<-prev        Ricardo Sánchez Solé's Ford Model A

The Argentina connection...

As most Ford Model “A” followers know, this ubiquitous vehicle was made in many places around the world, including Argentina. Ford Motor Co has had a presence in Argentina since 1913 and in 1917 they started an assembly plant in Buenos Aires which became the first such plant in Latin America. Lebaron Bonney customer Ricardo Sánchez Solé, from Buenos Aires, recently completed a 5 year restoration project of the 1930 Ford Deluxe Roadster shown, culminating with a trophy he received in the “AutoClásica 2009”. His history with this roadster began almost 28 years ago when he purchased the un-restored vehicle, as a young man of 20, but we will let him tell the story….

“I bought my Ford A in January 1982, almost 28 years ago! I was twenty years old, I was at the university and also I was working. Since I was a child I like very much old cars, and I remember that when I was maybe eight or nine years old I saw a roadster ( I supposed it was a Ford). I think in that moment started my connection with those nice antique cars.

From time to time I looked at the newspaper and one day I found an advertisement selling a Ford A “voiturette” 1930 . In Argentina this French word is used to define old cars with a rumble seat. Off course the ad said that the car was in perfect condition and I know very little about Ford A, but when I saw it for the first time I said to myself that it was for me! The car had been used in a farm 150 km. away from Buenos Aires for many years.

The engine sounded good but the brakes where a disaster and the top, the horn and the hand brake had disappeared many years ago. It had no rumble seat and only two tires where similar, many original parts had been replaced and the body condition was far away from perfection but believe it or not I paid only US $1200.

I had no driver´s license so a friend drove the car to home. I made some minor repairs and used my Ford A for more than eleven years as my only car. I also used the car in rainy days without the top.

I started to look for information about the car and I met other Ford A owners. I discovered that my Ford A was originally green so that decided the colour of my car.

After many years I decided to make an entire restoration so I entered in the “Club Amigos del Ford A” (Ford A friends club) here in Buenos Aires. The club is a member of the “Model A Restorers Club” from United States and it has more than 250 members.

In the club I`ve found very nice people all with the same love for ours fantastic cars. I not only found information about the car also I met the people to repair each part of the car. Daniel Gomez, one of the first members of the club, had been working as a mechanic only with Ford A for the last 10 years and he has a lot of books and knows the suppliers in the United States to get the correct parts.

First of all we completely disassembled the car. I knew that the chassis was broken so we changed the bad parts, then I got new fenders, etc. I imported pistons, and a lot of other parts. When the body of the car was ready and painted I visited a man (Roberto Aspek) who is one of the best in Argentina to make the top and the upholstery work.

I entered in LeBaron Bonney site in the web and I found there exactly what I need. I got samples and as I was making an original car I decided to use the green on green fabric for the top of my 1930 Ford deluxe roadster I imported from LeBaron Bonney the fabric, all the fasteners, the rear window frame and the other parts for the upholstery.

It took almost five years to finish the car. This year I entered in a big meet in Buenos Aires: “Autoclásica 2009 “. Here my Ford A got a trophy and I know that the judge looked carefully at the the top and the upholstery and these two things were the main difference with others cars.

So I`m very grateful with LeBaron Bonney and their products.

Now we are in spring (Nov 2009), it`s a very nice season to drive my car and enjoy it with my family: Gabriella (my wife, and two daughters Malena and Maria Laura).

The three ladies are fans of Ford A !

So thank all of you again and I`ll keep in touch.

Ricardo Sánchez Solé
Buenos Aires, Argentina”