine on your shins when you sit in the front seat.

At the show, there were examples of all the different body styles Ford produced the Model A in: coupes, convertibles, sedans and trucks. Some were original, others modified and still others restored till they looked like they came right off the assembly line. The one thing they all have in common is the fact that despite their somewhat humble origins, they're still on the road - examples of how much new cars have changed and how much they all still have in common.

Jamie Kelly of The Gazette is going around Eastern Iowa this summer, meeting interesting people and doing unusual things. If you have an idea of where you'd like to see Jamie, e-mail him at jamie.kelly@gazcomm.com or call (319) 399-5956.