Earl Morton, 72, of Cridersville added his own customization to his 1940 Ford Coupe.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
CRIDERSVILLE — When automotive enthusiasts talk about a car-maker’s best looking vehicle, the 1940 Coupe tops many of the lists of those cars produced by the Ford Motor Company.
Such a ranking may not surprise Earl Morton, 72, of Cridersville. When he takes his 1940 Ford Coupe to cruse-ins, such as the one held every Friday by the Buckeye Cruisers at Buffalo Wild Wings in Lima, it always seems to draw a crowd.
Never mind that Morton’s Ford would probably never gain the approval of Henry Ford if the company’s founder was alive today.
For one thing, Morton’s car is turquoise and black, not the shiny, all black model that Henry Ford envisioned.
And also — hold your breath now! — Morton’s Ford Coupe is powered by a Chevrolet engine.
“Some people wonder why I would put a Chevy engine in a Ford. The simple answer is ‘why not?’ The two work well together,” he said.
As for the color, “I get a lot of compliments on it, mostly from women,” he said.
Morton has owned the car since 2012. A friend of his, Chris McKinney, alerted him to it after seeing the Coupe in Ada.
“I had in mind what I wanted and this fit … a car I could customize,” said Morton.
The car was basically in good shape when Morton purchased it.
“The body was solid. I would say it was about 60 percent in good shape, Morton said. “It was a car that allowed me to do something special with it.”
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