24th Apr, 2024 13:00

Pavilion Gardens | Buxton, Derbyshire

 
  Lot 68
 

1930 Ford Model A "The Ballard Special" Speedster
One off, bespoke built twin-engined pre-war racing madness

Estimated at £60,000 - £80,000

Lot details

Registration No: BF 9899
Chassis No: A3761199
MOT: Exempt

  • Built to a completely bespoke specification, engineered to incorporate two back-to-back Ford Model A engines
  • Recently displayed at the InterClassics Car Show in Maastricht, where it was praised for sheer engineering prowess
  • Hand finished aluminium Speedster body in true late 1920s / early 1930s Bonneville Salt Flats racing style
  • Fully road legal and supplied with a V5C Registration Document

Amid rumours that several States were preparing to ban his Model T due to its 'unsafe' hand-operated braking system, Henry Ford begrudgingly succumbed to pressure and authorised the development of a successor. Introduced in December 1927, the Model A was greeted with unprecedented demand. Longer and lower-slung than the Model T, it retained transverse-leaf suspension but proved significantly more refined. Designed by Howard Hicks, its 3285cc, L-Head four-cylinder engine developed 40bhp (twice the Model T's output) boasting niceties like coil ignition and integral water pump. Mated to a three-speed manual gearbox, it gave a top speed of 65mph necessitating the fitment of four-wheel braking.

In the early years of the automobile, the founding fathers of American motor racing in all forms (including the boot-legging of illegal liquor across State lines) were forever looking for ways to get more power from their relatively basic Model A. It is in this spirit that the vendor of this splendidly whacky machine adheres to - he himself dedicating his work to his lifelong passion of moving old metal as quickly as possible, just as they did in the 1920s. The story began a number of years ago when the vendor was involved in a conversation about the mythical early attempt at a twin-engined Model A and was told that it simply 'wasn't possible'. Thankfully, the vendor is the type of individual where the word 'can't' is like a proverbial ‘red rag to a bull’ and thus it was time for the dream of creating a working car in the aforementioned format to become to reality. Fortunately, the vendor has accumulated a large collection of Model A chassis' thanks to years of running buying trips in the United States so a good example was quickly chosen from the bunch. Two Model A engines were sourced and the vendor had a hard time figuring out a way to engineer an appropriate coupling between the two engines. In the vendor's own words:

"We fabricated a steel interconnected housing which the front and rear engines bolt onto, using the original existing bolt holes on the engines. Once this was done, we knew that we still had to be able to drive the rear engine's cooling system, so we had to experiment to find the best way to not lose traction to the final pulley after the slip from the various belts. For this, we decided to fabricate a new bottom pulley on the front engine, not only as a belt pulley but also with a chain sprocket to drive a shaft down the side of the engine to the rear. This shaft, in turn, is a direct drive into the end of the alternator and also incorporates a belt-drive pulley to the rear water pump. The belts are the old fabric machine-type link belts, which are the easiest to use when you need to vary the lengths of the belts as we did.

There was no need to lengthen the chassis, but we did have to bring the support bars out from where they used to be, located under the gearbox bell-housing at the front and from the torque tube at the rear, the torque tube and prop-shaft being significantly shorter than the original version. The steering was moved back and lowered and a longer steering rod fabricated.

The crankshafts are pretty much standard, except the front of the rear crank has been strengthened to cope with the increased torque. The detail in the connection of the crankshafts and how we have timed them is, I’m afraid, something I cannot share, so I will leave it to the imagination and speculation of the wider community. However, trial, error and catastrophic failure were all endured before we finally succeeded."

Amazingly, the vendor has been able to configure the engines timed 90 degrees out so that they now run in a traditional Straight 8 form with a 1-5-2-6-4-8-3-7 firing order - thus meaning that the whole experience is actually rather pleasant due to being very torquey and very smooth. The vendor's dedication to authenticity means that the car runs two original type distributors with points that work incredibly well and the transmission is a standard three-speed Model A affair with an original-type mechanically operated clutch in which the vendor is very confident of its reliability properties. On our inspection, a quick prod of the starter button fired both engines into life almost instantly and the vendor advises this is usually the case.

The bodywork was hand-crafted from aluminium by the vendor and is a testament to the detail driven approach that he takes. Taking inspiration again from the 1920s and 30s era Speedsters that once sped across the Bonneville Salt Flats, it is a fabulous mixture of louvres and rivets, each individually positioned for the greatest visual effect. The bodywork has also been hand sign-written in a period-style to and it must be ominous to any competitor when they see "7.2 Litre" written on such a light vehicle. For further authenticity, the dashboard has been built using period-type gauges, a small luxury in a fairly stripped-down interior to preserve lightness.

It is not often that we get offered such an engineering gem that makes us stand back and admire the sheer amount of work that has gone into it, however, the 'Ballard Special' is one of the rare opportunities for any true petrolhead to go completely giddy. If you are looking for something very special that will gain respect from any Vintage motoring enthusiast, here is your chance!

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430

 

Auction: Pavilion Gardens | Buxton, Derbyshire, 24th Apr, 2024

An auction of classic, collector and performance motorcars to be held in the beautiful surrounds of the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire.Venue Details

Bid Live at the venue or online with H&H by clicking the 'Register to Bid | Sign In' button at the top of the page or by visitnig our partner, The Saleroom. For more information, please visit our How to Bid page. Please note, bidding online attracts an additional fee of 1% + VAT

To enquire about entering your classic or performance car into the auction please call our sales office on 01925 210035, email sales@HandH.co.uk or click here: Enter Your Classic Motorcar 

All our professional valuations are complimentary and without obligation.

 

Viewing

Tues 23rd April from 12pm
Wed 24th April from 9am

View all lots in this sale

All successful bids must be paid in full by midday the day after the auction at the latest.

You can collect your new pride and joy from our venue until 1pm the day following the sale or our partners are on hand to help arrange safe transportation:

               

Do you have an item to sell?

If so, contact one of our friendly specialists for your free valuation by completing the form below and someone will get back to you as quickly as possible.

If you prefer to speak to humans, don't hesitate to call our office on +44 (0)1925 210035

Contact Us Today!

 

Images

Drag and drop .jpg images here to upload, or click here to select images.


Quality and quantity represented at mammoth classic motorcycle auction
Quadrophenia album scooter with links to Pete Townsend and Liam Gallagher up for auction
H&H Classics last Cambridgeshire auction in 2024 sees ‘star’ results
Ducati delight as six superb examples from one collection go under the hammer
German engineering and style showcased at classic car auction
Norton’s first F1R ever produced up for auction
Best of British heads impressive collection of 160 classics for auction
Exciting new premises are close to hand for H&H Classics
X-press yourself…Jaguar purchased by Madonna could be yours to cherish
Oldest known surviving Ford Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) car heads to auction
James Bond’s Vanquish available to ‘Drive Another Day’
Chalky’s actual Lambretta which featured in Quadrophenia heads for auction
Automobilia auction raises more than £194,000 with all 329 lots sold
Entire catalogue offered without reserve in one-off automobilia auction
Impressive results at latest H&H Classics auction
Dozens of ‘no-reserve’ classics head to auction
Recently restored Audi Quattro press car heads to auction
Classic motorcycle auction highlights buoyant market
Rare barn find stars in classic motorcycle auction
Highly original Jaguar SS100 flies away at Duxford sale
Modified classics add a twist to H&H’s next motorcycle sale
Century of motoring history represented at H&H auction
World’s biggest production pick-up truck roars to auction
Mercedes-Benz 500SL delivered new to Sir Stirling Moss heads to auction
Cars from the 1910s to the 2010s head to auction for Buxton sale
H&H’s motorcycle sales off to a flying start in 2024 with market-leading 88 percent sales rate
Goon, Goon, Gone: Unique Peter Sellers 1960 Bentley heads to auction
Eclectic 150-plus classic car auction helps round out H&H’s milestone 30th year celebrations
One of the UK’s best driving Aston Martin DB5s heads to auction
Mid-century sports car icons race to Buxton auction
Former front cover ‘star’ heads to auction
Classic British motorcycles shine as 230 lots head to the National Motorcycle Museum auction
Racing legend Patsy Burt's Jaguar XK120 speeds to Buxton auction
22-strong single owner classic motorcycle collection heads to auction
Norton's racing heritage set to ignite the auction stage
Rare Frazer-Nash BMW with rich racing history to be auctioned
“The Rolls-Royce” of the motorcycle world, heads to      auction
Martini inspired Porsche 911 ‘RSR’ Tribute to head under the hammer
Rare ‘Car on Two Wheels’ heads to auction for the first time in 30 years
More than 100 classics sold in H&H’s 30th anniversary sale
Stunning classics worth more than £9 million offered in 30th anniversary auction
Rare Aston Martin DB1 heads to anniversary auction from long-term ownership
Rare Bentleys to star in 30th celebration auction
H&H Classics 30th Anniversary Auction
H&H unveils details of its 30th anniversary celebrations
Classic car owners handed ULEZ lifeline
H&H Classics auction Hurricane X-75 Prototype to National Motorcycle Museum
Vintage and modern classics lead the way at latest H&H sale