Boise Street Sighting: Ford Model A

As a longtime fan of post-war cars, pre-war cars are another item entirely; its not that I don't like them, per se, I just don't really know very much about vehicles made before 1940 or thereabouts. I do have a few favorites, though, and those all come from the Blue Oval. One of which is the legendary Ford Model A

In the early days of the automobile, Henry Ford made a killing in profits, mainly when he introduced the assembly line. His first major fruit came with the introduction of the Model T, and even though it was produced for eighteen years( 1908 through 1926), its successor would really put Ford on the map forever; like its Model T forebear, the A was also available in a wide range of bodystyles, and since so many were sold, and back then, cars had to travel much rougher terrain than their modern counterparts, the Model A doubled as the first successful SUV.

Coming in a wide range of bodies, the Model A truly was a car (or truck) for everyone. Two doors, Four doors, convertibles, pickups, you name it, one was available. It really is odd to see one model range be this comprehensive, but, really, up until the 1980s, that was the norm, and in Europe, its still common for a model range to be this comprehensive.

In the early days of hotrodding, Ford's venerable Model A proved to be a successful platform; likewise, the "A" was also a popular choice for auto restorers as well as enthusiasts of all ages. Case in point? The early As have been a staple in the Hot Wheels lineup since the 1970s. 

I hardly ever see vehicles this old, so I'm not going to whine about the condition too much; most of the Model As I see are either well-kept, decently restored, or have been chopped up and turned into various degrees of hot-roddisms.  This pickup is the antithesis of all that.

Baked in rust-coated stock body panels save for what looks like an aluminum hood, this old truck is in "as-used" condition, and would likely pass as a "used truck" in this region as late as the mid-1970s. After all, used late 1950s trucks are somewhat common in the dry Idaho climate.

Now, obviously, everything is stock, and the interior is about as bare-bones as it gets, but make no mistake, it is a truck--and is likely still a workhorse, even to this day.

I shot this in winter 2010 I believe, and I have not seen it since. I am glad I shot this for two reasons (besides the fact that I only have seen it once); I like roadster pickups, and this is a nice change from the rodded ones I see here at car shows.

Minnneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet station wagon

Again bucking my trend of sticking to stock vehicles, here is an example of the automotive culture seldom seen in my neck-of-the-not-very-many-woods; the "rat" rod. What we have here is a case of customizing that was done to mimic the supposed style of the 1950s and 1960s. On some cars, it works; here, I'm little torn on the execution.
As the reader can see, this 1959 Chevrolet station wagon is decked out in red tinted primer, with a plethora of "period" decals caking the rearmost side windows, and all the substantial trim removed. In a rather silly attempt to finish off that classic "1960s Kustom" look, only the roof has been given a rather intricate metalflake flame job. Where the stock vehicle would sport hubcaps, this shoddily customized version rocks a set of presumably stock-colored steelies. I assume this was done to fit into the current trend of off-color wheels that seems to plague everything from tuned Honda Civics to that godawful bodydropped Nissan King Cab with shaved everything, including gas door. On those aforementioned applications, the off-color wheels would look terrible. Here, though, it works, if its not terribly original. I suppose its better than throwing on some multi-thousand dollar Billet wheels and calling it "pro-rat-touring" or somesuch.
Inside, the interior has been given the same pseudo-Kustom treatment as the exterior. Gone are the stock steering wheel, and stock bench seat upholstery, and these once-awesome items have been replaced with rather grotesque atrocities. The cool steering (one of my favorite features on old cars next to the badging) is now.. this turd. Seriously--how can something that looks suited for a go-cart be comfortable at all in traffic. And that Mexican blanket/throw seatcover...I don't think it looks downright awful or anything, but what was wrong with the stock seats? I mean, surely, this lame seat cover was done only to fit the rest of the modifications, right?
As a whole, I honestly don't hate the execution; I just wish it were done with a little more originality. With the dealer tag still on it, I can only hope this '59 wag didn't start out as a relatively rust-free car, and that the trim had to be removed due to condition. If this vehicle was bought as a daily driver, then given these stereotypical "Kustom" mods, heads will roll. At least mine will.