Wood-bodied wagons had gotten too expensive to produce (and for buyers to maintain), so most of Detroit stopped building them around 1950. For Mercury, the last true “woodie” was assembled in 1951, so this 1953 Monterey 3-seat wagon sports faux woodgrain paneling that looks to be in excellent condition. Located in Lupton, Michigan, the owner of this beauty is beginning to downsize, and this wagon leads the sales list. It’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $35,000. Another fine tip from T.J.
The Monterey was Mercury’s sales leader across three decades beginning in the 1950s. About 7,700 Monterey station wagons were produced in 1953, and we believe they all featured woodie appliques. The “flathead” V8 was on its way out at FOMOCO, and the Mercury edition displaced 255 cubic inches, a tick more than the ones installed in their Ford cousins. We featured a similar wagon as this one a couple of years ago here on Barn Finds, but there are enough differences to indicate they are not one and the same.
This wagon has only had two owners, and we gather the second has been the caretaker for this lucky Mercury for many years. Besides the flathead, the transport also has a 3-speed-manual transmission with overdrive. And the whole ensemble is said to have 88,000 miles.
The body and “woodwork” all look quite solid with no rust, and the black paint is nice and shiny. The interior is a light shade of green and seems quite inviting for Sunday drives. Lots of stuff here is original, including the engine and upholstery. There’s no mention of any shortcomings with this wagon, so we assume it’s turnkey and ready to roll. Are the steel-bodied woodies just as desirable as the ones from the 1940s?
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