DEVELOPING THE MODEL A
This article was excerpted from Peter Winnewisser’s book, “The Legendary Model A.”
On May 26, 1927, each of the 10,000 Ford dealers in the United States received a telegram stating that Ford Motor Co. was starting production of an entirely new car of superior and performance.
The telegram was followed by a letter dated May 25, from W.A. Ryan, manager of sales for Ford, who sent dealers a copy of the complete new car announcement released to morning newspapers on May 26 with a warning that “under no circumstances are details of the new Ford car to be given out to anyone.”
Clearly, this announcement was not a surprise. The demand for more style, greater comfort, more power and mechanical refinements had been weaning buyers away from the Model T for some time. As Ford’s grip on the market weakened, competitors were getting stronger. In 1926, Ford’s worldwide sales were down almost 450,000 units from the peak year of
