Frank’s 1928 Model A Phaeton, A Custom Slate Engraving

This piece was engraved on natural slate using a reference image of the customer’s actual car, a 1928 Model A Phaeton. The goal wasn’t just to engrave a car, but this car, and to present it in a way that felt true to the era it came from.

The typography and layout were intentionally kept period-correct, borrowing from early 20th-century signage and print styles. Simple hierarchy, restrained spacing, and no modern flourishes. The slate itself does the heavy lifting, with the engraving bringing out a soft grey contrast against the natural black stone, no paint fill, no shortcuts.

Slate is a great match for this kind of subject. It’s imperfect, textured, and durable in the same way these early machines were. The finished piece feels less like décor and more like a quiet tribute, something that belongs in a garage, workshop, or study where the story behind it actually matters.

Every slate engraving like this is a one-off. The stone, the reference image, the typography, and the layout are all chosen to suit the subject, not a template. That’s the point.