Isadora – 1930 Ford Model ‘A’ de Luxe Fordor Saloon

Isadora is almost as original as the day that she emerged from Ford’s Old Trafford Factory in Manchester in 1930. She was first registered on 22nd March 1931 to Emily Barber of 305 Yardley Road, Birmingham and stayed with this lady who looked after her very well until she sold her to Messrs Burgess and Garfield Ltd, Ford Distributors, also of Yardley on 29th March 1962 when they displayed her in their showroom! When this business closed in 1970, ownership passed to H. W. Taveroni of Aston, Birmingham, who then in 1973 sold her to Eastwoods Commercial Motors of Aston. It was here that Isadora was put into store until she was “rescued” by Mr B. G. Lapworth of Trimpley near Bewdley in Worcestershire on 23rd July 1990.

After standing in the rear of a garage for seventeen years, Isadora looked rather forlorn, but Mr Lapworth set to and spent hours of TLC on her until purchased by Mr Peter Monk of Lostwithiel on 24th November 2001. It was a condition of purchase at an accordingly favourable price that Isadora was not “messed with” as she was so original. Unfortunately, just after purchase a “big end” began making it’s presence known and the original engine was removed, pending a major overhaul and in the meantime, a replacement 14.9 hp engine was fitted.

Apart from the whitewall tyres, a repaint by Plymouth Citybus in 2002 and her electrics being uprated to 12 volt from 6 volt, Isadora is as she was, she still has her original interior apart from the carpets, and her colour is the original Ford Olive Green. Isadora is one of only five or six surviving UK built Ford Model ‘A’ de Luxe Fordor Saloons with a factory fitted sunshine roof from new.

For the mechanically inclined, being British built, Isadora was fitted with Ford’s 14.9 hp engine, which in Cornwall, makes driving S-L-O-W, especially up hill. In 2009, the original engine was refitted, having been substantially overhauled by Belcher Engineering of Rickenhall near Diss in Norfolk.

The 14.9 h.p. engine is of 2,003cc capacity with a bore and stroke of 77.5 x 108mm. It allegedly produces 14.9 horsepower (but I think that some of the horses only have three legs each), although to be fair, Isadora’s a heavy car for a small engine.

She has the same crankshaft, single plate dry clutch and crash gearbox as her larger siblings, but due to the reduced power output she has a low ratio back axle. Some claim to have achieved 50 mph on the flat, but not wishing to thrash the old lady, she is quite happy pottering along at 40 mph.

Driving Isadora, one can easily see why before the War, a journey from London to Cornwall took two days! Isadora’s nick name is “Sweetie” because she is a docile, gentle old lady, who, given time and TLC will perform almost all that is asked of her, but one thing that she does not do is “QUICK” – No Way!