Lone Star Model A Ford Club

Model A Club Seeks Members

By Christie Schroeter
American-Statesman Correspondent
(October 1993)

(Photo caption: Georgetown resident Paul Ranney with his 1931 Model A Ford sports coupe, one of three Model A's he owns.)

GEORGETOWN - Model A Fords were made from 1928 to 1931. The motor has a distinctive sound, and the "ahooga" horn thrills collectors.

Those are some of the reasons Paul Ranney, who has three Model A's, loves these antique automobiles.

"When I was a kid, my uncle had one and used to drive me around in it," said the 67-year-old retiree who moved here two years ago from Dallas.

His hobby takes him to car-related events throughout the year, and Ranney said he's glad to hear about a group being started in Georgetown.

Lone Star Model A Ford Club, led by Georgetown resident Fred Carlton, is gathering members.

"We've identified 66 people in the area who have Model A's," said Carlton, a mortgage banker who has five Model A's of his own. Carlton is editor for the magazine of the Model A Ford Club of America, which he said has 15,550 subscribers.

The new chapter is open to anyone, regardless of whether he or she owns a Model A. "All you have to have is an interest in the cars," Carlton said. "Technically, it's an historical and preservation society."

Carlton said seminars on subjects such as how to rebuild a carburetor will be presented at monthly meetings. The group will travel together to car shows, rallies and parades.

Carlton has been sending fliers to people he thinks might be interested in the club. He can be reached during the day at 499-4937.

Ranney is restoring a 1929 two-door. The 1931 "Riviera Blue" Sport Coupe that sometimes graces his circular drive in the west end of town is ready to roll whenever he is.

"The thing about old cars," Ranney said, "(is) they put a smile on people's faces whenever they see you on the road."

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