Registration - BF 9057

Chassis No. - AA373342

M.O.T. - Exempt

This splendid lefthand drive pickup has spent most of its 93 years in California. Those who like a backstory with their vehicles should revel in the belief that it once belonged to the infamous Lanza family of gangsters, who reputedly used it to deliver bootleg liquor around the bay area of San Francisco during the prohibition years. Half close your eyes and it’s all too easy to imagine its all-black form slipping though the dimly-lit streets. So to the current day and an accompanying video which confirms that the 3.3-litre, four-cylinder engine is pleasingly quiet and that the clutch and three-speed transmission with its high and low options all work as they should. The vendor currently rates the pickup’s bodywork, paintwork, engine and gearbox as all being in ‘average’ order, and ‘BF 9057’ certainly looks in very usable condition, and would unquestionably cause interest wherever it went - even without mention of its supposedly delightfully dubious history!

Ford’s Model AA was effectively the commercial version of the Model A car and they shared many components, including the torquey 40hp engine. The chassis design was also similar to that of the car, but suitably larger and heavier in deference to the work it was likely to be faced with. The model replaced the TT, the commercial version of the ubiquitous Model T car, and was in production from 1927 through to 1932. Treasured as classics in their home and many other countries, examples of the Model AA remain in everyday use in other parts of the world such as Cuba and Uruguay. You can’t keep a good truck down!

In summary:

• A splendid survivor fast approaching its 100^th birthday
• Spent most of its life in the warm, dry state of California
• Comes complete with splendid, though unproven, backstory