An A for Nostalgia

From the day it started rolling off the assembly line in 1927, the Ford Model A was a tremendous hit--a $500 automobile with a dependable four-cylinder engine and what then seemed low-slung, sleek lines. Cars have changed more than a little in the succeeding half-century, but that has only enhanced the Model A's nostalgic allure; its wire wheels, arching mudguards and stubby body give it the jaunty appeal of an old boulevardier. In fact, a restored Model A today sells for as much as $17,500.

To Frank Laumer, a Florida entrepreneur, such love (and money) spell opportunity. He knows the Model A inside out, having owned 13 himself and restored numerous others in his mechanic's shop. So he has decided to build brand-new Model A's (the 1930 roadster, coupe and pickup truck) to the original specifications in his barn outside Dade City. A smooth-riding demonstration car stands in the driveway as proof of production. List price: $10,500.

That will not leave Laumer much profit. To hold down labor costs to $2,000 per car, he employs his son, two daughters, a son-in-law and a master mechanic. But he contracts out all upholstery and painting work for another $2,000, and reaches far afield for authentic parts. The spare-tire mount comes from Argentina, for instance, the speedometer from the U.S.S.R., a water pipe from South Africa; Laumer gets only the chassis and a few other parts in the U.S. All together, the parts cost more than $5,000 per car, though Laumer hopes to cut the expense by ordering in bulk --when he boosts capacity to perhaps ten cars a month. "If I can't eventually realize $2,000 a car," he says, "I can't very well afford this business."

Old Logo. Right now his prospects look as bright as his Model A's nickel-plated headlights. Laumer has ten orders and what he describes as "30 strong inquiries." His first car will be delivered in time for Christmas to Mrs. Marjorie Gay, a Tampa real estate broker who once taught Laumer high school physics. She explains her purchase as "a sentimental journey." That is pretty much how the Ford Motor Co. sees the whole project too. But if Laumer completes his replicas down to use of the old Ford logo, company executives warn, they might sue to stop production.

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