1967 Mercury Monterey S55 Convertible
The Mercury Monterey is a series of full sized cars that were manufactured by the Mercury division of Ford from 1952 to 1974. Deriving its name from Monterey Bay, the Mercury Monterey served as a replacement for the Mercury Eight, the debut model line of the Mercury Division. During its production the Monterey would be offered in multiple body styles, ranging from coupes, convertible, station wagons, sedans, and hardtops. Following the 1974 model year, Mercury discontinued the Monterey nameplate, consolidating its full size line down to the Marquis and Colony Park station wagon.
This 1968 Mercury Monterey S55 convertible allows you to experience the suburban side of life that was the mid to late 1960's in Anytown, USA but with some added giddyup under the hood and some niceties checked off on the options list. The boxes were checked for the 428ci 4bbl V8, automatic transmission, AC, power windows, power steering, a power trunk release, power driver's bucket seat and a power antenna. A 2 owner car, the last year for the S55, and 1 of only 145 built, this car was seemingly pulled from storage and given a once over. This car can serve as a great father/son project or even an affordable project car for someone who wants to learn the ropes wrenching on a classic. She runs like a top, purrs like a kitten and presents like a cream puff and I think I've used all the car salesman lingo to help sell this consignment.
Exterior
Maroon Metallic, in worn condition showing chips, dings, nicks and some rust but retains some of its original shine, is the paint color for the lower body of this Monterey. A black power actuated canvas convertible top is on and presents well with no tearing but does have some soiling, discoloration and slight hazing of the plastic rear window. The chrome bumpers are nice and straight but suffer from some light tarnish and staining. All brightwork, correct badging, and exterior lighting are in good condition. Gaps are a bit funky at places but overall, within acceptable tolerances just not perfect alignment. Bubbling is noted on the lowers of the body along with some chip offs, touch ups, scrapes and some surface and invasive rust starting both fore and aft of each rear wheel. Elongated diamond shaped vertical tail lighting, which is iconic to this car, is seen on the back and integrates with the rear bumper. Turbine style wheel covers with a central Mercury badge within spinners are on all 4 corners and are wrapped in thin whitewall radial tires.
Interior
Well preserved and original upholstery in Parchment vinyl is seen throughout the passenger compartment, as well as very clean cut and sewn black carpet flood the floors. The buckets upfront flank a Parchment lighted center console with a T-handle shifter, ashtray, seat belt receivers and a small storage compartment, and a bench across the rear are all presenting very nicely. We note some compression of the cushions in the buckets as well as staining of the vinyl and some color differentiation. A ribbed central panel in the dash is sandwiched between the black padded topper above and white full metal jacket lower dash and remains in original condition and houses all the essentials. A peek at the odometer reveals and confirmed by the consigner that only 53,089 miles have been clocked on this car, however these are non verifiable as the title does not show actual miles. Even in the trunk there is factory appearing finishes and panels which are slightly worn but intact.
Drivetrain
428 cubic inches grace the engine bay, and a 4-barrel carburetor is perched on top. This engine shows in its correct Ford blue and has some bling in the form of a chrome air cleaner lid and chrome valve covers. A 3-speed C6 automatic transmission is bolted to the back of the mill and sends power rearward to a Ford 9" axle with TracLoc and 2.80 gearing.
Undercarriage
Some surface rust coats the undercarriage, but it remains structurally sound. We note some scabbed in patch repairs on the rear of the frame where it rises over the rear axle and some invasive rust in the side rails and inner rockers. Dual exhaust is on for the mighty 428 to exhale and independent coil springs are for the front and a 4 link with coil springs is for the back suspension. Bringing this big Merc to a whoah are power front disc brakes that work in conjunction with power read drums.
Drive-Ability
She fired right up and ran like a champ for our test drive. All functions were working just swimmingly save for the AC not blowing cold, the radio not picking up any tunes, the turn signals not flashing, the clock not keeping time and the driver's power seat not moving forward or back. Overall the interior is very comfy, and the exterior is looking fab with great handling and bias free panic stopping. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
Overall this car presents honestly and is mostly original. The 1960's were not all 2 door muscle cars and back door experiments from the Big 3. The average neighborhood had its share of 2 door drop top haulers and grocery getters so it's nice to see one still around. With some spit shining and polishing you can have a cruiser to be proud of without breaking the bank.
7Z45Q544446
7-1967
Z-St. Louis, MO Assy Plant
45-Monterey Convertible
Q-428ci 4bbl V8
544446-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY PLATE
BODY 76G-Monterey Convertible
COLOR X-Maroon Metallic
TRIM BA-Parchment W/ Black Accenting
DATE 25L-November 25th
DSO 16-Philadelphia
AXLE F-Ford 9" 2.80 TracLoc
TRANS 4-C6 Automatic
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.
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