Article about English Fords and Ken Doehring
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 1:44 pm
Gearheads: He wanted 'something different' so he bought an English Ford
http://www.daily-journal.com/news/local ... a9b68.html
Dennis Yohnka
dyohnka@daily-journal.com
It was April 1971. Ken Doehring had $35 in his pocket. He had his eye on a Nash Metropolitan.
"I was out at the junkyard that used to be out on [Illinois Route] 113," the Bradley businessman explained. "Don't get me wrong: I like all kinds of cars ... Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros. But I always wanted something different."
So, when the auto recycler wanted all of $35 for the Nash, Doehring asked about the little station wagon sitting next to it.
"The Nash didn't have an engine. The windows were broken out. So, the wagon looked a little better. He said the other car was an English Ford. He said it ran, but it was smoking and knocking when a guy drove it in from Custer Park. So I bought it. I towed it home behind my dad's truck."
And that was the first of 29 English Fords that Doehring would buy during the next 44 years. He bought some for parts and has since resold them. Today, he has three he can drive, including a fully original 1958 convertible.
"I might know more about English Fords than anyone else in the Midwest," he said. "Heck, I might know more than some [mechanics] in England.
"They're nice little cars. The little four-cylinder gets pretty good mileage, like 25 miles to the gallon. They're not fast, but I can move along in traffic in the convertible."
Doehring's affection for these compact models has not waned through the years. In fact, he was willing to pay almost 10 times more than his first purchase for his latest purchase of another parts car.
"Yeah, these cars are never going to be worth a lot of money, but like I said: I wanted something different."
http://www.daily-journal.com/news/local ... a9b68.html
Dennis Yohnka
dyohnka@daily-journal.com
It was April 1971. Ken Doehring had $35 in his pocket. He had his eye on a Nash Metropolitan.
"I was out at the junkyard that used to be out on [Illinois Route] 113," the Bradley businessman explained. "Don't get me wrong: I like all kinds of cars ... Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros. But I always wanted something different."
So, when the auto recycler wanted all of $35 for the Nash, Doehring asked about the little station wagon sitting next to it.
"The Nash didn't have an engine. The windows were broken out. So, the wagon looked a little better. He said the other car was an English Ford. He said it ran, but it was smoking and knocking when a guy drove it in from Custer Park. So I bought it. I towed it home behind my dad's truck."
And that was the first of 29 English Fords that Doehring would buy during the next 44 years. He bought some for parts and has since resold them. Today, he has three he can drive, including a fully original 1958 convertible.
"I might know more about English Fords than anyone else in the Midwest," he said. "Heck, I might know more than some [mechanics] in England.
"They're nice little cars. The little four-cylinder gets pretty good mileage, like 25 miles to the gallon. They're not fast, but I can move along in traffic in the convertible."
Doehring's affection for these compact models has not waned through the years. In fact, he was willing to pay almost 10 times more than his first purchase for his latest purchase of another parts car.
"Yeah, these cars are never going to be worth a lot of money, but like I said: I wanted something different."