Charlie's Model A: on the way to the Shop
Several of Charlie Martin's cars have achieved a certain degree
of fame over the years, such as the one he abandoned at the surf
end of Redding's Trail, but none are as well-known as his “ski
car.” This 1928 model A started life as a four-door, but
after an accident was converted into a truck. The next change
was to outfit the front end with a pair of skis so he could bring
us the mail over the ice. When planes began delivering the mail
the skis were removed, but Charlie moved on to other vehicles,
especially new trucks bearing his name supplied by his son Ernie
when he was winning awards as Chicago's best car salesman. The
A last ran in the Bicentennial Parade, and then was allowed to
rust into oblivion. But youngest son Mike, a millwright in Grand
Rapids, carefully strapped her to a trailer and hauled her away,
vowing she'll come back running like she was new, and this time
will never leave the Island again.
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