Ford Model A with Curtis horse-box body, 1929. Engine and chassis no. AA1669265. Baico chassis extension no. 21311. Reg. no. MY1704. The Ford Model A chassis was extended by Baico Patents Ltd. and the horse box body built by The National Motor Horse Box Co. Ltd. in accordance with Curtis patents. A groom travelled in the rear-most compartment and communicated with the driver by means of a bell.

Ford Model A with Curtes horse-box body, 1929. In 1927 the Ford Model T was distinctly old fashioned. Sales had fallen since 1923, and Chevrolet were pressing the Ford Motor Co very hard. With some reluctance on the part of Henry Ford (1863-1947) the replacement car, the Ford Model A, was launched late in the year, a new factory at Dearborn having been built to make it. This reveals a weakness in Ford's approach to mass production as the machinery at Highland Park was built specifically to make the Model T, and the efficiencies gained were at the cost of a lack of flexibility in the tooling and production machinery. The new car required more or less completely new machinery, and in this instance a new factory, a substantial new investment. As with its forerunner, the Model A proved popular. Available with a variety of car bodies, it also formed the basis for light commercial and specialist vehicles.