Vehicle Description
1966 Mercury Parklane Convertible
Well if I had money,
I'd tell you what I'd do,
I go downtown buy a Mercury or two.
Crazy bout a Mercury,
Lord I'm crazy bout a Mercury,
I'm gonna buy me a Mercury & cruise it up & down the road.
Well the girl I love,
I stole her from a friend.
He got lucky stole her back again,
She heard he had a Mercury.
Lord she's crazy bout a Mercury.
I'm gonna buy me a Mercury & cruise it up & down the road.
This 1966 Mercury Convertible allows you to enjoy the wind in your
hair, and the sun in your shoulders, as you travel down the forever
winding PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). Several improvements and
upgrades have been performed on this car in the past including a
rebuild of the engine. An important item of note is as this
presents beautifully, and is a good working example, and very clean
car, the engine designator in the VIN is an E, however, all
available sources do not list this as an engine code. We're
chalking this one up to an error at the factory as the most
reasonable explanation.
Exterior
Red, Red, Red, Cardinal Red that is, in good condition is the paint
color for this drop top Parklane which presents with some chipping
and inclusions. A clean black power top with glass window, is in
very nice condition, however, shows with no tears or rips. The
brite work and chrome bumpers are all there, correct badging minus
the hood badge, and all exterior lighting in very nice original
condition. The slab steel sides, started in 1965, present well with
noticeable touch ups of the paint but no visible rust to speak of.
I really dig the groovy slanted and ribbed tail lights with their
chrome divider bars mounted at the very end of each rear quarter
panel. The cavernous trunk displays with its original mat, spare
tire and jack assembly, even with these necessities there is still
enough room for this to be considered a good sized New York City
apartment. Finishing off the outside are 15" steel wheels with
standard Mercury covers all wrapped in almost new thin whitewall
rubber.
Interior
Original upholstery is seen throughout the passenger compartment,
as well as the carpet which is a low cut pile with noticeable
fading and some minor staining. A power split back bench upfront,
and a bench across the rear are all in beautiful crinkle red vinyl
with various tuck and roll stitching in vertical and Vee patterns
and finished off with decorative buttoning. In the center of the
rear seat is a speaker emblazoned with the Mercury god head logo.
The original red and clear 2 spoke steering wheel fronts the
factory gauges in their black and chrome ribbed housing. Factory
air is an option this car has along with an AM radio and an added
tachometer mounted to the bottom of the dash. The door panels, in
well padded red vinyl houses the chrome power window switches and
even switches for the power wing windows, luxury at its finest!
Rounding out the interior is a crack free padded dash topper with
what is believed to be the Ford version of the Autotronic Eye.
Drivetrain
A rebuilt 410 cubic inches V8 graces the engine bay, and a 4-barrel
carburetor is perched on top. The bay shows with some patina on
various surfaces but the big V8 shines gloriously in all its blue
painted splendor among all the supple hoses and wires. Bolted to
the back of this mill is a C6 3-speed automatic transmission which
sends power way back to a 2.78 EquaLock geared Ford 9" rear
axle.
Undercarriage
The basement...or undercarriage, shows strong and rust-free
underpinnings, shiny new exhaust and drip free oil pan and
transmission. The frame and flooring present with the factory
undercoating and a smattering of surface rust on the usual
suspects. The suspension is independent coil spring suspension up
front and coil springs on the rear, just the way the engineers
designed it. Power drum brakes are all around, and a dual exhaust
system with stock style mufflers, snakes its way rearward past the
solid original metal.
Drive-Ability
As we hop off the lift, and into this car we are in original
interior bliss. Just beautifully done and comfortable. Turn the key
and we are lit and ready to pull down on the dainty 60's design
shifter. This car cruises nicely, turns well and has easy steering,
has good acceleration, and was a nice ride with the top down. Only
2 issues crept up on our drive, those being the radio did not
receive any stations, (do they even broadcast on AM these days?),
and the blower for the heater/A/C didn't blow.
Overall, this car presents beautifully, and mechanically is sound.
It is a reliable car with a rebuilt engine that through the years
has stayed as close to original as possible. Join the collector car
crowd with this Mercury drop top and show your neighbors and the
world that "Mercury speaks quietly of your good taste".
VIN DECODE
6W65E525936
6-1966
W-Wayne, MI Assy Plant
65-Parklane Convertible
E-Unknown Code
525936-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY TAG
BODY 76F-Parklane 2 Door Convertible
COLOR T-Cardinal Red
TRIM 65-Red Crinkle Vinyl
DATE 26L-November 26th Build
DSO 17-Washington
AXLE F-Ford 9" 2.80 EquaLock
TRANS 4-C6 Automatic
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
