News : Model A's roll into Vinton on Thursday

A step back in time to the era of the Model A

It's not every day that you see a Model A, let alone 14 of them. Some cars traveled from as far away as Muscatine and Cedar Falls and as near as Cedar Rapids and Shellsburg. The cars were part of the Hawk A Model A Club of Eastern Iowa which made a stop in Vinton on Thursday.

The group made an abbreviated road trip that was originally supposed to be a two-day trip that was to include a boat ride in Iowa Falls with a meal on a riverboat, but...COVID. The group reminisced about other trips and the sites they've seen as a group. With their first meeting since March, the smaller than normal group was thrilled to see each other again. Most of the members own a Model A, but some in the group just enjoy being part of the club.

The cars aren't noted for comfort compared to today's designs, but that doesn't stop the group from taking them on trips to places as far away as French Lick, Indiana and Detroit, Michigan. The group had planned to go to Osh Kosh, Wisconsin this spring but that trip was canceled. The group tries to find car-related tourist stops when they tour. One of their traditions is to stop at an ice cream shop on their last trip of the year. Following their meeting yesterday, and since it was the last trip of the year, they took a trip to Tootsie's for their ice cream.

The Ford Model A was only manufactured for 4 years, 1928-31. With 4.8 million built, it's still an easy model to find according to members of the group.

Bob and Nancy Thorkildson of Shellsburg bought their Model A thanks to a trip to Wal-Mart. While on a weekend trip to Lake Delhi, the couple needed to make a trip to the store for supplies that they needed when they spotted their Model A in the parking lot of a NAPA auto parts store. Bob inquired about the car and the rest is history. Bob is an engineer so building things is natural for him. Putting a USB port in a Model A, well, that would be found in Bob's car. Nancy said the ongoing debate is whether to keep them in their original state or to just enjoy the car and personalize it. Both types were present to be enjoyed by those who stopped by to admire the cars.

Pictured above is the dashboard of the Thorkildson's 1930 Ford Model A Tudor sedan and it shows the additions Bob made to the original. Above the steering wheel (on the steering column) is a tachometer showing the engine rpm. The diamond-shaped cluster in the center of the dash is original with the gas gauge, ammeter, speedometer, and odometer. Bob said that the early '28, '29, and early '30 Model A's with the oval speedometer had a 0 to 100 mile trip meter. Below that cluster is another set of add-on gauges, water temperature and volt meter. The Model A speedometers can be very inaccurate so shown mounted to the inside of the windshield is the couple's Garmin GPS unit.

To see pictures of all of the cars, click here.