It may be hard to tell from the photo, but this 1955 Mercury Montclair was once a very classy car. It was big, stylish, and well-appointed, but after sitting in a Texas barn since the seventies, this one is going to need a lot of work to get back to its former glory. Most everything is still there, but most everything will also need to be restored. Find it here on eBay out of Bulverde, Texas where bidding starts at $2,000 with no reserve.
There, that’s a little better. If you were into Montclairs, the first area you would look at is the roof. That’s right, the roof! In 1955 Mercury offered the Sun Valley option which was basically a tinted piece of glass in place of the front half of the roof. It didn’t go over too well with customers because things could get a little steamy in the summer, but today they are sought after by collectors because very few were produced. This one does not have the glass roof, but that’s alright with me because I like to keep cool.
I also like to go fast, so the 292 V8 under the hood is a welcome sight. It offered 198 horsepower so it was no slouch. Well, in the fifties it wasn’t anyway. Zero to sixty in 12.8 seconds isn’t blistering fast, but it could beat a first generation Prius today. Heck, they might even hear you coming! The automatic transmission is a bit of a killjoy, but remember, this was a top-of-line full-size cruiser. This was the best Mercury money could buy in 1955.
If you look closely, you will see another Montclair in the background. That one just sold for $3,000, so it should be interesting to see what this one fetches. It’s probably too rough for most, but I would want to attempt to clean up that paint before spending the money on a full respray. It’s amazing what some polish can do for old dry paint. What would you do with this Montclair if it were sitting in your garage?
While I don’t have a big interest in old Detroit iron, this one is the diamond in the rough & if it can be bought for anything near the 2K price, it would be a good solid base to build upon. It is a car you don’t see many of yet it is still a Ford under the skin, so it wouldn’t be outrageously expensive to restore & maintain. If I weren’t in the middle of a resto with my Corvette, this would likely be one that I like to tackle.
The upside:
– A scarce mid-50s hardtop in a good color combo
– Has SOLID FLOORS, which increases your liking for sunny, dry Texas
– Reasonable opening big
– No reserve
– Seller looks to be a straight shooter
The downside:
– It will take work and a few bucks.
The bottom line:
– It will take work and a few bucks. So what else is new ?
– Buyer has a shot at a nice ’50s driver without being underwater on costs
Holy cow ! My first car was a ’55 Merc Montclair. I know this one wasn’t mine because I had mine nosed and decked, and I still see the hood ornament intact. Wish I had a place to work on it. I would definitely bring it back to life !
Mercury’s marketing campaign in 1955 and 1956 was that if you bought a 1955 and drove it for a year, the dealer would trade you a new 1956 when they came out and take your 1955. I don’t know how well that worked out, but they were struggling to keep the brand alive. There was a guy who lived across the street from the elementary school I attended who took advantage of the deal. It would be interesting to know what this did for car sales.
So they would let you drive the car for a year, then take it on trade for a new model without additional cash?? Surely not!
I think that they guaranteed what you paid for your car as trade-in value. I remember some similar sales for other makes years ago. I also remember that they usually didn’t make those offers again.
be interesting to know what the body in the rack above the car is, it looks mid 50’s ford to me. the other cars in the background of photos are also interesting. i too this could make a very nice driver. nice find
That car in the rack above appears to be ’55 or ’56 Ford. Desirable in its own right.
the car in the rack above the featured auto looks very much like a 1955 ford
This looks like a very good restoration project. Fairly solid and could be restored without having to sell your 1st Born. That 2-Storey carburetor can be a challenge but they actually work quite well, once you get to know them. I know a lot of people who have converted them to a more conventional Holley though. I wouldn’t be afraid of a job like this, except that I’ve got lots to do already.
Had one in 1964 loved it , went to boot camp , came home only to find out my father had sold it and bought me a 1960 Ford Falcon for my traveling , boy was I pissed . As it turned out the Falcon served me well for about 3 years , sold it before a long cruise to another sailor . Still miss the old 55 Merc and the cool dual exhaust sound ! If this car was closer might tackle it !!
Personally I liked the ’54.
Here in San Diego a fellow has a turuoise Sun Valley.the one with the glass half top. Super cool. I saw a ’55 Station Wagon this weekend up at the Wavecrest Woodie Show in Encinitas . While not a true woodie, it was the deluxe wagon with the framing and Di Noc inserts.
What a beauty! She will make some one a proud owner. With some time invested, this could be returned to factory spec, or improved & made into an awesome Sunday afternoon cruiser. Keep all the old hardware, but replace the brakes with big disc’s and multi-piston calipers. Add seatbelts. Update/improve the suspension with full 4-link rear suspension & crown-vic front-end, big rear-end and wide back tires also. It greatly improves the look of this car to have the proper stance.