The late Benny Bootle was a longtime member of the AACA and Early Ford V-8 Club of America, and a passionate Ford enthusiast dedicated to correctness and authenticity. While numerous V-8 Fords passed through his hands over the years, it was the 1940 Ford that was his particular favorite; he owned most all of the available body styles, all of them finished to his very high standards and national award winners. “Mr. Ford,” as he was known to his AACA friends, was even one of the writers of the restoration authenticity manual, used by the Early Ford V-8 Club for judging 1940 models.

This DeLuxe Fordor sedan was part of the Bootle fleet of ’40s, and like many of his favorite cars, had an affectionate nickname, “Janice,” for Mrs. Bootle. Its restoration was completed in 1987, in Garnet Maroon with numerous correct factory options and accessories, including a factory leather interior, and over the next seven years accumulated an enviable roster of successes all over the country, including a Senior Grand National First Prize in AACA judging.

In Early Ford V-8 Club competition, the car won the coveted Dearborn Award at the Grand National Meet in 1988, then accumulated numerous Emeritus Medallions in the years thereafter, recognizing that its high-point condition had continued to be maintained. Its most recent Emeritus Medallion was received by prior owner Ron Brooks in 2014, 26 years after its first Dearborn Award, testament to the lasting excellence of the superb restoration. Indeed, only the slight patina marks it today, including minor stretching of the upholstery, and its level of detail – including Ford script radiator hoses and a correct decal on the oil bath air cleaner – is still remarkable. Accompanying the car is an owner’s manual and reference book, as well as its Dearborn Awards.

Michael Dingman was renowned for the painstaking attention given to the automobiles in his collection. It is only fitting that at this auction at his estate, one finds a car owned by a man who was a predecessor held in the same esteem – the dedicated lover of 1940 Fords, “Mr. Ford” himself, Benny Bootle, for whom only the best was good enough. Surely no finer 1940 Ford DeLuxe Fordor sedan can be found.