91-year-old car enthusiast, teen bond over restoring vintage Model A Ford

91-year-old car enthusiast, teen bond over restoring vintage Model A Ford

We resume normal service now on Eclectic Ephemera with this heart-warming story from Washington state in America and which initially appeared in June 2023.  Proof, if proof were needed, that age is no barrier to friendship - especially if interests are shared as in the case of the two gentlemen who form the subject of the article.

Serendipitous events like the one which brought this pair of enthusiasts together are the sort of thing that make the world seem a little bit of a brighter place, where two people at the opposite ends of the age spectrum can meet by chance and hit it off in such a splendid manner beneficial to them both.  Quite apart from the obvious rapport that they enjoy Mr Sage gets to pass on his extensive knowledge on the subject of Model A Fords (see below for an example) to the younger generation and so ensure its ongoing perpetuation while Mr Mpare learns valuable skills - both of the life and the mechanical variety - that he has already put to good use building his very own Model A from parts sourced by the Model A Ford Club of America no less!  It is simply joyous to read of how an unexpected meeting has led to this firm friendship, the passing of the torch of experience, the obvious enthusiasm shown by both men for their common interest.  It goes to show that one never knows what Fate has in store for us and that unlooked-for opportunities should be embraced whenever possible - who can tell where they might lead?  Once again it is also splendid to read of another "old soul" - one with a nonetheless very mature outlook on past, present and future, who understands and appreciates the importance of traditional know-how such as this and the rewards he has gained as a result - the companionship of a responsible and grounded gentleman with a lifetime of experience, which in and of itself can be of great benefit to a teenager just starting out in life (a fact that young Mr Mpare and his family clearly appreciates) and, if that wasn't enough, his own antique motor car built with his own hands!  Well done and congratulations to Messrs Sage and Mpare, indeed!  May their friendship continue to blossom and may many more Model A's ultimately get back on the road as a result.

 

Classic car unearthed in Yorkshireman's back garden

Classic car unearthed in Yorkshireman's back garden

Those who are fortunate enough to have their own gardens have rightly been taking advantage of this to get outside - especially in the lovely Spring weather we're experiencing this Easter - and do a bit of horticultural pottering, but I bet this chap in West Yorkshire wasn't expecting to discover a car when he went to dig his garden! 

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That though was the surprising find as reported in this article - a 1950s Ford Popular that had somehow wound up completely buried in a suburban back garden.  Quite how or why it got there is anyone's guess, although the military vehicle theory is as good as any.  Ford Pops would have likely been used as basic runabouts by the postwar armed forces - perhaps this one went AWOL and was hidden away to be retrieved later.  Such incidents are surprisingly commonplace with pre-war cars whose owners - fearing their potential destruction in bombing raids during WW2 - buried them in their gardens to be retrieved after the hostilities were over only for them to be forgotten until unearthed decades later, but this is a rarer instance of a post-WW2 car being found in such a way.  This is assuming it is a Ford Popular, which I have no reason to doubt, although it would be something if it were to found to be an older vehicle.



Either way it is an amazing (and amusing) find and definitely brightened up my day when I first read about it, hence its inclusion here.  If nothing else it ought to encourage the green-fingered amongst you to get out in to your garden, if you have one, and start digging.  If it sounds too much like hard work you don't even have to rip up your lawn to uncover fascinating treasures, as this similar story from Stoke-on-Trent proves:

Medieval coin found in Stoke-on-Trent garden raspberry patch

It always astounds me to think how these historical artefacts can just resurface (quite literally) after centuries underground, as the movement and cultivation of the earth slowly brings them back to ground level again, to be rediscovered in the sometimes most bizarre of circumstances.  It gives one to wonder just what other treasures are still waiting to be uncovered - perhaps in your own back garden!

A 19th(?) century clay pipe that was dug up in the family back garden in the '90s by
our pet dog Toby(!).

What's the strangest thing you've unearthed in your garden?  Let me know in the comments and if you haven't found anything yet - get your spades on!

Vintage Adventurer aims to set new world record in U.S. ocean to ocean challenge

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Vintage Adventurer aims to set new world record in U.S. ocean to ocean challenge

Just over one year ago I featured the story of Australian "vintage adventurer" Ron Wade and his intention to drive his 1930 Ford Model A from Beijing to Paris in the Peking-Paris Rally, then across the continental U.S.A. and finally from London to Cape Town - and trying to break world records into the bargain!

Now Mr Wade and his car have made the news again and I'm delighted to see that they are on the verge of embarking on the second stage of their around-the-world adventure - the "Ocean 2 Ocean America Challenge" - having successfully completed the gruelling Peking-Paris Motor Challenge in a remarkable 33 days earlier this year!  I never doubted that they would do it and the old Model A has proven to be a sturdy motor car I knew it would be.  (Incidentally if you ever get the chance to read the account of the original 1907 Peking-Paris race by Luigi Barzini Jr. - son of the journalist who travelled with the winning car - I can highly recommend it.)

The next challenge for Ron Wade and his Model A begins, fittingly enough, on Columbus Day (the 14th of October) when they begin the Ocean 2 Ocean challenge - to drive across the U.S.A. from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific (and, in a nice touch, Mr Wade will carry a bottle of water taken from the Atlantic Ocean and empty it into the Pacific upon his arrival!).  Here they hope to break their first record - to undertake the journey in less than 60 hours!  Will they do it?  Well, you can follow their progress on the Vintage Adventurer website; I for one am sure they'll manage it.

I'm equally certain they'll beat the London-Cape Town record too, although that attempt has yet to be confirmed.  No doubt we will hear of Ron Wade and his Model A again when it is; in the meantime, good luck to him in the Ocean 2 Ocean and "good on yer, cobber!" for being such a gentlemanly good sport all in the name of charity and "vintage" adventure.

Vintage adventurer hopes to break record

Ford Model A, similar to Mr Ward's 1930 example.  Australian Model As were built
in Geelong, Victoria

Vintage adventurer hopes to break record

Last year I did a post about a chap in Michigan who ran a Model A Ford as his main car every day for a whole year (and who still drives it frequently today).  Now a "vintage adventurer" (what a great term!) from Australia's Gold Coast is planning to beat the current record - set in 1936 - for the fastest journey time from London to Cape Town by a Model A in his own car, according to this article that popped into my inbox this morning.

Mr Wade sounds like the archetypal adventuresome Aussie (and seems to be proof that an active lifestyle can be good for the health) and all-round good egg, much like his compatriot I reported on at the beginning of the year, who similarly drove his Model T Ford across Australia and then from Durban, South Africa, to Moscow. 

Not only is Mr Wade aiming for the London-Cape Town record but he intends to take part in the Peking-Paris race beforehand and then ship the Model A to America and drive it from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles - in short here is another vintage car and driver who will have travelled around the world by the end of next year!

Whether successful or not vintage man and machine will have followed in the wheeltracks of many an historical endurance racer in famous long-distance journeys such as the Peking-Paris race, the London-Cape Town route and the myriad others who continue to this day to prove what the motor car was and is capable of.  It will be a testament to the car's longevity and strength that it should be able to undertake this trip, although Mr Ward has taken care to refurbish all the mechanical components which is fair enough.  It should be remembered, though, that cars of this vintage were engineered for rough use simply because the road networks that were in existence at the time were limited at best.  A round-the-world trip should therefore be quite possible even in a 1930 Model A.  I fully expect to read about Mr Wade's adventures and arrivals in Paris, Cape Town, Los Angeles and finally his home town of Wongawalla in 2013 and I'm sure the documentary he will be making en route will be a fascinating record of the endeavour.  The best of luck to him and his car.

Flying in a '20s Snow Bird

All images courtesy of ClassicCars.com

Last year when the snow came and caused travel chaos I recalled a 1920s solution to snow-covered roads - the Ford Model T snowmobile conversion.

This year when the snow came and caused travel chaos (d'you think there might be a pattern emerging here, Britain...?) I was once again reminded of this novel and effective vehicle - or rather this time its successor, the Model A snowmobile.

In the same way the the standard A improved upon the T, so the newer snowmobile conversion continued to be refined and updated.  Companies such as Arps offered conversions like the "Snow Bird" (top) for the likes of farmers, rural doctors, the U.S. Mail and anyone else who frequently travelled through heavy snowfall.

As the Model A was not built in as large a number as the T, and as conversion kits remained expensive, there are actually fewer A snowmobiles left than there are Ts.  If you look at the video clip in last year's post you'll notice only one or two As compared to a dozen or so Ts.  Still, I'll bet the closed-cab A was slightly warmer than the open/convertible T!

Nevertheless provided one is wrapped up properly a Ford snowmobile is still for my money the best way to beat the snow.  As the country is once again brought to a standstill I sit indoors looking out on a crisp white mantle and imagine zooming along in a "Snow Bird":

Vintage Adventure; Around Europe in 1920s Delage DI Series 5

Two stories here from before Christmas that I kept back until now (good thing too, as there's not a lot else in the way of newsworthy vintage happening out there so far, it seems).  They're so similar in spirit that I reckon they can both be covered in one post, involving as they do two vintage cars undertaking long-distance tours with their owners.

Vintage adventure

The first story begins all the way over in Australia where a vintage car enthusiast and sometime "adventurer" has already driven his 1913 Ford Model T clear across the country (a total of over 2,000 miles) before having it shipped to South Africa to continue right through to Moscow.  This epic road trip is designed to commemorate two similar long-distance drives that took place 100 years ago, and what a way it is to do so!

It just goes to prove what sturdy vehicles these early motor cars are, and reinforces my (and many others') view that these machines need to be used and can withstand great mileages and prolonged use.  The Model T was designed to travel on dirt roads, and be easy to fix, so Melbourne to Moscow shouldn't be beyond it(!).  In 1907, five years before the journeys mentioned in the article, a fleet of cars undertook to travel from Peking (Beijing) to Paris in the famous Peking-Paris road race (and if you can get hold of a copy of the account of the winning team, which included journalist Luigi Barzini Sr., do so).  These cars thrive on use, and there is nothing worse in my eyes than these wonderful vehicles sitting motionless behind a museum tape.  The reactions this Australian fellow has seen so far on his travels prove that vintage cars can engender a sense of camaraderie the world over.

I wish this Aussie adventurer the best of luck and hope he and his Tin Lizzie successfully make it to Moscow.

Around Europe in 1920s Delage DI Series 5

The second story is confined only to Great Britain and Europe but is still a marvellous tale of travel and history.  French car-maker Delage produced some of the most beautiful cars of the interwar years, including the now ultra-rare D1 S5 featured in this article.  This particular car has such an amazing history, yet another reason why it needs to be driven and displayed widely.  I'm glad to see that the current owner restored it and does just that, having travelled all over Europe in it in his quest to find out as much about its past as possible. It's also heartwarming to see that a new generation get so much enjoyment out of the vehicle, I hope they continue to have fun with it while enriching the lives of everyone it comes into contact with.

1930 Model A Ford Wraps a Year on the Road

Image courtesy of Autoblog/Zach Bowman

1930 Model A Ford Wraps a Year on the Road

Speaking of keeping vintage machinery running, here's a chap who took that to heart and then some!  A true enthusiast, Mr Jonathan Klinger has been running his Model A Ford for a whole year; proof, if proof were needed, that these cars can and should be used on a regular basis.  And aside from a few mechanical hiccoughs that were perhaps to be expected in an 81-year-old car it has performed well in all weathers, taking whatever was thrown at it in its stride - be that a 270-mile journey to Detroit or driving to a friend's in a snowstorm.

Mr Klinger has also discovered the joys of a more relaxed, simple motoring attitude, avoiding major roads and visiting small independent roadside eateries instead of garish chains - much like the first owner of the car would have done.

All-in-all a jolly good episode of the kind of thing I favour.  Well done to Mr Klinger, and I hope he continues to enjoy motoring in his durable Model A.

Ford launches website devoted to historical photographs, offers them for sale

Ford launches website devoted to historical photographs, offers them for sale

Throughout the long history of the motor car one name has been been at the forefront almost since its invention - Ford (although we could all just as easily be driving around in "Wintons" if Henry Ford's main competitor in those early days had kept pace!). Still going strong over 100 years on and with innumerable feathers in its cap such as the GT40 Le Mans winner, not to mention the 15-million-seller Model T, Ford's place in automotive history is assured. And what a history it is!

Now it is possible to view (and to own) images of that 108-year history as Ford moves to put its entire collection of images into digital format. Not just historic photographs but also advertisements, dealer literature and the like. Basically every illustration of the Ford motor car; a catalogue of over 1 million pictures. So far only a tiny proportion - 5,000 - have been digitised, with another 5,000 to follow by the end of the year but the scope of this thing is enormous. Not to mention the cultural significance of many of the items and the importance of preserving them for future generations, which is why the creation of this resource is laudable.

The book The Ford Century is a great chronicle of the first 100 years of this company and contains a great many of the pictures that can now also be found on the new website Ford Images. I highly recommend the book if you wish to discover the story behind this ubiquitous company and I'm off now to have a look around this new website.

Toot-toot!