1950 Mercury 1950 Mercury

This wonderful 1950 Mercury coupe is a fine example of the traditional lead sled, fully sorted and built over an extended period by a guy who clearly knew what he was doing. The shape is pure 1950s, with a severely chopped top, shaved door handles and emblems, and fender skirts out back. All the work was done in metal, so there’s very little filler in this car (which is inevitable with any custom), and the shape is as traditional as mom’s apple pie. Chopping a top is no easy task, but this car fits together so well and looks so right that the guys who did the work were obviously pros. The slope of the rear window, the way the factory glass slides right in, and the fact that both doors open and close with precision and feel solid is a tribute to the builder’s skills. It’s bathed in lipstick red paint that ignores trends and sticks with what works, since it looks awesome on the slick Merc’s generous curves. Add some subtle and expertly done pinstriping on the nose and deck and around some of the body details, and you have a car that seems to ignore the passage of time. There’s also plenty of chrome remaining on the car, including the stock Mercury grille, heavy bumpers that have been smoothed and re-plated, and dummy teardrop spotlights on the A-pillars, a period custom touch that will bring back memories. And did I mention how well it fits together? This is really a nicely finished car.

A lot of custom interiors are more about fashion than comfort or function, but that’s not the case with this cruiser. With a split bench with power driver’s seat from a late-model, it’s easy to get comfortable behind the wheel, which is a fat leather-wrapped Grant GT piece. The upholstery is durable and comfortable gray tweed accented with red vinyl, so it works well with the bright exterior without being eyeball overload when you’re behind the wheel. The dash is a largely stock 1949 Mercury unit filled with retro-looking gauges from Classic Instruments, plus a tachometer in the center (although it’s not currently functioning). Knobs and switches underneath control everything from the A/C to the electric fan on the engine to the remote trunk release. An AM/FM/CD stereo is mounted in the center and sounds great thanks to speakers scattered throughout the interior, and the power antenna on the rear deck raises and lowers itself whenever the radio is powered on or off. In back, the seat has an inviting wrap-around look but appears to be hardly used, although even with the chopped top there’s room for adults back there. The trunk is neatly upholstered with side panels to hide the battery, as well as a full-sized spare tire.

OK, so you know we like how it looks, but we LOVE how it drives. Clearly someone spent a lot of time sorting this car out, because it runs and drives as easily and smoothly as your daily driver. You’d think that lowered suspension would crash and bang over bumps, but you’d be completely wrong. The 350 cubic inch Chevy V8 starts quickly and pulls with impressive torque, as you’d expect. It’s neatly dressed with polished Mickey Thompson finned valve covers, an Edelbrock carb and chrome air cleaner, and exhaust manifolds that have been Jet-Hot coated to control under-hood heat. And as a slick custom, it has a wonderful rumbling engine note compliments of a custom dual exhaust system with polished stainless tips poking out from under the rear bumper. A TH350 3-speed automatic transmission means that heading out on the road is effortless, and thanks to what we believe are 3.08 gears in the 10-bolt rear, it just loafs along on the highway with the A/C blasting. Modern whitewall radials are mounted to painted steel wheels with mildly customized “sombrero” hubcaps for a traditional look.

Built with love by a very talented guy who put nearly 20,000 miles on the clock, this is a fully-sorted chopped-top Merc that is full of surprises and tricks. Like I said, if you like the look, you’ll love the drive.

For more photos and information, please visit www.VintageMotorCarsUSA.com.