From 1949 to 1951, hot rodders across the United States took advantage of the new Mercury’s looks and pricing and went full-bore in customizing the body and hot rodding the Flathead V8. This ’51 Mercury “sled” was a feature car at a recent Mecum Auction complete with chopped top, lake pipes, fender skirts and more. (Photo compliments of Mecum Auctions)
Q: Hello Greg! I am an old ‘51 Mercury customized flat head man and sure remember those wonderful cars from the Fifties and then also from the Sixties. The pictures in your recent columns have brought back many good memories.
The cars today just don’t have any character and are more akin of a turtle or an upside down bathtub. There’s no show no go. Keep the car columns and old time pictures and advertisements coming as I read your columns in the Star News here in North Carolina. Thanks again, Tom Griffin, Hampstead, N.C.
A: Tom, thanks so much for your letter and kind words. When I was a kid (born in ’49) my favorite car of the early Fifties were those chopped and channeled 1949 to 1951 Mercury coupes with lake pipes, Moon disc hubcaps and a hopped up flathead Ford V8 under the louvered hood with a dual intake manifold and “3/4 race” cam. Those 1949 to 1951 Mercurys also became a staple to the booming hot rod crowd, many proudly displaying license plates of their car club or, my all-time favorite, “Lone Wolf” plates, which meant the owner didn’t belong to a car club.
Personally, my dad owned a 1950 Mercury four-door sedan with suicide doors and it was the second car he ever owned following his 1941 Chevy Business Coupe. Not surprising, the new post war 1949 to 1951 Mercury shocked the auto world by selling in record numbers. The newly designed 1949 Mercury took off immediately as sales increased by near 50,000 to about 204,000 from the old 1948 design, which sold just 154,000 units.
This Mercury advertisement no doubt caught the attention of consumers back in 1949 to 1951, as Mercury moved ahead of Dodge in the mid-priced sales wars and sold over 300,000 in 1950 alone. (Ad compliments Ford Motor Company)
Then the 1950 Mercury sales skyrocketed to 334,081 vehicles sold, effectively surpassing Dodge in the 1950 mid-priced car sales race. Chevy and Ford were one-two overall in sales for the 1950 decade while Mercury was 7th and Dodge 8th out of 24 car manufacturers. (Yes-we had 24 car manufacturers back then!) The new Mercury design shared a body with Lincoln instead of Ford and in 1950 Mercury also sold its one-millionth car, making it a very special year.
Those 1949-1951 Mercurys all relied on the proven Flathead V8, which came in at 255.4-inches and produced 110-horses. Out west, companies like Edelbrock, Isky, Potvin, Ansen and others were designing more and more high-performance pieces for the Flathead, so there were many ways to make them faster.
Important numbers for the 1950 Mercury include a wheelbase of 118-inches, two-door base price of $1,980, a 3,430 lb. curb weight and a two-piece front windshield. The 1951 Mercury was similar in design to the 1949-1950 models, but in 1952, with a new design, Mercury rejoined the Ford platform and gone was the beloved 1949 to 1951 look.
In ending, I still can’t fathom the Mercury line is gone. However, maybe someday in the future Ford will rethink the Mercury designation as the brand has so much good will and excellent reputation…but I won’t hold my breath.
As for my favorite Mercury from the Fifties, I will always lean to the 1955 or 1956 Montclair in a two-tone white and orange exterior. It’s one of the best-looking cars of the decade in my opinion. Thanks for your letter and for being a devoted reader.
(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader questions and comments about collector cars, auto nostalgia and old-time auto racing at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840 or email at greg@gregzyla.com)
