Most people believe the monster truck (a regular passenger truck modified with enormous agricultural implement tires) is a relatively recent innovation. Based on this listing, it appears that is not the case.
This highly unusual Model A Ford convertible coupe or cabriolet was built about June 1930. This car is thought to have been brought new to eastern Montana by rail from the Ford manufacturing facility in Chicago. If you know how Model As were distributed back then, please let me know. Roman Chupp of Bloomfield, Montana, modified this car in 1936 for Milton Hill, who was also from Bloomfield. Milton utilised it to distribute rural mail around Bloomfield, Montana, which is located in northeastern Montana. A Model T Ford truck rear axle assembly was fitted, along with four Goodyear 11.25 x 24 pneumatic tractor tires placed on 24″ tractor rims. These large and tall tires allow this car to float over packed snow drifts.
These were Goodyear’s first pneumatic agricultural tractor tires, launched in the mid-1930s. They used a diamond with a hole in the middle for the tread design. This particular tread design was not self-cleaning when running in mud, so these tires were not as popular with some farmers as they may have been. Goodyear had hundreds of different sizes of this sort of tire in their warehouses in the late 1930s and struggled to find homes for them. They later sold them for snow applications, such as this car, or for use on agricultural machinery such as grain combines, which were often only utilised in dry weather.
The eBay ad has a wealth of historical information on the car. Perhaps being the grandson of a rural letter carrier is to blame, but I adore this car (I’ve heard my grandfather enjoyed modifying and purchasing used cars from a local bootlegger). Another automobile that makes me glad I don’t have the financial means to purchase autos on a whim.
