Model A enthusiast hands over keys to Wasson students

Love is better when shared, and that’s the reason behind a gift to Wasson High School.

The school in Colorado Springs School District 11recently received a working 1930 Model A Ford, and automotive students will work on it and learn from it.

“My interest in Model As will live on through them,” said Duncan Sellers, the former owner of the 82-year-old vehicle. “I thought it would be a great use for my car.”

Sellers, 62, can’t drive anymore. He has Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline.

He learned that students were working on Model A Ford parts with members of the Pikes Peak Model A Club and thought, “Why not give them the whole car?”

Wasson’s new old car has the original paint, although restoring it to like-new condition will be a major project for students, Sellers said.

Ford manufactured the Model A between 1928 and 1931, selling it for about $450. While the Model A did not enjoy stellar success at the time, many of the cars survived.

The value of Wasson’s car is being appraised. In perfect condition, Model A Fords have been known to sell for as much as $18,000, said Lowell Bell, Pikes Peak Model A Club project coordinator.

The donated car was not Sellers first Model A. When he was 16, Sellers bought a Model A for the cost of the title transfer, about $35.

“I took it apart and tried to rebuild it,” he said, adding that he didn’t finish before he went to college, and sold the vehicle.

The Model A given to Wasson was purchased in 1992 in Pennsylvania. Sellers moved to Colorado in 1993, and occasionally drove the car around town and in some local parades.

“I’ve always liked Model A Fords, they’re fun to work with,” Sellers said, adding that the engine is simple, and it’s easy to access different parts of the cars for mechanical work.

Restoration work will teach additional skills, he said.

Teamwork and working on shared goals are in store for students, he said, since the complete restoration on the Model A could take several years.

Working on a piece of history is exciting for students, said William Mahar, 59, vocational automotive instructor at Wasson. The donation sheds a new light on a project some students have been working on: building a Model A from the frame up.

His students have been working with Model A club members for about a year and a half. Mahar said regular work nights are fun, with younger students and older car enthusiasts swapping stories and advice.

With Sellers’ donation, the students will have even more to work on.

And Sellers will likely stop by Wasson on occasion to see what the students are accomplishing.

“He will he very happy to see it being loved,” said Seller’s wife, Susie.

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