Classic recollections: 1930 Ford Model A

Ask any classic car owner and you'll find it's not uncommon for them to be approached by complete strangers who are interested in making an offer on their four-wheeled pride and joy.

Chuck Parcell was once approached about his 1930 Ford Model A. Despite being made an offer that would triple his cash invested, the Mount Prospect resident just couldn't let his special ride go.

This wasn't a recent occurrence. It took place in 1960, not long after a younger Parcell rescued the languishing A — his first car — from a southern Illinois barn.

“When I found it, it was just bad. The color was rust, the tires were flat, the rear fenders were gone, the engine overheated and the radiator was full of wasps.”

The lackluster condition didn't deter the youngster from quickly shelling out the needed $100 to become its new owner, much to his father's disbelieve.

“When I got home, my dad thought I was plain crazy that I would want such a car. He asked what I could possibly do with such a heap. I told him I was going to teach myself how to restore something.”

His father's tune changed once his industrious son cleaned up the jalopy and had its four-cylinder running right. To prove its road-going abilities, Parcell even let his dad drive the car. “When he was filling up at the gas station, a man came up and offered to triple my money on the car. I told him no, and I've had it ever since.”

In those early years, Parcell chalked up quite a few happy memories with his Ford. “I used the car to go squirrel and deer hunting and would drive it back through the woods. One winter, I hit a wet spot and got it hung up in some deep mud. I buried it up to the fenders,” he said.

After recruiting a tractor-owning neighbor to pull him out, Parcell was merrily on his way. Another time long ago, he painted black polka dots all over the car, simply because he was “tired of looking at the boring primer (gray paint).”

Decades have passed and now this flawless Model A stays far away from off-road territory and has ditched the leopard print for a healthy coat of factory-correct Elk Point Green and Kawani Green, complemented with black fenders.

The once daily driver has been fully restored and is a rolling reminder of an era of motoring glory gone by. Parcell enjoys showing off antiquated features like the rumble seat and flip-down luggage rack. Despite its 81-year-old age, the Model A still sees active pavement use as Parcell and his wife Sarah take the five-window coupe out regularly, including an 800-mile trip to southern Illinois to be in his hometown parade.

Parcell reports pleasant driving but, lacking power steering, “you need a lot of muscle power.” His arms also get a workout because he uses them in lieu of turn signals — something not yet mandated in 1930.

While that early $300 offer may have been tempting, Parcell has something worth far more than a few extra dollars: decades-worth of happy memories and the promise of more to come.