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?
A beautiful `53 wagon, but I myself can’t call this a ‘survivor’. Paint looks excellent, but TOO excellent to be original. Same for the faux woodgrain panels. The darker inserts I know are being reproduced somewhere. But overall, I honestly can’t fault the car. I would be proud to park this gem in my garage any day. GLWTA!
Theres my flathead! Do I need this, even if it sets back my retirement date by a decade? Such hard choices!
Yeah, cars like this said you made it. Especially in Howard’s neighborhood of Pressboard Estates. If you had the dough to pay extra for fake wood you were the envy of the neighborhood. Load up the whole family and spend the day at the lake, and look there are even ashtrays in the wayback if Junior and Sis want to light one up for the trip. All kidding aside this is one nice looking wagon. There must be a dozen Fords for every one of these. I think this will bring the money the seller is asking and if it is kept nice will be good investment.
This would look cool with a roof rack with a small fishing boat or canoe, pulling a 50’s canned ham. Also, you’d need a wicker picnic basket and a couple plaid thermos bottles for the rear cargo area. Of course this would all be for effect. It could all be removed in a matter of minutes if need be.
I’m not much of a fan for wagons but this is nice and if I could own one this would be one of the top choices. This would be a very nice Sunday ride for me.
looks so martha’s vineyard. neat car.
If you listen closely you can hear the loons. Love this Merc! I’ve been searching for a ’69 XR-7 convertible but I might have to adjust my thinking.
Beautiful Merc Wagon. Last year for flathead V8.
grew up in this one. Y I put it around the top in body style fora wagon? Y I’m so into wagons (utility/multi-use?). Thanks for the write up Russ !
Beautiful! I also think it will bring the asking price.
No side mirrors nor antenna. Hmmm…
In one of the photos of the second row of seating with the doors open, what would have made that picture even cooler would have been if the Folger’s can had been from 1953 as well! It is a beautiful car and will be a prize for someone to take to a Cars and Coffee event somewhere!
No dashboard photo: does this car have a radio and a clock? I LOVE 1953 Mercurys!
My dad brought me home from the hospital after I was born in a ‘51 Mercury. When equipped with overdrive they came with a lower geared rear end so they were the quickest off the line.
Yes, there is a radio under the clock to the right of the speedometer.
Where is the antenna?
I had a 54 just like this in high school as a senior in 1970 but not nearly as nice looking. It had the 256 overhead valve V8 3 on the tree with overdrive.
When my little brother was 14 in 1963, he somewhere bought a 1954 Mercury wagon just like this one, only a ’54 with an OHV V-8 and Merc-O-Matic. He paid $25 for it, and it had Idaho plates on it. He drove it back and forth to school, and he parked it in the woods near our parents’ house. He eventually got caught, when the battery went dead in the school parking lot after school, and he needed to get it started. A police officer made him surrender the car, drove him home much later, and presented him to our parents. He was inclined to “bend the rules” a bit — which is funny, since he is so rigid now.
This is one handsome wagon, from the upright stance all the way down to those perfect Mercury’s head wheel covers. I grew up on one of the last cobblestone streets in the northeast, which did a pretty effective job of shaking loose a driver’s hubcaps.
I had quite a collection, but never got that Merc’s.
Beautiful Mercury Wagon! Last year for the flathead V8.
nice.