Mid-fifties Fords are pretty common and often encountered but mid-century Mercury such as this 1956 Montclair? Not so often. The seller suggests, “I can’t really call this car a restoration as much as a classic that’s just been kept up over the years“. Regardless, it looks great in an oh, so, two-tone fifties way. You can detect the Ford influence in the overall design but this car is unmistakably, a Mercury. Located in Shuqualak, Mississippi, this cool cruiser is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $13,000 with the reserve not yet met.
Mercury’s Montclair was the top-rung model in ’56 and offered, initially, as a two-door hardtop and convertible as well as a four-door sedan. Later in the model year, a “Phaeton” four-door hardtop was added to the line-up. Downstream was the Monterey and Custom trim levels with the Medalist, a two-door sedan, bringing up the markers. Mercury had a respectable showing in 1956, placing seventh in the domestic auto production race by assembling 327K units. The Montclair two-door hardtop was responsible for 50K of that total.
Lots of stainless trim and a deep black and white finish define this Montclair. The notable grille is attractive and memorable without being overwrought. The seller defines the exterior by stating, “A factory black car that may or may not have been sprayed or touched up at some point years ago, as it does have some rock chips/checking and a few small bubbles from age. Not rusty just older paint. The paint still shines extremely well“. It’s stock and original appearing and really needs nothing. The exterior vibe is typical for the mid-fifties and free of the styling excesses and chrome binge that automakers would pursue just two years into the future. For your review, here’s a walkaround and driving video.
We’re told that a 312 CI V8 engine, fed by a four barrel carburetor, provides great running and an “awesome sound“. I believe this is a 235 gross HP variant of Ford’s well-known “Y-block” powerplant. An automatic transmission is on tap so it’s likely a Merc-O-Matic automatic unit. The mileage recording is 15K miles but there’s no claim of authenticity to that reading.
This Montclair’s interior matches the character of the exterior. It too, is an arrangement of black and white, upholstered in vinyl with notable chrome bits adorning the dashboard. The environment is in excellent condition – all of it, the upholstery, carpet, door panels, and headliner – it really looks too good to be original. I would suggest that this is an interior with panache and a far cry from what passes for car innards today. Of note is the lack of seatbelts – not entirely surprising for a car from this era.
This is a nice find! While it’s similar to a mid-fifties Ford, it’s definitely a Mercury from the days when there were enough notable differences that one wouldn’t confuse the two marques. I say buy, drive, and enjoy, right?
My dream car. Brought home from the hospital in Dad’s new to him, ’56 Montclair. We had her til I was 7, he sold it to my teenage cousin, who promptly destroyed it. Persimmon and gun metal grey. I should have bought one way back when. GLWTS!
Beautiful survivor. Worth every dime the owner gets for it.
Just add some wide whites on that baby and enjoy!!!!
Those colors were very popular back in the 1950’s. My dad had a 1958 Ford Custom 300 in black & white, like this Mercury.
I had a ’58 300, yellow and grey!! Paid $25.00 for it and drove it 2 years!!
I’m more of an early to mid 60s Mercury lover, but this mid 50s example is stunning. This 312 with a 4 bbl carb is a great setup, and certainly no slouch. What a great find.
I learned to drive in our 1956 Mercury Medalist Phaeton 4 door sedan. It had a 3 speed automatic, but no PS, PB, or anything else. The 312 4bbl was a hot for the time. It could (theoretically) haul the 3600 lb car from 0 to 60 in a tic under 10 seconds.
My parents had a Green on Green 1956 Mercury Custom 2 door hardtop. The 312 4 bbl. was awesome for the times.
My parents had a pair in 1965-7, one blue/white the other tan/white.
My Dad had a 1955 version of this in red and white. After it got rear-ended in 1957, the engine/transmission and misc other parts found their way into my 1949 Ford Club Coupe.
What a great looking car. I love the taillights and the hooded headlights. In my opinion, it’s the only car that looks good with two-tone paint. The styling was iconic, and completely different than the Fords and Lincolns of the same era. I have very fond memories of the 55 and 56 Mercurys. Our next door neighbors had one, and the owner taught me how to determine a 55 from a 56. The upper half of those beautiful taillights were all red on the 56, the 55s had a clear background from top to bottom. I sure miss our great American cars from the mid-50s to the late 70s. Today’s cars are so boring, they all look like used bars of soap that are all the same colors.
Re. Seat belts. My mother liked the looks and operation of the 56 Mercury seat belts. They were a dealer installed option. She had the Mercury dealer in Sharon. PA. Put 4 in our 1953 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday. When they traded it in they took them out. In 1962 I put them in a 1958 Impala I bought. Left them in it when I sold it. Mike C. Mesa AZ.
Beauty and a great buy.
Anybody watch “HIGHWAY PATROL”? two door mercs, buicks, dodges that are cop cars great 26 min series from the past!
Yep, good ol’ Brod drove one of these during the second season. His were always 2 door sedans.
When men were men and cars were cars. Now a days everything is less than.he
Anyone else notice the A/C intakes on top of the rear quarters, on a non A/C car???
While factory A/C was available from Dearborn in the Fifties, it was an expensive option. List, it easily added 15-18% to the sticker price (the dashboards were custom-made to add the A/C eyeball vents)…and most dealers didn’t have the body-work capability to cut them in and make them look professionally done. Easiest workaround was, to add the intakes at Ford’s body works, available for dealers to use for those buyers who wanted A/C at a significant saving from factory prices. It was a win-win for both Dearborn and for the dealers. Dearborn didn’t have to design and build two separate dashboards (with- and without dash A/C eyeball vents) which simplified design and production…and dealers had the intakes already there, so they installed under-dash units for a fraction of the factory price when ordered.. That was the priciest part of the A/C factory price, the interior bodywork. By equipping all cars with the intakes, production costs were kept to a minimum – rather the same way the wiring harnesses for all Tauruses were all the same, no matter how sparsely or well-tricked out each car was built. (When I Frankensteined a passenger-side 6-way power passenger seat for my 1990 wagon [they weren’t even an option] I felt for the wiring connector under the carpet, and there it was. Plugged in the seat, and voilà.) There’s your answer in a nutshell. They were there if you needed them, and it was less expensive to have them on all body shells – used, or not.
Wonder why our Montclair Tudor didn’t have them?
Beautiful auto how do i bid on it .geneelliott1938gmail.com
Awesome car! My Dad towed a similar car home from a rental in the mid ‘60s. Same exterior, except black top. Poppy red interior. A BIG tree fell on it before it got refurbished. I tried to use the 312 As parts when rebuilding the 292/312 in my ‘56 Ford pickup. That’s when I learned that 312 Fords and 312 Mercs are two different animals. Different block/crank/rode etc.
So many of the cars this age look like the Russian Volga to me. I think they were really Packards.
A very pretty vehicle. It’s really a very classy looking car. 1955 and 56 was a big improvement over the 54 model? Lots of chrome and good styling.
I always loved the 55 and 56 Ford’s also.
A reference to the seller’s comments,
It may or may not have been repainted…. I’m gonna say ‘may’?
Why would someone even make a comment like this? It will sell for good money regardless, simply because it looks so good.
It doesn’t matter if it’s been garaged all of its life, in an underground bunker or whatever?
Get real folks, the vehicle is 70 years old!
I like the car, I just can’t judisify the comments people make sometimes.
Just my oponion!
Here’s a comment you won’t be able to justify.
I like the ’54’s A 2 door hardtop in particular probably because we had one until a ’59 Plymouth wagon took it’s place. It was turquoise.
But the ’55 and ’56’s are sweet too. They all beat any new median price of $ 48,000 computer on wheels that folks have to buy today.
Great looking car, and very rare. The high bid of 13k is a steal. Mercurys and Fords differed from each other enough to be different, but not enough that they could be built on the same assembly line. One of the things that killed the Mercury brand was in the later years they became too much like the Ford’s differing only in the grill.and taillights. In the 50s, 60s and 70s they were different From one another and those were the peak years in their designs. Any Mercury from those three decades would fit nicely in my collection if I had one.
You said it. I’d love to have a triple-black 1966 Marauder with a 390 under the hood!