From New York to LA in a 1930 Model A

[Mustangfan2003]

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131125/CARNEWS01/131129890

Cool story, but I think I would opt for a flathead V8 car. 

[Soup DeVille]

Now that's a cool story.

I had previously said that there's no point doing these sorts of runs in anything but a classic Ferrari. I was wrong.

[Mustangfan2003]

I would like to do a cross country trip one day.  Not really to try and break some record but just for the adventure.  A Model T would be interesting but no way you can drive it on interstates, they can't even get to 55 I believe. 

[Madman]

I would like to do a cross country trip one day.  Not really to try and break some record but just for the adventure.  A Model T would be interesting but no way you can drive it on interstates, they can't even get to 55 I believe. 

Depending on the body, around 45 MPH or so is top-whack for a Model T.  Speedster bodies are a little bit quicker, due to less weight and less aerodynamic resistance whereas heavier Touring cars with the roof up had LOTS of wind resistance.  Remember, this was a car created in and for a world where interstates didn't exist and even paved roads were rarely seen outside of large cities.  That world doesn't exist anymore.

[Byteme]

I would like to do a cross country trip one day.  Not really to try and break some record but just for the adventure.  A Model T would be interesting but no way you can drive it on interstates, they can't even get to 55 I believe.

Top speed of a model A was about 65, but you wouldn't want to sustain that speed.  A T topped out at about 45.  Besides, interstates are a great way to get from point A to Point B quickly, but a poor way to see the country.  The car is more comfortable on secondary roads which are more interesting anyway.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Fastest 1929 Ford Model "A"

[FoMoJo]

Fastest 1929 Ford Model "A"

Perfect engine choice.

[cawimmer430]

Awesome. 

[Mustangfan2003]

Depending on the body, around 45 MPH or so is top-whack for a Model T.  Speedster bodies are a little bit quicker, due to less weight and less aerodynamic resistance whereas heavier Touring cars with the roof up had LOTS of wind resistance.  Remember, this was a car created in and for a world where interstates didn't exist and even paved roads were rarely seen outside of large cities.  That world doesn't exist anymore.

That reminds me of a research paper I worked on in school.  Some of the cement companies would pave roads to show the advantages and people from all over would travel to drive on it. 

[Morris Minor]

I'm kinda fascinated by the Ford Flathead V-8 (it came along after the 'A.') Built down to a price sure (horrible exhaust layout giving all sorts of cooling & cracking problems), but still amazing value for money & hugely influential.

[Soup DeVille]

I'm kinda fascinated by the Ford Flathead V-8 (it came along after the 'A.') Built down to a price sure (horrible exhaust layout giving all sorts of cooling & cracking problems), but still amazing value for money & hugely influential.

Awesome engines in a lot of ways.

[ifcar]

I would like to do a cross country trip one day.  Not really to try and break some record but just for the adventure.  A Model T would be interesting but no way you can drive it on interstates, they can't even get to 55 I believe. 

Car and Driver just did a Model T drive from Michigan to New York, with the gimmick of whether the first long-distance electric car (Tesla) could get there faster than the first widely attainable gas car.

Exchange between the C/D editor and the Model T's owner, as they go downhill:

"You didn't tell me this thing could do 62 mph!"
"I didn't know it could do 62 mph."

(Top speed of this tested car was measured at 55 mph exactly on a flat surface, compared to the 40 mph Ford promised.)

[280Z Turbo]

I would feel safer driving a Ferrari at 200 mph than doing 62 mph in a Model T.

[Colin]

Even more of an adventure was that taken by Joy Rainey last year who took her 1904 Curved Dash Olds from coast to coast.

There's a lot of info on her website, and the book she has written about it will be published next month.  See here: http://joy-across-america.com/

She's a regular at some of the hill climb events near me, and when I talked to her before she did the trip, she was very matter of fact about what was clearly quite a hard journey that needed a lot of planning. What's all the more impressive is that she is not your regular sized adult, as she is only about 3 foot 6" tall, but such is her determination that this has never stopped from doing what she wants.

And yes, she does have a 1930s Alfa 6C1750 and a vintage three wheeler Morgan among other lovely cars in her fleet!