This 100-Year-Old Ford Model A Cutaway Engine Is Our Idea of Home Decor

There’s something mesmerizing about cutaway engines. With a few well-placed cuts, you can show what goes on inside a tremendously complex component and make it accessible to a wider audience. Cutaway engines are usually displayed in museums and at auto shows, but you’re in luck if you’ve always wanted to put one in your living room. Mecum is selling a Ford Model A cutaway engine with no reserve.

Details about the engine are few and far between, but the auction description says Ford used it to teach mechanics how to diagnose and repair the car. Ford launched the Model A to replace the Model T in 1927 and built it through 1931, so this engine is nearly 100 years old.

The 3.3-liter four-cylinder engine has been restored, and it’s fascinating to look at. You can see the pistons, the various coolant passages, the oil pan, and the cam, among other bits. The clutch mechanism is there as well, and a look at the ignition system reminds us of how far engines have come in the past century. The distributor feeds the spark plugs via individual brass connectors instead of spark plug wires.

The engine comes with a stand and a set of period-correct wrenches, and it’s scheduled to cross the auction block in Indianapolis on May 17, 2025. There’s no reserve, so the highest bidder will take it home. Mecum hasn’t published a pre-auction estimate, and we’re not sure what to expect. It’s an item that’s relatively difficult to put a value on because old cutaway engines don’t come up for sale on a regular basis. However, auction house Bonhams sold a different-looking Model A cutaway engine for $8,125, including the buyer’s premium in 2013.

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