AGAWAM – A battered 1931 Model A coupe, abandoned and left to rust away in the woods nearly a half century ago, is now a gleaming family treasure for a Feeding Hills couple.

What’s even more remarkable is that the car has been in the same family for more than 80 years.

“It was my grandmother’s pride and joy ever since she bought it in 1940 for $40,” said Elaine Corriveau, who lives in Feeding Hills with her husband Ron. She inherited the restored five-window coupe after her maternal grandmother Helen Gumbus died in 2004.

Growing up in Granby, CT, Elaine has many fond memories of riding in the rumble seat as a little girl.
“I remember many summer nights riding back there when my grandparents took us for ice cream.”

Prized by collectors today, the Ford Model A had become so common by the 1950s that they weren’t considered valuable. Many were customized, turned into hot rods, raced as stock cars, or junked.

Corriveau’s coupe easily could have met that fate. Her maternal grandfather had turned the coupe into a jalopy in the 1950s to use around the yard. After leaving it in the woods for several years, he started to restore it in the 1970s.

“When he died, my father, who has restored Model As for 50 years, finished the restoration,” recalled Elaine. She said her grandmother was very proud of her car, and loved driving it. “The coupe is very sentimental to me,” adds Elaine, now in her early 50s.

She would often go to car shows with her parents and her grandmother: “I was very close with her. I was born on her birthday, so we always had a special bond.”

When Ron met Gumbus about 20 years ago on his second date with his future wife, Gumbus asked if he wanted to see her Model A.

“When Helen took me down to her basement garage to show me the car, it was obvious the coupe was very important to her,” he recalled.

The little coupe made such an impression on the Corriveaus they decided to buy two more Model As, about five years ago, from retired Agawam Fire Chief Russell “Rusty” Jenks. An avid car collector, Jenks sold them a 1929 “woody” station wagon and a 1931 “widebody” pickup.

The maroon-and-black coupe is their only Model A that’s restored. All three are registered and driven regularly by the Corriveaus and their two sons, Ben and Mario.

“We don’t trailer any of our cars, so we usually try to stay within a 30-mile radius of home,’ said Elaine.

The vehicles only require minimal maintenance, but Corriveau’s father has done some major repairs, such as replacing the key ignition, redoing the brakes, and replacing the leaf springs.

Elaine said she’s trying to pay more attention when working with her father. She listens and watches to learn how to do more repairs herself. Recently they worked together to replace the choke in the coupe.

“I can do little tweaks — adjust the carburetor, tighten the water pump, jump start the starter – but nothing major. I do all the oil changes and monitor all the fluid levels.”

The family operates a company that provides clean-out services for unwanted household and property items, and buyouts of estates. They are also active in the Agawam Historical Society.

Members of two national clubs devoted to the Depression-era Fords – the Model A Ford Club of America and the Model A Ford Restorers Club – the Corriveaus enjoy a camaraderie with other Model A owners. Their three Model As are among nearly 5 million built between December 1927 and March 1932. Nearly a half million survive today.

Although the coupe has sentimental value, the woody is Elaine’s favorite Model A to drive. Larger than the coupe and the pickup, it can carry five passengers.

“You also sit up higher in the station wagon. With a higher gear ratio, it drives faster, too,” she added.
When Elaine went to local car shows and swap meets with her parents, original woodies were always one of her favorites. She never outgrew that love.

“I love it” she said of the woody. “I take it out more in the summer. I often use it to run errands around town or take my friends strawberry picking. The public loves seeing it in parades because it’s so unusual.”

Model A station wagons – primarily constructed using maple wood – are identical to regular cars from the cowl and front windshield supports forward. Model A woodies – coveted by enthusiasts – can be costly to restore because of their wood pieces.

Despite its unvarnished wood and faded tan and black paint, Elaine said the family’s woody is the rarest of their three Model As.

“It’s an unrestored survivor,” she said.

But this woody is more than just another classic car. It’s also a Hollywood star. The Corriveaus discovered their woody had been featured in the 1999 movie, “Cider House Rules,” a period drama set in Maine during World War II.

Jenks told them he bought the woody in 1957 for $75, then stored it from 1960 to 1997. Just months after taking it out of storage, the movie’s producers came calling.

The Corriveaus’ dark blue pickup isn’t as rare as the woody, but it’s still a significant Model A. Ron, who usually drives the truck, said it was once used to deliver mail in Agawam during the 1960s.
He said driving a Model A is much different – but in some ways more pleasurable – than driving modern cars. With a 40 hp, four-cylinder engine and a top speed of about 65 mph, Model As are no speedsters.

“You don’t have to go fast. It’s just a relaxing drive. There are no distractions, no radio. People are happy to see the cars on the road and wave to you,” Ron explained. “They’re also simple to fix, and relatively easy to restore.”

As the third generation in her family to own the coupe, Elaine said its sentimental value means it will be passed on to her two sons. They will become the fourth generation to own the family’s cherished Model A.

“I can’t put a price on that,” she said.