You might be saying to yourself that Ford never built a four door version of the Ranchero and truth is you would be correct. That might also lead you to ask why someone would need a Ranchero with seating for four, but apparently the owner of this 1959 Mercury Colony Park Wagon asked that question and decided they had a need for one. They took this massive wagon, cut the rear roof section off and turned it into a truck bed. It is obviously going to need considerable work, but could be a fun project. It would certainly turn heads and you wouldn’t see another one like it anywhere. Take a closer look at it here on Craigslist or find it in Roseville, California with a $7,500 asking price. Special thanks to Mike J for this tip!
While this conversion is rather fascinating, I would almost rather have it in original condition. The Colony Park is quite rare, with only 5k built. There can’t be many of these left on the road, making it rather sad to see this one so disfigured. I’m sure someone could put it back to original, but it would be a massive and expensive undertaking. At the very least, I would want to get as much of it back to original as possible and try to make the truck conversion look a bit nicer. If finished properly, it could make for one cool family hauler and even a great vehicle for family vacations. I have to admit that it would look awesome towing a vintage boat or a small Airstream Camper. So would you finish this conversion or try to return it to original?
The first Club Cab Truck!
Sad, looking at the back seat this started life as a 9-passenger wagon.
This guy could see into the future. I wouldnt mind having that in my backyard.
Hopefully, this project was done a long, long time ago when the car wasn’t worth anything. If it was done recently, the builder needs a good dope-slap for screwing up a rare Merc wagon!
I always loved the Merc’ htp wagons and Rancheros. Together, not so much. A shame.
Looks like there are two zeros too many on the asking price. A half-assed, half-finished, cobbled together mess. By the looks of things, at least as can be determined by the seller’s two lousy quality photos, there probably isn’t even much that would be useful for parts. Agree with Brian that the builder should be severely punished for committing an abomination of this sort.
Xactly.
What ? Git yourself a slide in camper & you got an RV there Clark.
“This should be pulling a weird boat or trailer, or to a weird family with 3 or 4 weird kids.”
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Well, since we fit that buyer profile perfectly, it’s pretty much decided then….So who do I write the check to?
That, and what Brian and SoCal said.
whomever did this should be drug out into the street and beat to death…
I guess it’s unanimous:
whoever took an Iconic wagon like this and made a lesser and uglier, yet also less useful vehicle out of it with structural problems and other shortcomings , besides the aesthetic nightmare, should be tared and feathered………..
what i see i do not like and who knows about the rest of the car. i will pass. whomever did this made all the other colony parks worth more!
Well call me tasteless, but I see something with potential here. It’s a horribly over priced fright pig, and it wouldn’t make financial sense to finish it to a decent standard… So maybe I’m not so high on this roadside attraction after all.
I’m beginning to believe that welding torches should be registered and users should be required to undergo psychological screening prior to the issuance of a welding license. None of us should have to wake up to see this on our computers.
…and I have never before ever thought of modifiying an early Econoline motor for any reason whatsoever. Headers? Blower? dual carbs? ported/polished? The mind boggles.
Perhaps it should be restored?
What’s done is done. No point in trying to undo it. It’s kind of a four-door ’50s Herman Munster Koach — would look great filled with zombies in a future episode of “The Walking Dead.”
A perfect candidate for Concours d’ LeMons at Monterey 2015.
I think if the builder really wanted a ’59 Merc-ero, it would have been a better idea to find a junked-out ’59 Ranchero and ’59 Merc sedan and marry the Ford body to the Merc front clip. I personally would rather spend my time and money just restoring the Ranchero than doing all the custom body work to make Merc-ero look like something that Ford would have built (i.e. changing out the Ford windshield posts to fit the wrap-over Merc windshield, if so desired, and changing over to the Merc side fins). Shoot! Ford didn’t even go to that much trouble when they turned the ’59 Ford wagon into an Edsel wagon! Everybody has a car that they like but nobody else seems to – it just a matter of taste – to each his own. I’d rather see somebody get this one and do something with it than to find and cut up yet another rare wagon!
It was clearly done long ago, maybe at the twenty year mark when most cars are generally worthless, no matter what the condition. At the forty, or in this case the fifty year mark they are worth something again, but only because so many have been crushed. So don’t blame the guy who did it. At a demolition derby this week there was an Edsel with a Ford front clip with the whole body in excellent condition at the start, and a ’57 or so Mercury with a straight body as well. At the end both bodies were junk. But that raises the value of those that remain. (the Edsel/Ford won, by the way, beating out four 64-66 Chrysler Imperials three of which appeared to be ringers with lots of reinforcement to an already tank like body.)
I think that this wagonero should be restored and re-customized. The ugliest part of it is the rear window -roof. sail panels on the C-pillars would be the least expensive way to go. This would give it a little flair and the roof would then look more “factory.”
Or. Go crazy and graft on a Merc Breezeway rear section of roof. Who out there is good with photoshop? I still do everything on the drafting board, but maybe I’ll find the time.
In Australia they used to make these both Ford and Holden (General Motors) for tradesmen
http://hooniverse.com/2012/08/28/4-door-el-camino-for-sale-wait-what/
If you Google around you can find 6 liter, 6 speed version they were great as a family machine….no longer made.
HMMM A good going away present to the mother in law (wifes mom) would this be better than a broom
And no pix of the rear section, window or bed! WTH!
No pics of the back window, or the “bed”. makes you wonder how cobbled it is. Looks like a heavy load for the scrap yard to me.
I like it. You have to think of what it is, not what it was. I would have never cut the ole’ wagon up but it’s done now so, if finished well, it would be a hit at a cruise in or car show. The price is a bit steep by about $6500.00 but, you got to start some place. You can always come down but you can rarely go up.
I would fix it up as it was intended to be after the conversion to a Rancharo.
My uncle did this to a 1948 Kaiser, turned out pretty good considering he did it in 1952.
Wish I kept that car…
In West Plains, Mo back in the late 60’s there was a 59 Caddy that had been converted to an Elky, but it was a professional job done by a Hearse company, it was made as the flower car to accompany the Hearse to the cemetery…
Was it something like this? http://barnfinds.com/strangest-ebay-listing-ever-1977-eldo-mino/
Why did they have to do this to a Colony Park?
Good gawd. People that do things like this to classic cars need a good smack in the head. I’d much rather have one in stock trim, burgundy with the wood grain, cream coloured wheels, and lots and lots of chrome.