You’ll need a hat on while driving this 1954 Mercury Monterey Sun Valley, unless you: a) have the factory sunshield in place. b) only drive it at night. c) don’t mind getting the top of your skull sunburned, again. This fantastic 1950s dream car is listed on eBay with no reserve and a current bid price of $15,000.98. If they win it by adding that $0.98 a lot of people will be ticked. This aqua beauty is located in equally beautiful Nine Mile Falls, Washington.
What a car, good grief this thing is gorgeous! Whether a person likes cars from the 1950s or not, it’s hard to argue with the design, the color, and the condition of this Merc. And, being a rare Sun Valley model solidifies the deal. Hagerty pegs the value of a #3 good-condition car as being $17,800 and a #2 excellent-condition car as being $27,200. This car has to be closer to the higher number being totally rust-free and in such fine condition.
Mercury introduced the Monterey in 1950 as a brother/sister to the Ford Crestline, a high-end two-door coupe. The Sun Valley option gave buyers a green-tinted plexiglass piece over the front half of the roof. It was almost like bringing a concept show car to the public. Thankfully, there was a cover for the plexiglass as AC was usually an aftermarket-item and not many cars even had AC in this era. Having the sun beating on your noggin in an enclosed car for hours at a time could make for a bit of an uncomfortable ride. At least with a convertible you have the breeze. So, expect to have the windows open on this beauty if you’re driving it to Phoenix in August. The factory zippered cover is included, those often are missing and they are worth a handsome sum of money on their own.
The interior is as drop-dead gorgeous as the exterior is on this car. Other than pink, I don’t know of another color that better captures the 1950s more than aqua does. The seats look great, front and rear, as does just about everything else inside the car. The headliner behind the factory plexiglass sunshield looks like new, too. And, yes, you noticed that 1950s staple: fuzzy dice. I have never understood where, when, or why that got started, but they’re here. This car has the famous Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission, too.
This tidy-looking engine is a Mercury Y-Block 256 cubic-inch V8 that even with a 4-barrel carb would have had 161 hp when new. Or, slightly less than my 20-year old Outback. The seller shows an underside photo and it’s amazingly clean and rust-free, other than the usual surface rust. They say about the engine, “THE ENGINE WAS LEFT ORIGINAL! LIKE ITS SUPPOSE TO BE. NO QUICK SPRAY CANSHERE! THIS CAR HAS THE ORIGINAL DRIVETRAIN INTACT. RARE FOR THESE CARS. ORIGINAL STICKER STILL ON FIREWALL.” (sorry for yelling, they used all-caps) This is a highly desirable, very beautiful car, in my opinion. Is this a car that turns anyone else on here, or are you stuck in another decade and in that one decade only?
From the UGLY unicorn Mustang to this true STUNNING unicorn !! I STILL need to win the lottery tho….
Beautiful looking car, which I had room for it.
This was really a modern car in 54. First year for the “Y” block which made 160 hp. Power steering and brakes, ball joint front suspension. I could be wrong, but I believe it was the first year for Air Conditioning, although I doubt many were made or sold. This one checks a lot of boxes and is no doubt a fun driver. It has a V8 and that means something to some of us.
First automotive production Air Conditioning using refrigeration gas [Freon] was the 1940 Packard. That under dash A/C unit in this beautiful Sun Valley is a Thermo-king, It’s aftermarket/dealer installed. I have one in a 1955 Packard 400 hardtop.
These Sun Valleys are very cool, with the turquoise paint and that Plexiglas roof panel.
I have the brochure for this car and it did its job: made me want one bad. The photos in it looked like they were shot at Sun Valley too. I never got one, but of all the mid-50s American cars this is the one I most want, even more than a T-Bird.
Shouldn’t the price be $14,999.98? It’s listed a dollar too high.
I can picture Lucy and Ricky pulling the long long trailer with this over the mountains. Cool car. Through in a necker knob and a carton of Lucky Strikes or Camels.
Only if it was a Pontiac. :)
If you know where a Pontiac Sun Valley is, please note its location.
When I see this car, this song comes to mind. Imagine this on Eisenhower’s new Interstate system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oT4pXNacMA
Ha, that’s perfect, Mike! There has to be an old video of a Sun Valley cruising on a turnpike / interstate somewhere with that music playing.
Please don’t tell my wife but I think I’ve just fallen in love with another woman! I’m just trying to work out which parts of my body I can sell so that I can buy this!
wish it was closer , when I was a kid my neighbor bought one of these Mercs in Black / White , always loved that car !!
Shouldn’t it have one of those rotating knobs on the steering wheel to go with the dice?
Timeless classic lines, all well proportioned, attractively alluring yet sedate enough for any occasion. The use of color hues gave each an individual personality.
Today, we have- black, grey,white, taupy bronze exteriors and a choice of interiors in black,charcoal, or grey… Wow- how invigorating is that……………………..
The first car we had that I remember was a ’54 Mercury,not a Sun Valley as my Dad was way too cheap I have a picture of it sitting in front of our house. My brother and I were tykes and playing in the car, had to be between ’54 and ’59 when my Dad bought a new Plymouth wagon. Anyway the house was on a slight grade, my nitwit brother who had to be 2 or 3, released the handbrake somehow I can’t figure out how a toddler could have pulled it , but anyway,and as my mother came out to the car to either retrieve us or take us somewhere, saw the car rolling and jumped in and hit the brake. I’ve had nothing but car trouble since!
Woodie, I hope it’s been “good” car trouble!
What a beautiful piece of art this should be in a museum, it’s gorgeous, I love it, I was born in this same year, 1954 what a great year, I would definitely love to own it, it’s in my top 10 of what I would have if I had a shop to store them. Thank you for sharing this beautiful automobile.
Scotty, the pilots that flew the sorties in world war two, hung dice over their instrument panel for good luck.When the war was over and came home in the late 40s and 50s they hung dice on the mirror. I don’t know why they put spotlights on their cars. I have a 1950 mercury street rod and have dice and spotlights on it. By the way I love this Sunvalley.