1931 Ford Model A Tudor Henry Ford liked to play with names and there are two theories why he used the word Tudor for his Model A's they are 1: The House of Tudor, the royal house of Welsh and English origin, descended in the male line from the Tudors of Penmynydd. Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including their ancestral Wales and the Lordship of Ireland from 1485 until 1603. Henry Ford thought that was cool. And 2: It was a marketing ploy. Manufacturers had pet names for different body styles. The model T touring car became a phaeton on the model A. It sounds better. The tudor (2-door) and fordor (4-door) were marketing terms designed to stick in the minds of the public. For consignment, a beautifully restored 1931 Model A Tudor which was the beneficiary of a full restoration courtesy Carl Taylor, noted Model A restorer from Delaware, and performed in 1977. Looking authentic, with two tone exterior, wire wheels, mohair interior, and a bit upgraded with Berber carpeting, and woodgrain moldings, right down to the rear window pull roll shade. This car also works on a 6-volt positive ground system, and has powder coated wheels, and new tires (less than 1,500 miles). Exterior Looking the part of the gangster era with its tall roofline, extended cabin with wide rear windows, fenders and running boards, along with the essential cowled hood, chromed radiator surround flanked by chromed encased head lighting, dual bar bumpers in front, and split dual bars on back. The beltline down on the body is brown, and upwards for the roof is black along with the fenders and running boards. A red pinstripe delineates these two colors and runs from stem to stern. On the top of the cowl hood is plenty of crazing in the finish. Nicely chromed cowl lights, round mirrors on stalks hanging off of both sides, door handles and another dual bar split rear bumper all show nicely. On the back of the tall back is a mounted spare tire, 19-inch powder coated like the other 4 corners in red wrapped with wide white sidewall tires. A note to the top, which is wrapped in vinyl in black, as technology of the day would not allow for a large piece of steel to be pressed into shape. Interior Mountains of mohair cover most surfaces of the door panels with a nifty small elastic pouch and shiny handles, and a small strip of dark tan Berber carpeting below at the lower door jamb. Inside tuck and roll mohair buckets are in front, and in back a long tuck and roll pattern couch with armrests and seat belts. More mohair covering the vertical surfaces of the interior and the headliner which is nice and tight. Seen on the rear window which has a roll shade is a CHMSL (3rd brake light in LED). The dash top has been wood grained, and the front is painted black with red pinstriping negotiating its way around a center chromed "mask" style shiny instrument cluster. A nice shiny original steering wheel is mounted and extending proudly from this nice dash, and berber carpeting in dark tan covers all the floors. Noted is a modern day cup holder mounted near the glovebox on the passenger's side. Drivetrain Under the hood is a nicely restored and award winning 201ci 4-cylinder engine. It is fed fuel by a 1-barrel carburetor and the original 3-speed transmission is on back pushing power rearward to a 3.78 gear rear axle. Undercarriage Extremely clean with no rust in sight, frame and running boards, as well as body hangers are solid and rust free. Some wood is on for the under floor pans and is all solid and painted black. Transverse leaf springs is the suspension on all 4 corners, and mechanical drum brakes show up also on all 4 corners. Drive-Ability This old gal fired right up running on all 4 cylinders, and as I slipped it into gear, we were ready to take on the test track. It has a nostalgic feel to the ride, nice smooth acceleration, a wonderful sound, and good handling. Braking needs to be planned a bit ahead but works just fine. A nice older restoration, a few dents and dings along with the crazing on the hood, but all steel, all rust free, and looking good in the two tone paint along with the highlighting chrome and pin striping. Amazingly clean undercarriage, and definitely could be a shower, as well as a driver. Just do not plan open cruising down the highway at more than 40MPH! Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
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