The Ford Model T started it all, but was quickly followed up by the Model A, so what were the differences between them? Here’s what we know.
Cast your mind back to a time when the automobile was still considered a novel invention. The Benz Patent Motorwagen debuted in 1886, representing more of a technological curiosity than anything. The majority of people who built and drove these machines largely grew up having never seen one, Henry Ford included. These were the frontier days of motoring, where the oldest brands experimented to figure out what works and what doesn’t – and that includes individual model names. Some companies named their cars chronologically by model, such as European brands like Bugatti. Others named their cars after the people who invested in the company, like the 1911 DAT. Similarly, Ford held its own naming concepts, with the Model T so-called because it was the 20th iteration of that particular design – the letter „T“ being the 20th letter of the alphabet. This nomenclature continued to the next-generation Model, named „Model A“ because it represented an entirely new model chronology.
As such, Ford considers the Model T and 1928 Model A to be two distinct automobile models with the letters designating their respective platforms‘ iteration, hence the reason why it jumps from „Model T“ seemingly backwards to „Model A.“ Naturally this means the Model A features a wide variety of updates, such as a redesigned engine, hydraulic shocks, shatterproof windshield, and conventional driving control arrangement.
It’s not actually the first Ford to use the „Model A“ designation, either. In fact, the original Model A debuted in 1903, predictably marking the Ford’s very first product, though the original Model A’s legacy was grossly overshadowed by the millions of Model Ts sold throughout the 1900s to 1920s.
