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December, 2006

2100 Walnut Street

Kansas City, MO 64108

Local Chapter of MAFCA and MARC

NEWS

‘A’

LETTER

Heart of America Model A Ford Club

“

Certificate of M erit” 2006

“

A ward of

Continuing Excellence, 2005

THE SPOKEN TRUTH

I was blissfully driving down the highway when another vehicle pulled into the passing lane and slowly drifted

by me. I gave a casual glance at the vehicle and suddenly felt a sense of disorientation and dizziness. My first

thought was some kind of medication problem had hit me. Then I noticed the cause of my problem. The passing

vehicle had a set of those new reverse-spinning rims. My mind told me the vehicle was going forward so every-

thing, including the motion of the wheels should reflect that forward motion. Instead, the spinners violated the

natural order of things by spinning backwards giving the impression the vehicle was going forwards and back-

wards at the same time.

Today, wheels are state-of-the art creations. Some wheels afford you the opportunity to look right through their

seemingly flimsy structure so you can see the disk brakes in all their glory. There are modern wheels that have

massive spokes or more accurately, tapered columns. In contrast, I saw a wheel the other day that had so many

chrome spokes it looked like a spider web. Another interesting illusion is wheels that seem to violate the laws

of physics by not being centered over the wheel bearings, kind of like the reverse chrome rims of the early hot

rod era.

Anyway, with all this modern stuff, I feel the old Model A spoke wheel has a timeless elegance of its own. I

personally witnessed this elegance some years ago when our club was involved in a Lee’s Summit parade. I

was standing some distance from our cars when I spotted a car that kind of…sort of…just about…looked like a

Model A. The overall lines of the car seemed very close to those of the Model A Ford. Yet, there was just

something different about this car. I decided this situation deserved a closer examination. Sure enough, the car

was a drop-dead gorgeous, beautiful Chevrolet. However, in my humble opinion, there was something that dis-

tracted from its beauty. Then, the distraction dawned on me. The car had solid wheels that lacked the beauty

and depth of the Model A wheel. Several years ago I was driving down Noland road. A beautiful 1930-1931

two- door sedan happen to pass me. This car was unique and interesting. It had been converted into a hot rod,

but was not altered to the point where it no longer looked like an authentic A. Once again, in my humble opin-

ion, the beauty of this creation suffered a distraction because it sported modern rims that had been gussied up

with a chrome job.

I did some research regarding why Henry Ford did not switch to a solid wheel instead of the spoke wheel. It

seemed to me a solid wheel would be easier to manufacture, stronger and cheaper. My brief research, failed to

uncover any reason why Henry Ford used the spoke wheel on the Model A. Still, I am thankful that Ford de-

cided to use the spoke wheel because any other wheel would, in my humble opinion, distract from the allure

and mystique of the magnificent Model A Ford.

Chris Launer