In 1954, Mercury introduced what is really considered a milestone model for the company: the Sun Valley hardtop coupe, a standard Monterey hardtop with a plexiglass section over the front half part of the roof. It's an extremely attractive car, one of the most attractive and unique cars of that year and expensive at that! Offered at $2,562, it was the most expensive Mercury model in the lineup other than the convertible. Less than 9800 Sun Valleys were produced in 1954 and very few survive today.
The car offered here is an immaculate example that was purchased in 1954 and retained by the original family until recently. Treated to a complete restoration in 2002, it still shows as if the restoration was completed today. The body was stripped down to bare metal and painted in its original colors of Glenoaks Green Metallic with a white roof, behind the plexiglass of course. The interior was completely redone and all chrome was redone as well having the stainless straightened and buffed. Sometime in the 1960's the original 256 Mercury V8 was upgraded to a Ford 292 V8 which was a common procedure. Today the engine and the 2 speed Merc-O-Matic transmission were completely rebuilt during its restoration and painted and dressed to the original 1954 Mercury colors and specifications on the outside. In 2006 the car was shown at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance where it won best in its class. Today it presents beautifully and it runs and drives extremely well. For safety the single master cylinder was replaced with a dual master cylinder and it is also equipped with pertronix electronic ignition for reliability. Overall this is a fantastic and immaculate example of one of the rarest and most desirable collector Mercurys of the period that is ready for the open road or to become part of a great collection.
