Beskrivning
Absolutely charming , patinated oily rag car, that works almost every time , The Model A was the first vehicle produced by Essex and proved surprisingly fast and rugged for its price point. powered by a 2, 928cc F-head 4-cylinder engine mated to 3-speed manual transmission with rear-wheel mechanical drum brakes. In an era when the Ford Model T produced about 20hp, the Essex put out a punchy 55hp. The name soon became synonymous with both high performance and reliability when an Essex averaged over 60mph for 50 hours in December 1919, a stunt which was followed up by a transcontinental trek in 1920 when four Model A drove from San Francisco to New York City, the fastest completing the 3, 000 mile drive in 4 days, 14 hours and 43 minutes. In 1923 a modified Model A won the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb. This all worked a treat and by 1929, the combined sales of Hudson and Essex made them the third largest automaker in the world, trailing only Ford and Chevrolet. Dating from the second year of production, this fabulous oily rag Model A Tourer comes with no early history but must have come to the UK very early in its life judging by an old black-and-white photo which looks like it was taken in the 1920s. The prior keeper was to own it for the next 12 years, keeping a detailed log of all work carried out to the car during his ownership and seemingly spending the first couple of years going right through the car to get it running and driving well with work to the engine, carburettor, brakes, exhaust etc. He then competed in many VSCC events Prescott, Loton Park, Shelsley Walsh etc, keeping notes of lap times and any tuning or servicing carried out, adding some 3, 000 miles to the odometer. In 2014 he sold Mable to a fellow VSCC member, Mr J Godfrey of Presteigne, who was to keep her for the next 10 years. He too used the car on many VSCC events, adding another 4, 000 miles to the speedo, including a 1, 000 mile jaunt around the Cambrian Mountains of Wales in April 2024. He also continued to keep up the detailed maintenance and usage log started by Mr Moore. We are told that Mable was voted the overall concours winner at the Monmouthshire Classic & Vintage Show in July 2023. Aside from all the routine servicing carried out by the owners both clearly competent mechanics, there are also plenty of invoices for work carried out and parts fitted. Highlights include 2024 -- new stainless steel exhaust manifold and front pipe2022 clutch rebuilt 2020 -- new head gasket 2018 new core plugs2017 new radiator core and coolant hoses; four new tyres front seat retrimmed in black leather , wire wheels powder coated , new battery, headlight glasses replaced 2016 -- dynamo rebuilt2007 new rear brake drums2002 wire wheels rebuilt the prior keeper a professional mechanic who runs his own Vintage vehicle restoration business, acquired Mable late last year and tells us that she is a sturdy old beast in good working order with bags of grunt from the 3-litre engine. Mable comes with sundry useful spares and a large amount of useful technical literature relating to the model, including handbooks, parts catalogue, period road tests and marketing material etc. There are also lots of historic photos of her out and about at various events over the years. She has a canvas tonneau cover for the rear passenger compartment , you can see in the photos, Mable is in great shape for a 106-year-old with bags of oily rag patina. Driven regularly and now needs a caring new custodian who can continue to preserve her for future generations to enjoy.
