A small fleet of antique Model A Fords pulled into DUMBO yesterday for a rally (really more of an exhibition) that allowed history buffs, car nuts, and random passersby the chance to explore these lovingly maintained vehicles from the 1920s and early '30s.
The vintage autos were driven in to Brooklyn by the Model A Ford Club of Long Island, and in addition to the straightforward family sedans, there was a pretty cool pickup truck and a number of Gatsby-esque luxury models on hand.
Just as interesting as the cars were the antique accessories that some of the owners put on display: the literal car "trunk" strapped to the back of many vehicles; a jack and air-pump set that looked like it would have been a nightmare to use by the side of some dusty Depression-era highway; a bumper "sticker" for FDR in '32 that basically promised, if elected, booze and money for all.
And because even the hardest-core car fanatic can only spend so much time checking out 15 vehicles, the DUMBO Antique Car Rally also offered an impressively decked out crafts table under the arch, courtesy of Creativity Wild, for making flapper headgear and such, as well as period-appropriate songs played by Jan Bell and the Maybelles.
