1950 Mercury Monterey

Description

The ultimate lead sled, the archetype, the one that everyone wants, this 1950 Mercury Monterey coupe defines the breed. Frenched, louvered, lake pipes, fender skirts, it has all the traditional custom styling cues, all wrapped in a gorgeous candy paint job that ideally suits the long, low custom. Paired with the bulletproof reliability of a small block Chevy and a tasteful interior, this is a lead sled that's very easy to love.

This car could have been the prototype for every Mercury lead sled built, incorporating some of the most traditional modifications and a few tasteful touches that make it unique. The list of body mods is extensive, ranging from a nosed and decked hood punched full of louvers, to the frenched headlights, to the custom grille, and stretching back to the nicely faired-in lake pipes and shaved door handles. Of course, classic accessories like the dual spotlights and blue dot taillights make it look period-perfect, and the smoothie look is quite evident from any angle. The Raspberry Pearl paint glows from within and has a sugary look that makes this car insanely appealing. Big chrome bumpers offset all that luscious paint with a big of flash, plus the stainless side trim that makes this car look long and low. Fender skirts are signed with the car's "Wild Thing" name, and there are expertly done pinstripes in all the usual spots.

Handsome two-tone leather seats are an upscale contrast to the high-visibility exterior, and the overstuffed seats mean this is a fantastic road trip car. With a 1949 Mercury dashboard, it has a classic look, nicely rendered in satin gray to match the upholstery. The instruments are a combination of original speedometer and aftermarket auxiliary gauges that work rather well together and you'll note the knobs have all been replaced with glass beads for a neat custom look. A tilt steering column carries a woodgrained Grant GT steering wheel and that vintage-looking shifter is connected to a TH350 3-speed automatic transmission. Under-dash A/C uses modern components and R134a refrigerant to deliver contemporary performance and there's a Sony AM/FM/CD/iPod stereo in the center of the dash. Red under-dash lighting gives it a cool glow at night, and the trunk is neatly finished with burgundy carpets and a matching fifth wheel.

For motivation, this one uses a 350 cubic inch Chevy V8 with the usual upgrades. There's a mild performance cam inside so the idle sounds suitable for a custom, a Weiand intake is fed by an Edelbrock intake and there's a serpentine belt drive on the front of the engine for easy maintenance. It's based on a 4-bolt main block, so it's sturdy, and with a few chrome bits the engine bay is dressed quite nicely for a custom. The ram's horn exhaust manifolds feed a custom dual exhaust system with Flowmasters, so it sounds wicked even just cruising the fairground, and with air shocks out back, you can adjust the ride height when you have passengers in the back seat, so it always looks and sits right. The rear end is out of a 1969 Camaro, so it'll handle anything the small block dishes out. 15-inch chrome steelies with baby moon hubcaps are the ideal period custom wheel and they carry BFGoodrich Silvertown wide whitewall radials, as you'd expect.

A lot of customs look great but don't drive very well, but this Mercury truly runs as well as it looks. Call today!