Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia: 1966 Mercury Monterey

031416 Barn Finds - 1966 Mercury Monterey 1

This 1966 Mercury Monterey is listed on Craigslist and is located in the capital of Montana: Helena. What a great-looking design this is! The seller is asking $3,000 for this somewhat rare fastback-style two-door hardtop and it’s just waiting there in Montana for you to buy it and finish it up.

031416 Barn Finds - 1966 Mercury Monterey 2

This middle-child Mercury was redesigned in 1965 to try and take advantage of the popularity of its direct descendant and big brother, the slab-sided Lincoln Continental. I think that this fastback version of the Monterey is fantastic. They made the fastback in the second half of 1966 as sort of an update of the notchback two-door hardtop design that was available in the first half of 1966.

031416 Barn Finds - 1966 Mercury Monterey 4031416 Barn Finds - 1966 Mercury Monterey 3

This is one straight car! This Merc is well on its way to being a show-stopper. The seller has already cut out all of the rust and welded in new metal and primed it so it’s ready for a few finishing touches and some paint. He mentions that this car “runs and drives very well” and that it has a new starter and that “all glass is good, trim is good, everything works as it should.”

031416 Barn Finds - 1966 Mercury Monterey 5

This is the smallest engine available in the Monterey for 1966, but even at that it’s impressive. This 390 V8 2-barrel has 275hp and I’m sure that it will blow the doors off of most modern vehicles, at least while going in a straight line. For 1966, the Monterey transmission options were either a 3 or 4-speed manual or two automatic choices: Ford’s C6 or a Merc-O-Matic 3-speed automatic. They sure had cool names for transmissions in previous decades!  The seller mentions that this car has power steering and gearing for quiet highway cruising. This is one car that I’d love to cruise in! Are you a fan of this generation of Mercury? Let us know in the comments!

Comments

  1. Avatar swm

    If it is a full size Mercury, it is Breezeway or no way.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Blueprint

    A Honda Civic 1.5t with CVT does 0-60 in 6.8s … most compacts these days will shame these old girls while getting 40+mpg

    Like 0
    • Avatar AMC STEVE

      Yes, but I’d rather drive an old car any day with character and style and not looking like a jellybean and every other car on the road.
      And I can work on this car without 150 onboard computers and the government tracking me.
      You can keep your HAnda

      Like 3
      • Avatar Bill

        Amen, brother. I was driving down a country road Friday, and the car ahead of me, from a distance looked like an AMC. I sped up and was sure it looked like a 69 or 70 thereabouts. It was a 1970 blue Javelin with a spoiler and in nice shape. I couldn’t tell if it was an SST. Hadn’t seen one of these in years, but we all can still remember all those models and years (unlike today’s government trackers).

        Any you know, if something did go wrong, more often than not, you could open the hood, and probably spot the problem and fix it with parts and tools on hand in the trunk.

        Like 3
  3. Avatar Fred

    Yes, but they don’t do it in style! And, gas is much cheaper than it has been.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Bob's your uncle

      You can get style in a modern compact. Myself, I’ve got a GTI, but there are many other options available.

      Like 0
  4. Avatar Bob's your uncle

    I like the way it looks, but I zoomed in on the welding and the touches left to do are not so few and not so small. I still have to give the guy props because it looks as if he kept it pretty straight with little if any warpage.

    If I was looking for a project, I’d consider it. It’ll make a neat ride.

    Like 1
  5. Avatar Jamie Staff

    Start of the second paragraph — Scotty’s comparing it to a middle-child…I actually think Jan was the middle child, but wasn’t it her that actually said “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia?”

    Like 0
  6. HoA Howard A Member

    Hi Birdman, usually I get Scotty’s humor, but this one has me buffaloed too. Maybe because Marcia ( not Marsha) was the middle child, like Mercury.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Mike

      Jan was the middle child, played by Eve Plumb, Marcia was the oldest and Cindy was the youngest. There is nothing wrong with being a middle child anyway, I have 2 older brothers and 2 younger brothers.
      The Marcia, Marcia, Marcia was part in the show where Jan thought Marcia got to do everything, it has also been used in a snickers commercial lately.

      Like 1
  7. HoA Howard A Member

    I’ve always liked this style Merc. It’s like a ’66 Ford, without the “stacked” head lights. Some of the best Ford’s made. With at least 132 grand on it and looking at the motor, there are many issues here, but looks like the hard part is at least halfway done. Not many 2 door Merc’s like this were sold and the price is right. Cool find.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Mike

    Nice of Merc, I wish it was closer I would take a trip to see it.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Big Andy

    Great Price. It looks like it would clean up real good, get a nice tune up and she’s a runner on the freeway, hopefully she doesn’t have too much rust. Plus she’s paid for with minimal insurance, and a classic to boot. Good looking car!

    Like 1
  10. Avatar DrinkinGasoline

    Whoever looks at this this Merc needs to check the frame regardless of the region that it is in. My family had many of these from ’64 to ’68 in many models including the Breezeway. ALL of them had frame breaks at the rear and all of them had to be welded. I’m not saying to avoid the car as these Merc’s were great cars, just sayin’…Look.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar MountainMan

    Nice find. One of the more affordable big two door 60’s classics. This one looks like a good example

    Like 1
  12. Avatar Rotag999

    Too bad about the rust Jesse !

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Nova Scotian

    Deep black with Chrome mags…sinister!

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Ralph Terhune

    I’ve got one of these in a 4 door hardtop version. Love it! 390 2 barrel, 3 speed manual trans, PS and PDB. Straight and rust free. Just floats down the highway.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar scottymac

    I think Scotty’s got 1963 and 1966 confused. Ford and Mercury made 1963 1/2 fastbacks, as opposed to beginning the ’63 sales season with the boxtop (T-Bird) roof. This roofline was available for the whole ’66 model year.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Matt steele

    I love it my dad had one with a 410

    Like 1
  17. Avatar Jerry Olson

    Love those Big Old Mercs. I learned to drive in my Dad’s Colony Park . What a smooth ride these cars were.

    Like 0

Leave a Reply to Fred Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.