Anyone around my age (50) remembers trips in massive wagons. Although my family was one of the few that didn’t have one, I remember being in the rear of a Country Squire, Kingswood, and a Vista Cruiser, all owned by parents of my friends. While I don’t remember a Mercury wagon like this one, I can’t look at a wagon this size without thinking “family road trip”! This particular brown beauty is offered here on eBay and is located in Bozeman, Montana. Thanks go to Jim S for calling it to our attention!
I’m curious; do any Barn Finds readers know if all of these Mercury’s were two-tone? I don’t remember seeing this treatment on many wagons, but it makes a lot of sense as the cabin will be much cooler with the roof painted white. The Monterey was the largest Mercury model available in 1970, although it’s interesting to note that the wagons were built on a 122” wheelbase that was two inches shorter than the Monterey sedans!
The seller tells us that this wagon was originally purchased in April 1970 in North Dakota. He purchased the car from the original owner’s son, and the car comes with extensive documentation including the original owner’s manual and warranty card.
Although it’s pretty dirty under the hood, the originality is great. The wagon is equipped with a big-block 390 V-8 and the strong C6 automatic transmission. Optional equipment on this car includes power steering, power front disc brakes and a power lowering tailgate window. A handy rooftop luggage rack and a pushbutton AM radio complete the luxury features.
The real star of this huge machine is the interior. Although vinyl rather than leather, detailed pictures of the seats show that they are in outstanding shape. The steering wheel is uncracked, as is the dash, and even the floor mats are original Mercury dealer accessories. The seller is careful to note that the rear mats were both originally intended for the same side, and while that’s not desirable, it does illustrate the seller’s attention to detail.
One of the unique features of the biggest of these station wagons is the rear “jump seats”, the perfect place for children to watch the country go by as the family vacation trip proceeds. I’m not sure how rotating kids to the side would have helped with neck protection in an accident, but at the time it was the thing to do. At least they included seat belts! Do you see yourself carrying the family around in this wagon?
I luv it!
Nice car! I’d be interested and it’s even reasonably close by but my better half has a very strong aversion to anything long roof except for a panel delivery. What’s a guy to do?
Well, you could always replace the rear side windows with sheetmetal ;-)
Good one Jamie! My wife doesn’t like wagons either, but I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s probably safe to say that most American women prefer suvs and that could be one reason why so few manufactures produce wagons for the US market today. There is some hope though! Volvo brought one back and the Germans are trying to keep the flame alive. Now we just need to convince them to put manuals in them again. Well, that and we need to convince our significant others that a rwd manual wagon is a good idea…
Jesse, I’m married to a minivan owner…although she makes up for it by claiming some of the classics as hers :-). We have one classic wagon; interestingly enough our 9 year old claims it as hers!
Make the decision yourself. If you can afford it, why not? Do you approve everything she buys?
Back in the late 60s when i was a kid my family had a 67 merc wagon commuter model solid color (non-woody) most merc wagons were woodies in the late 60s/early 70s (colony park model) anyhow don’t remember seeing many non-woody 70 model wagons, never saw a two tone like this one ever
I hadn’t either, Rick. Interesting!
Very, very lovely.
Never saw that rear seat arrangement before…I can imagine a LOT of kicking and fighting with that!
The rear seats are ok for kids but terrible for adults.
Two Tone Long Roof Wagon really brings back memories. (1961-2) Our neighbour used to put chains on (winter) throw a rope out the back and we would slide along behind it (long before computers and youtube! We lived too, with no injuries. We used old beater skis so that we could steer. Toboggan didn’t turn or stop too well. The manhole covers were warm and melted the snow, watch out for them. **We lived up high enough where the only road that was ploughed was the main bus route and one would have to make it out to that street if you wanted to travel down the hill to the store. We would often be in the back of a station wagon with three or more other kids on the way to camp or the beach. Most often we were in the “Rambler” wagon as my friends dad was a Rambler dealer. He brought home a “Marlin” one day a demo car. Everyone went over to his house to stare at the thing and didn’t know what to think of it.
Rob, those are great stories! We had a Rambler wagon find on not too long ago; it was a tempting one, but was 3,000 miles away from me.
This is brilliant – I love it ! Such a late 60’s early 70’s US car. I remember having a Matchbox model of this and was amazed how big it was:
http://www.dignostalgia.com/matchbox-no73-mb73c-mercury-commuter-station-wagon-boxed-superb—sold-1681-p.asp
Shame I am on the wrong side of the Atlantic to buy this :-(
Paging Clark Griswold?
Clark Griswold please?
I’m somewhat of an expert on late ’60’s and early ’70’s Ford and Merc full-size wagons having owned a bunch during that time and currently still own 2 different 69 Country Squires. I’ve never seen a two-tone Ford or Mercury wagon from that era before but have seen them with white, black, or brown vinyl tops. I’m thinking though that this had to be ordered that way as a fleet car for a company with those colors. Fleet cars could be ordered anyway you wanted back then in almost any color combo even pink or in this case brown and white if they were ordered for a business or municipality. You could order a bunch of sedans and a wagon or mix and match almost any models. The Monterey was the cheapest of the fullsize Mercury wagons at the time like the plain Galaxie and was available as a fleet order is wanted. back then everything was optionable and almost any color combo was also available too. back then no two cars were every exactly alike which gave cars their own separate personalities not like today’s cookie-cutter cars that are all alike. The Marquis was the next up in line with the Marquis Colony Park as the top of the line with the woodgrain trim. FYI, the rear quarter panels, tailgate, tail lights and rear bumper were the same on all the fullsize Mercury wagons from 1969 thru 1972 where-as the Ford Country Squire rear treatment changed slightly in 1971-72 to a more streamlined flat tail light with backup lights built in and a different rear bumper with no backup lights, different from than the ’69 to ’70 Ford wagons which had the backup lights in the bumper, even though both rear bumpers were interchangeable and could be swapped for a custom look. The ’69 thru ’72 Merc wagons used the ’69 thru ’70 Ford wagon rear bumper with the backup lights built in and those prone to being broken protruding type curved tail lights.
Brings back memories of my mom’s 1971 Marquis Colony Park with wood-grain, hideaway headlights and a 429, cruisin’ Twin Falls in high school. No musclecar, but it had its moments when a guy in his 390 Denimachine 4×4 pulled up next me. He thought it was funny revving it up next to a 2&1/2 ton boat at one of the few stoplights and grinning at his girl. Funny though, he was looking straight ahead when he caught up at the next light and his girl WAS still laughing,(tow package had lower gears).
Yeah, those 429 woodies had a lot of guts especially with the 3:55 or even 4:10 towing gears in the 9 inch rearends. You could literally smoke the competition in mom’s grocery-getter.
VERY COOL! My grandfather sold that new from Dvorak Motors
Great shape..very sharp Colony Park…these are the lookers…style. I owned 3 Country Squire Wagons all 1978’s…hideaway headlights…yes sarrr