Old Innovation, New Beginnings

The local Model A car club drove right up to the New Beginnings sculpture at the center of campus.

The parking lot at the Castle Air Museum was filled with Ford Model A cars — making an interesting contrast with the SR-71 Blackbird super stealth jet.

Bringing Back Memories — A Model A Club member takes a close look at a World War II era engine at the Castle Air Museum.

An SR-71 engine at Castle’s Restoration Hanger was a big hit with Model A fans.

Model A Club members pack the Pavilion building at the Merced Fairgrounds.

The local Model A car club known as the Gateway A’s recently hosted more than 250 Model A enthusiasts from all over California for a two-day event in the Merced area. Among their pit stops was a visit to UC Merced for a tour of the modern research campus. As seen in this photograph by Jim Cunningham of Le Grand, the club members didn’t have a hard time finding a place to park. They drove right up to the New Beginnings sculpture at the center of campus.

About 90 years ago, one of Americans’ favorite cars was the Ford Model A, produced in large numbers and styles. Many of these sturdy cars and trucks have survived nearly a century and a large group of their owners spent last weekend in Merced.

The Central California Regional Group of the Model A Ford Club of America held all-day running events here last Friday and Saturday, centered at the Merced County Fairgrounds Pavilion and the surrounding parking lots.

The Merced Gateway A’s, a 20-family group marking its 45th anniversary, hosted the events.

Gateway A’s member Margie Drake of Merced says 133 registrations were received for the annual event. Each car likely had at least two occupants — many of them senior citizens familiar with Model As for much of their lives.

Drake’s husband, Austin, has three Model As; one is a 1929 Closed Cab pickup he bought in 1986 and restored the next year. The Drakes also have a 1929 Ford Tudor Sedan which they got in 1983; they took it to Portland, Ore. in 1984 and recently changed its taillights to easier-to-see LED units.

Typical of many mechanically-adept Model A owners, Drake also has a 1930 Model A coupe that’s in pieces but likely will be restored to running condition in short order. He also owns a 1971 Ford Mustang Grande that belonged to his mother who bought it new in Merced.

“I just grew up with them; my brother had one in high school,” Austin Drake says. “They are easy to work on. They are so basic.”

Drake, 73, retired from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. 35 years ago.

The Central California Regional Group of MAFCA covers from Bakersfield to Merced and over to Santa Maria on the Central California Coast.

About every eight years Merced hosts the annual Jamboree; this year’s event saw participants from San Diego, Sonoma, Northern California and Carson City, Nev. Most of the vehicles were driven here under their own power.

The Jamboree is considered a driving event and the Model A owners didn’t leave their cars parked all day at the fairgrounds.

Driving tours were taken to the Hilmar Cheese Co. processing plant, a private collection of about a dozen Model As and a few 1935-36 Fords thrown in for good measure, along with American Indian artifacts, antique kitchen items and model trains – surrounded by 13,000 acres of almond trees.

Another tour led the Model As to Alan Clark’s historic 140,000-acre farm in Red Top that once belonged to the Chowchilla Land and Cattle Co. He owns more than 20 vintage cars, 15 historic wagons and a 1912 restored Parker Ferris Wheel.

Bright’s Pioneer Museum in the Le Grand area is home to more than 300 antique automobiles, farm tractors and  machinery. It also features an operating belt-driven machine shop and what is believed to be the second-oldest tractor in the world. The Bright museum also houses the Chowchilla school bus where 26 school children were kidnapped 43 years ago.

Model A owners also got a personal tour of UC Merced and the Castle Air Museum.

Paul Homan and his wife drove to Merced from Paso Robles in their 1929 Ford Tudor Sedan. They aren’t afraid to drive it anywhere. Last year they were part of a 29-car caravan that visited Spearfish, S.D.

Homan says he’s the fourth owner of the Model A and has put 61,000 miles on the odometer. He’s had the car 37 years. It’s painted factory colors of Bonnie gray and Chelsea blue and was built May 25, 1929 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.

Homan, 78, retired 15 years ago after working in computer memory systems. He says about once a year they take a big trip in their Model A.

“It’s easy to work on; I’ve never trailered it at all,” Homan says.

Jim Cunningham of Le Grand was one of the event organizers. He has owned four Model As over the last 20 years and now has a 1930 Ford Tudor Sedan he got five years ago. He drives it in parades and on short trips.

Cunningham said in grammar school he became infatuated with the Model A. As a child he rode in a 1928 or 1929 Model A while growing up in the Sierras. He said he loved the sound of that car, which is powered by a four-cylinder flathead engine.

Model As came in the Tudor Sedan and five-window coupe variety. The Victoria-style coupe had its distinctive angled trunk panel. Several Sport Coupes with distinctive landau irons on the tops also were noticed here.

Four-door sedans had custom-made Briggs bodies. Several members brought panel vans and one member had a woodie station wagon with reproduction side curtains and clear windows to shelter the occupants from the elements. Braver souls brought their open, phaeton-style touring  cars.

Other Model A owners brought their rumble-seat roadsters and several others had open air pickup trucks.  At least one Closed Cab  pickup was observed with the sloping, angular lines defining that distinctive body style.

While a basic and inexpensive no-frills car, the Model A also could be ordered with a large trunk on the back end, cowl lights near the windshields, fog lights, optional rock guards to cover the radiator shell, Motometer hood ornaments that told the engine temperature and a hood ornament featuring a bird in flight.