He was a truly awful person. As a big fan of Vintage Fords it pains me to say so.
I used to hold him in high esteem, as many Ford fans do. Then I did just a little bit of research. It doesn’t take much digging to discover his true character. His “charity” was a sham that doled out almost no money but paid him, his family and his cronies handsomely for many years. He took in gobs of money (much of it in cash) for his signature and much of it disappeared before it hit the charity’s books.
And of course, as Foo2rama mentioned, he sued every business partner he ever had (not hyperbole—try to find one that he didn’t sue) and alienated much of his fan base by...suing them. He got even worse as he got older and he began suing, or threatening to sue, almost everyone he knew. Ironically, he justified all of these lawsuits as an attempt to “protect his legacy”.
He’s one of those famous people who get remembered fondly by history but if you just scratch the surface, you’ll be very disappointed.
