"New' 1976 Ford Model A

[jpage]

I have a small photo cut from a 1976 newspaper with a few lines about a man named Frank Laumer who was building 'replica' Model A Ford roadsters around that time. The car is touted to be 92% new and was selling for $9,500 at that time. There is no mention as to his location or any info on the car. I'm curious to know if anyone ever heard of these cars or ever saw any in person. I can't imagine that he was in business for very long due to trademark and patent rights.  This too, would be before the time of really nice repro parts would be available for the "A".

[Paul Dobbin]

Could the article be talking about what became the Shay Model A Replica sold by Ford Dealers?

[Terry Bond]

Might have been the Glassic Made in Fla in 1976.  The Shay came about slightly later and did have a Ford connection. 

Terry

[jpage]

I don't think it was any of these two replicas. The photo shows it to be a very original looking 1930 roadster and they are claimed to be 'exact' replicas, so I assume that they had an all original drivetrain. You can pick out a Shay or Glassic car as a fake from 100 yards away!

 

[Terry Bond]

Can you post the photo/article? A picture is worth a thousand words.

Terry

[1937hd45]

Not something to spend any time thinking about, the Glassic and Shay are money pits and visual mistakes to void. 

[46 woodie]

If you are talking about the red Model A roadster pictured, it is not an original 1930 Ford. First of all it is a 1928-1929 style, 1931 Ford bodies are totally different. The headlights are not original nether are the horn's. Also the gas gap is the modern type and not the screw on cap used on the '29 Ford cowl. Model A's also did not come with dual windshield wipers, a passenger side tail light or radio antenna.

[Gunsmoke]

Interestingly 1937hd45, the Shay is by now considered an Antique! As I understand it, the Shay Company worked under license from Ford to produce their Model A replicas (1930 Roadsters and 1929 Roadster Pickup) for 4-5 years commencing about 1980, and produced about 4000-5000 of them, using Pinto drivetrains and some other Ford components along with fibreglass bodies etc. They were sold through Ford dealers. A friend, who also has two excellent restored Model A's ('31 Tudor, '28 Phaeton) also bought a Shay so he and his wife can go literally anywhere they wish to travel within 200 miles trouble free. He has had it for many years and it remains in perfect condition and has been trouble free. They currently sell in $20K range. Here is his car with my grandson who loved the ride. 

Edited January 22, 2022 by Gunsmoke (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

You can buy a restored original Model A for that money, and not have to explain what it is. 

[mike6024]

The Shay has a fiberglass body. So you know something is seriously wrong every time you get near it. But for those who enjoy driving one, great!

 

 

And it seems some look better than others. All white is not a good look though.

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by mike6024 (see edit history)

[jpage]

 

Terry, the photo is very yellowed and poor quality even for 1976. I'll try to scan it and see what happens. I could never understand the draw to these replicas. They are poor representations and are almost always listed as Ford Model A's at the shows. Unknowing people think they are the real thing! If one wants a Model A, then buy a real Model A! To me, this is like substituting a blow up doll for a real woman!

[tomcarnut]

While I am not a big fan of Shays, they are very popular with a local club that was HCCA and now VMCCA. There are 4 members with Model A Shay and one with a Tbird Shay. They like the auto trannys . Even AACA eligibility now

 

Tom

[jpage]

I did come across some info on the Ford Barn. He was building replicas of the roadster, coupe and pickup. They did have fiberglass bodies and had real ford engines ,drivelines and wheels.  They also only came in authentic 1931 Ford colors. That was the extent of the info. Apparently, these were built in southern Florida. Any more info would be appreciated, only for my own curiosity. I'd like to know if any of these cars still exist.

[TAKerry]

The red car first posted and the yellow shay look very similar to me, but what do I know. Not sure when the shay came out but I would guess 78-80sh. I was early in hs and loved old cars. There was a local guy that was a senior, bought a new shay from the local ford dealer. I thought that was the coolest car ever made. A model A that you can drive every day! I am on the fence with them now. I have only seen one in person at a Home Depot parking lot a few years ago. The exterior looked good, but not exactly right. The interior looked kind of goofy compared to an original though. 

[MarkV]

If I could get a Shay for under $8k I would daily it! 

[Gunsmoke]

I wish members on this site would avoid bashing cars they don't like, kindly remember every member on here likely loves their cars, regardless of purity, condition or provenance. For the record, here is Wiki's info on Shays.

 

Shay Motors Corporation was an automobile company founded by Harry J. Shay in February 1978 as the Model A & Model T Motor Car Reproduction Corporation.^[1] Harry Shay arranged with Ford Motor Company to build a limited run, modern-day reproduction of the Ford Model A Roadster, with a rumble seat, that was to be sold through the network of Ford Automobile Dealers and built in Battle Creek, Michigan.^[2] It was hoped that displaying the vehicles in Ford dealer showrooms would increase potential customer visits and sales.^[3]

The Model A used the same 2.3L 4 cylinder engine as a Ford Pinto with the option of a Ford C4 automatic transmission or a four-speed manual transmission.^[4

The production of a 1955 Thunderbird was also started in 1980 with different models planned as the company grew.^[1][7]

 The vehicles were offered with a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty.^[5] Keeping the production numbers under 10,000 units would exempt Shay Motors from having to incorporate modern Federal regulations into the reproductions.^[5] 

The company ceased production in mid-March 1982 and, despite trying to reorganize through bankruptcy, the company's assets were sold to Camelot Motors, Inc. in April 1983.^[1] Final production numbers for the Shay Motor Corporation Model A were 5,000 units along with 200 units of the Thunderbird reproductions during its time in business.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Thank you, Gunsmoke.  I agree.  A lot of things one may not agree with.  A person can critique something without bashing. Thank GOD everyone's taste's are not the same.  If they were, there would not be enough red heads to go around.😜

 

  Ben

[TAKerry]

I never knew of the shay t bird.

Ben, I knew an old farmer years ago. Really great down to earth guy. I made a comment to him one day that it would be boring if everyone had the same taste. His reply "Not if they had mine".

 

btw, my wife is a redhead!

[1937hd45]

6 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

I never knew of the shay t bird.

Ben, I knew an old farmer years ago. Really great down to earth guy. I made a comment to him one day that it would be boring if everyone had the same taste. His reply "Not if they had mine".

 

btw, my wife is a redhead!

I like that, to the point there are the Model A Ford classes in AACA and the Shay class over the hill with the 1970's cars. 

[Gunsmoke]

everyone should be so lucky to have a 'testa rossa"!

[SC38dls]

Gun smoke hit the nail on the head. The Shay is an ok car, kind of neat if you want a modern drive train in an old style car. I would not buy one but have always thought they were ok and looked like they would be fun. 
 

Kerry, I bet you don’t win many arguments with your wife do you? 
dave s 

[jpage]

How'd we ever get on the Shay and Glassic thing when the car in question has nothing to do with them?

[Terry Bond]

The Shay Model A and later T-Birds were very familiar to me as they were made in my home-town, Battle Creek, Michigan.  They were produced in a facility carved out of the old Ft. Custer Army base complex just a couple of miles from where I lived.  Although I was in the Navy stationed elsewhere when they were being built,  my frequent trips home always included catching up with what was happening in the world of automobiles.  It was interesting to see the plant in operation.  I only wish I'd taken a few photos. 

 

Years later I followed with great interest as a small group of Shay enthusiasts campaigned hard to help establish AACA's SGCV classification and establish ground rules for acceptance and guidelines for judging. 

Terry

[Terry Bond]

3 minutes ago, jpage said:

How'd we ever get on the Shay and Glassic thing when the car in question has nothing to do with them?

I'm not certain we're not talking about a Shay or a Glassic.  As I mentioned earlier, it would be great to see a copy of the article/photo referenced so we could be certain exactly what it is.  It could very well be something entirely different.

Terry

[jpage]

Here's the photo I have. These were built in Florida, I don't think the other 2 were. This should clear up some questions as one can see that this is neither a Shay or Glassic. It would be interesting to find someone who actually owned one to get more info. I was going to post on the Model A websites, but seems one has to join first. Please don't think I'm bashing the Shay or Glassic cars. To each his own! I just get upset when people try to pass of one thing for something else altogether.

Edited January 22, 2022 by jpage (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

2 hours ago, Gunsmoke said:

everyone should be so lucky to have a 'testa rossa"!

One of my favorite old car memories was going to pick up some parts from a customers house. Knocked on the front door, wife answered and said the parts were in the garage, and she would open the door. Sixteen foot wide door went up, 250GP Maserati in the center flanked with a sponson fendered Ferrari Testa Rosa on either side. Photo would be nice to share today, but the image in burned in my memory for ever. Bob 

[Gunsmoke]

jpage; you could help out here by doing as Terry asked "Can you post the photo/article? A picture is worth a thousand words." Obviously the only Model A replicas the members know of are Shay and Glassic, if your article identifies a 3rd maker, we would all like to know just what it looked like. As for the notion of building an authentic Model A, the reproduction parts suppliers I believe produce just about everything one would need except engines transmissions, rear-ends and maybe wheels. So I suppose anyone could gather a parts inventory from Snyder's, Moirs (here in Canada) and do their thing. Sorry jpage, I guess you were posting simultaneously! Interesting article, will be interesting to see if anyone has one. It would be interesting to figure out what the 92% new parts were body, fenders, brightwork, wheels tires etc, and what the 8% used were, like drivetrain?

Edited January 22, 2022 by Gunsmoke (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

That is most likely a Westcott's Auto Restyling fiberglass body, made in Oregon. Good quality product that you could place on a stock Model A chassis.

[jpage]

The repro parts accessibility now is way better that it was in 1976. Back then, many of the parts were made in India and were poor to fair copies, which almost always , didn't fit right. There were some sheet metal parts available, but no full bodies or fenders that I can recall. The flip side was, at that time, many of the mechanical parts were still available new from NAPA and other good parts stores!

[CHuDWah]

On 1/21/2022 at 3:48 PM, jpage said:

I have a small photo cut from a 1976 newspaper with a few lines about a man named Frank Laumer who was building 'replica' Model A Ford roadsters around that time. The car is touted to be 92% new and was selling for $9,500 at that time. There is no mention as to his location or any info on the car. I'm curious to know if anyone ever heard of these cars or ever saw any in person. I can't imagine that he was in business for very long due to trademark and patent rights.  This too, would be before the time of really nice repro parts would be available for the "A".

I vaguely remember hearing about this back then.  I don't think it ever got going.  $9500 in 1976 is about $45,000 in 2022 - pretty expensive for a Model A in either year.  The prediction it "should double in value in a comparatively short time" was pure fantasy.

 

I think this may be Frank Laumer, many years later (he passed in 2019):

 

 

In addition to being a Model A enthusiast, he was a land developer, antique store owner and Seminole War historian.  See https://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/dade-city-merchant-has-new-plan-for-model-a-truck/1267204/

[Terry Bond]

That looks like a pretty nice "reproduction" of a 1930 roadster to me. Correct Model A wheels, radiator shell, bumpers, and even the seat look pretty nicely upholstered.  It even looks like a correct Sparton style horn.  Wondering what "92% new" means?  New reproduction parts?  Newly manufactured parts?  Restored original?   It's certainly not a Shay or Glassic for certain.  The Shay was a 1928/9 style roadster while the Glassic was patterned after a 1931 and is easily recognizable as it sat on a modern Ford chassis.   Hopefully more info will surface.  Could be an interesting story.

Terry

[Terry Bond]

1 minute ago, CHuDWah said:

I vaguely remember hearing about this back then.  I don't think it ever got going.  $9500 in 1976 is about $45,000 in 2022 - pretty expensive for a Model A in either year.  The prediction it "should double in value in a comparatively short time" was pure fantasy.

 

I think this may be Frank Laumer, many years later (he passed in 2019):

 

 

In addition to being a Model A enthusiast, he was a land developer, antique store owner and Seminole War historian.  See https://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/dade-city-merchant-has-new-plan-for-model-a-truck/1267204/

Yes, was also wondering if that was the same guy.  When I googled him I found an article indicated he had over 40 Model As over the years.  I think in 76, a nicely restored original was less than the $9500 quoted.  Should have kept those old Hemmings after all I guess.

Terry

[Gunsmoke]

Good story, interesting effort by Mr. Laumer. As for the Shay Enterprise, here is an example of the '55 T-Bird, they produced about 200 of them, also on the Pinto platform with 4 cyl engines. Research indicates Camelot Motors bought the Shay assets at bankruptcy sale in 1983, and intended to continue producing Model A's and T-Birds, but I have no info on how many if any were built under their ownership. Looked at some videos on-line, fit and finish is somewhat predictably the weak point for T-Birds. Have never seen one in the flesh.

[1937hd45]

1 hour ago, Terry Bond said:

That looks like a pretty nice "reproduction" of a 1930 roadster to me. Correct Model A wheels, radiator shell, bumpers, and even the seat look pretty nicely upholstered.  It even looks like a correct Sparton style horn.  Wondering what "92% new" means?  New reproduction parts?  Newly manufactured parts?  Restored original?   It's certainly not a Shay or Glassic for certain.  The Shay was a 1928/9 style roadster while the Glassic was patterned after a 1931 and is easily recognizable as it sat on a modern Ford chassis.   Hopefully more info will surface.  Could be an interesting story.

Terry

Terry, I think the Glassic was on an International Scout chassis, may be the reason the stance was so odd.

 

Bob 

[72caddy]

1 hour ago, Gunsmoke said:

Good story, interesting effort by Mr. Laumer. As for the Shay Enterprise, here is an example of the '55 T-Bird, they produced about 200 of them, also on the Pinto platform with 4 cyl engines. Research indicates Camelot Motors bought the Shay assets at bankruptcy sale in 1983, and intended to continue producing Model A's and T-Birds, but I have no info on how many if any were built under their ownership. Looked at some videos on-line, fit and finish is somewhat predictably the weak point for T-Birds. Have never seen one in the flesh.

Actually got up close to one of these many years at gentleman’s ‘yard’. He went to most junkyard and large estate auctions and would always have cars coming and going. 

Anyway, it fooled me from afar and from the front but when you got closer you realized it was a little smaller and the interior treatment was not the same. Don’t know what happened to it but it wasn’t around long.

[CHuDWah]

It's wrong to intentionally, or unintentionally for that matter, misrepresent a Shay or a Glassic as a Model A.  I've never owned either (although I'd like to) but it really chaps my ass when purists dis them for not being "real" Model A.  Well, duh!  They were intended and advertised as REPRODUCTIONS.  Hell, it even says so on the Shay radiator badge.  Said purists need to educate themselves:

 

Shay History

 

Glassic Annex

 

If you don't like a car, you're entitled to that opinion.  But at least dislike it for what it is, not what it isn't.

[CHuDWah]

On 1/21/2022 at 7:21 PM, 1937hd45 said:

Not something to spend any time thinking about, the Glassic and Shay are money pits and visual mistakes to void. 

 

"Visual mistakes" is in the eye of the beholder but pretty much all old cars are money pits.

 

1 hour ago, 1937hd45 said:

Terry, I think the Glassic was on an International Scout chassis, may be the reason the stance was so odd.

 

Bob 

Only the first generation - generations 2-4 were on a custom chassis with some Ford components.

[CHuDWah]

On 1/21/2022 at 8:16 PM, Gunsmoke said:

Interestingly 1937hd45, the Shay is by now considered an Antique! As I understand it, the Shay Company worked under license from Ford to produce their Model A replicas (1930 Roadsters and 1929 Roadster Pickup) for 4-5 years commencing about 1980, and produced about 4000-5000 of them, using Pinto drivetrains and some other Ford components along with fibreglass bodies etc. They were sold through Ford dealers...

 

5 hours ago, Gunsmoke said:

Good story, interesting effort by Mr. Laumer. As for the Shay Enterprise, here is an example of the '55 T-Bird, they produced about 200 of them, also on the Pinto platform with 4 cyl engines. Research indicates Camelot Motors bought the Shay assets at bankruptcy sale in 1983, and intended to continue producing Model A's and T-Birds, but I have no info on how many if any were built under their ownership...

To expand on the above...

 

During 1979-82, Shay made reproductions of 28-29 Ford roadsters, roadster pickups, a few (no more than 10) C-cab panel trucks, and the 55 T-Bird.  The roadster could be had in Standard (rear spare), Deluxe (left fender spare) and Super Deluxe (dual fender spares).  In addition to regular production, there were special editions of the Super Deluxe - the all-white "Polar Bear" pictured above, the "Golden Oldie" painted all-gold, and the "Collegiate Classic" painted in your school colors.  There also was a lengthy accessory list.  The Standard roadster seems to be the rarest with the Super Deluxe the most common.  The pickups, the special editions, and of course the C-cabs, also are rare.  Court documents from Shay's bankruptcy show 5000 roadsters and 200 T-Birds produced.

 

During 1983-86, Camelot produced the roadster, roadster pickup, and T-Bird.  The Bird used a V8 rather than the 4-cylinder used by Shay.  Camelot also added a phaeton.  It was a "phantom" as it was 28-29 style but unlike Ford, it had only two doors.  Only a handful (a dozen or so) were produced.

 

During 1982-93, Speedway Motors sold the Modern A, a kit that included the Shay/Camelot body and frame.  The builder had to provide a Pinto donor for everything else.

[Rivguy]

It seems that the idea of a new vintage looking car that has a modern drive train is something that has appealed to a lot of people over the years. I knew about the Shay reproductions, the Glenn Prey Auburn Speedsters also come to mind. The kit car industry has been building AC Cobras, Porsche 356, Speedsters, Pre War Mercedes supercharged replicas, Ferrari/Fieros, and many other models of varying quality and authenticity of appearance. Then consider all the "tribute" muscle cars that are built every year. Now you can have a steel Brookville Roadster '32 Ford, an early Mustang or tri five Chevy. How about an Excaliber? I don't have a problem with replicas and even "tributes" as long as the car is not mis represented. Of course nobody will ever mistake a fiberglass kit car replica with an original on closer inspection. Retro models from manufacturers like Jaguar, VW, Chevy and Ford have been quite popular. I wouldn't think that an owner of a replica would expect to take part in a serious Concours, but they should be welcome at local shows. They can be kind of interesting to a lot of people.  I saw a VW based Bentley Blower "replica" that I found rather charming. It could be something to drive around just for fun.

[f.f.jones]

 

Hemmings 2019 article on Glassic Model A replica - by Pat Foster

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/the-classic-glassic

 

 

Specs on Replicar repro Model A coupe

https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/replicars/model_a_by_replicars/model_a_by_replicars_hard_top-coupe/1980.html