As a curious, geeky car kid growing up in the 60’s, I remember seeing these Mercurys with their bizarre-looking slanted rear glass that could raise up and down. Wha?? One of their TV commercials showed a little girl asleep in the rear seat, the wind gently tussling her blond locks, and a voiceover stating, “only Mercury gives you the entirely new sensation of fresh air circulating back and out through a new Breezeway rear window.” Sure, it could be viewed as a gimmick, but as an old advertising guy, I know how important it is to have a clear benefit feature over your competitors and drive that advantage as hard and as long as you can. Plus, in 1964, only 14% of cars on average were ordered with the latest luxury item, air conditioning, so getting a breeze into the car’s cabin was the only way to “cool off.” Here’s a good-looking, rare 1964 Mercury Montclair 2-door hardtop with the Breezeway rear window (only 2,329 were produced compared to 15,520 4-door Montclair Breezeway sedans) that’s located east of me in Benson, North Carolina. It’s for sale here on craigslist for an asking price of $17,500.
Whoever is selling this Merc must be a person of few words, because the description is, as they say, scant: “68k, auto, ps, pb, electric breezeway back glass, dynasty green, production 2329, 352 motor, trim turquoise.” The photos aren’t the best of quality, but based on what I see, this is a very attractive ’64 Mercury inside and out. It looks solid, I’m not spotting rust or seeing any major exterior flaws. The chrome, glass, trim, badging and the “deluxe wheel covers” on the period-correct whitewall tires all look good. The only thing not original are the metal splash guards on the fender that I would remove. It’s hard to tell the true condition of the paint based on the photos, but it looks presentable. The seller says the color is “Dynasty Green,” but I couldn’t find that color on any 1964 paint charts or in the sales literature (it appears to be the color Peacock which was offered in 1964).
The attractive turquoise theme is also carried inside of the Montclair and the interior looks to be in great shape. The Montclair was a step down from the top-of-the-line Park Lane, but still offered beautiful interiors. The sales brochure describes them as being trimmed in pleated Honeycomb cloth and vinyl (along with pleated door panels with bright moldings, anodized aluminum seat side shields, integrated paddle-type door releases, and since it was the 60’s, bright-metal rear seat ashtrays). The instrument panel, dash, and steering wheel (with an XXV in the hub in honor of Mercury’s 25th Anniversary) all look great as well. This Merc left the factory with power steering, power brakes, and an automatic transmission.
The seats with the turquoise vinyl and cloth inserts aren’t showing wear, especially the back seat. There’s also a photo of the unique, power-operated slanted Breezeway rear window whose center section could be raise or lowered. The seller lists the engine as a 352, but based on Mercury’s sales literature, Montclair’s came standard with a Marauder 390-cubic inch V8. Optional power plants included a Marauder Super or Interceptor 390 or a Marauder or Marauder Super 427. Like the rest of the car, the engine bay looks clean and tidy. The odometer is listed at 68, 350 but there’s no mention if that is the original mileage or not. I’ve always liked the crisp styling of the 1964 Mercury and this is an attractive, low-production example. Nothing is mentioned of the Montclair’s originality which would be the first question I’d ask the seller. If this is an original survivor, it would be quite a gem.
This looks so very nice. Even if the original 390 was swapped at one time with a 352 it looks tidy and period correct. If the undercarriage is sound and not in need of major maintenance this is a nice investment for those week end rides
Hmmm. That air cleaner looks different… the 352 2V CID was the standard V8 Up North…
Gentlemen, I believe this is a Canadian Mercury Montclair.
Yes, my Uncle’s Oakville Ontario built ’64 Montclair had a 352.
As a kid, I always thought the “breezeway” cars looked goofy. Dad had a ’66 Monterey fast back. That car looked fast standing still. I’m still not impressed with that roofline. And, the seller can’t figure out what color, or engine is in the car? Hmmm..
My 1st thought BIG C was that this was a Monterey especially looking at the tail lights. One of my partners in crime drove a 64 Mercury Comet which also looks like this. I agree tho that the seller seems unsure about major selling points.
Yep, confirmed Canadian; there’s a bag of pucks in the trunk. Kidding aside, like Big_Fun mentioned, I’m pretty sure the 352 was standard in Canada as that’s what was in
my grandfather’s ’64 four door.
We might chuckle at the Breezeway today, but it was an interesting idea for its time. The vertical roofline made a re-appearance in the mid-80’s Fox-Body-based Cougar, and the concept lives on with the power sliding rear windows on full-size pickups.
Nice car. I like the styling and the colors.
Good write-up Ron.
All FE blocks at that time were stamped with 352, including the 427. If you didn’t know engine size, this casting number is a good starting point.
The individual or individuals should’ve went on out to complete the options for the ride like power locks, windows, split chase lounge reclining 60/60 power seats with arm rests, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, AM/FM Stereo 6 speaker system 3 on dashboard 3 for rear passenger window ledge, dual remote control mirrors, rear seat arm rest power extendable antenna for front left or right quarter panel fenders or left or right quarter panel fenders. For the power plants several options:352, 390, 400, 427 or 427 interceptor.
Those options would be the same for The Monterey, Marauder, Marquis Brougham, Grand Marquis Mercury Brougham Grand Marquis LS Park Lane. The Same for the Fully Sized 6 or 8-9 Passenger Beach Wagon Station Wagons.
Even for the day Ford Fully Sized rides Line UPS. That’s how I would’ve done it if I had the money to that back in the day.
The individual or individuals should’ve went on out to complete the options for the ride like power locks, windows, split chase lounge reclining 60/60 power seats with arm rests, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, AM/FM Stereo 6 speaker system 3 on dashboard 3 for rear passenger window ledge, dual remote control mirrors, rear seat arm rest power extendable antenna for front left or right quarter panel fenders or left or right quarter panel fenders. For the power plants several options:352, 390, 400, 427 or 427 interceptor.
Those options would be the same for The Monterey, Marauder, Marquis Brougham, Grand Marquis Mercury Brougham Grand Marquis LS Park Lane. The Same for the Fully Sized 6 or 8-9 Passenger Beach Wagon Station Wagons. Oh yeah that would include convertibles as well.
Even for the day Ford Fully Sized rides Line UPS. That’s how I would’ve done it if I had the money to that back in the day.
This brings back so many memories of my grandfather. He had a 64 Montclair 4 door with the breezeway. This is the same color inside and out. His had the 390 V8. Gramps would come pick my brother and I up and we would head up north to go small game or deer hunting and he would open the rear window while driving so he could smoke and not have us in all his smoke. That car was nice to ride in. I really loved being with him. Those were the days.
I painted one of these back in the day. It was what my boss called champagne pink. The car was beautiful inside and out. Absolutely stunning and we sold it for $5,000 and back then we thought we were making out like a bandit and now look at them. The one that we had was a nicer looking car than this one, 100% original, original motor and everything and now look at how much there worth. The guy bought it, put a set of wire wheels on it and still drives it today and this was almost 30 years ago when I painted it. The ride sure is comfortable that much I can say for sure and I don’t hate the way they look they’re not my favorite car but I still think they look okay. Not sure if it’s worth what he’s asking but hopefully he’ll get close and be happy. We should all be happy in our endeavors.
Above in the comments Ivan used the term “beach wagon”, wow, I instantly went back fifty something years and in my mind heard my mom (MA) calling her car a beach wagon. She always had wagons, Comets, Ramblers and AMCs. Hadn’t heard that term for many decades.
My mom called her ’62 Corvair her puddle jumper.
Back in the “day”,(early ’70s) my brother had a 64 4 door breezeway with the 427 dual quad 4sp, pwr everything (no ac). Would pull the wheels in 2nd gear! Good thing 94 octane was only 42 cents a gallon! What a hell of a ride that was, never seen another like it since
I was in one in the summer when I was a kid, it was very breezy inside when window down & in motion, very refreshing!
If you haven’t had the pleasure of driving one of these, let me tell you, the all windows open experience in one of these is outstanding. With the back window open along with all the others, the air flows extraordinarily nicely through the car. Even at freeway speeds, you get absolutely none of the usual buffeting caused by wind swirling around and getting trapped in the back seat area. No strong blast to the face like so many cars have with the windows down. It just flows nicely through the car and out that back window. Very enjoyable to drive with the windows down, even on long freeway trips.
It was marketed as a great option for back seat smokers as well, as the smoke would go up and out the window. Perish the thought of smoking in one of these classics today!
As for the 352/390 discrepancy, as someone else already said above, ALL factory FE engine blocks have “352” cast into the front of the block next to the timing cover and water pump, so a casual observer not being familiar would easily be misled by that. Of course a lot can happen in nearly 60 years, so who knows without a close inspection. Confirming date codes on the block, heads and other parts can tell you right away if it has been changed and they differ substantially from the build date of the car. If they fit the build date time-wise, that’s no guarantee of originality, but this isn’t the kind of car where someone will go to the effort to find date code correct engine parts.
Also, Dynasty Green was a 1965 Mustang color. It is similar to Peacock, though very obviously not the same. It could be the seller is confused, or it could be that the car was repainted in Dynasty Green. With the poor quality photos in the ad it is impossible to tell for sure.
1964 Mercury “Peacock” is PPG Ditzler #12676, whereas Ford “Dynasty Green” is #12853. 1965 Ford color “Tropical Turquoise” was #12852. Only the seller knows, if they even actually know.. they might just be guessing based on a glance at a color chart. Only an in-person inspection will tell for sure.
I had a white ’63 Monterey Custom 2dr hardtop, with brown and beige interior. The front driver side window had to be repaired, it was down when I got it, and stayed down for a while, and never had any problem after the repair. The front seat was pushed sideways into the passenger door, stayed that way during the time I owned it. There was a working radio on the transmission hump, I’m pretty sure the factory one was in the dash. Gas gage didn’t work. Too many weird stories attatched to that thing to relate here. It was fun to drive, and handled quite well.
Hopefully the one in the ad goes to a good home, it’s a beauty.
The TV ad I remember for these was QB Bart Starr throwing a pass through the rear window to a receiver sitting in the back seat. Clever.
my neighbor had a similar Mercury named the Turnpike Cruiser with the 390 engine. What a beautiful car that was!
Best of luck to the seller hope you get all you are asking, and what you are asking is nowhere near what it’s worth. I grew up riding in the back seat of alot of 60’s Mercs. because my old man got a new one every year from his job. The 64 was a very special one for me and my dog as we rode in that breezy back seat all the way from Chicago to Ely Minnesota. Great car!