Amid rumours that several States were preparing to ban his Model T due to its 'unsafe' hand-operated braking system, Henry Ford begrudgingly succumbed to pressure and authorised the development of a successor.

Introduced in December 1927, the Model A was greeted with unprecedented demand.

Longer and lower-slung than the Model T, it retained transverse-leaf suspension but proved significantly more refined.

Designed by Howard Hicks, its 3285cc, L-Head four-cylinder engine developed 40bhp (twice the Model T's output) boasting niceties like coil ignition and integral water pump.

Mated to a three-speed manual gearbox, it gave a top speed of 65mph necessitating the fitment of four-wheel braking.

In the early years of the automobile, the founding fathers of American motor racing in all forms (including the boot-legging of illegal liquor across State lines) were forever looking for ways to get more power from their relatively basic Model A.

It is in this spirit that the vendor of this sp...