Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd 2017 at Russo and Steeles 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Originally advertised as Not a new model, but rather, ...the All-New Mercury for 1949, the models from Ford Motor Company's mid-range division were completely restyled, re-engineered, and equipped with independent front suspension. Stylistically, the basic Mercury body design was influenced by that of the latest Lincoln, rather than the newest Ford. Not just a poser, there were plenty of aftermarket performance parts available for the venerable Flathead Ford V-8, and on the track Mercury would go on to take numerous victories on NASCAR ovals.
Little did Ford Motor Company executives realize in 1948 that the all-new and soon-to-be released 1949 Mercury models would almost instantly become the hands-down favorite of car enthusiasts and growing numbers of customizers everywhere. Californians, especially Sam Barris, were the first to discover how this Mercury's ideal proportions and modern styling lent themselves so well to chopping, channelling, lowering, and other time-honored restyling techniques. Famously, James Dean would later drive a nosed, decked, and lowered black 1949 Mercury in the 1950s classic film Rebel Without a Cause. While already popular following the film's release, the lost generation of teenagers in the 1950s adopted the 1949-1951 Mercury as a bold symbol of the times.
Blending classic custom tweaks with modern performance and amenities, this 1950 Mercury Coupe has only an approximate 1,800 miles of use since the extensive four-plus year build was completed. Featuring a tasteful 3-inch chop, incorporating '59 Caddy taillights, and a Chevy grille, this Merc is now fitted with a '96 Viper V-10 engine and six-speed manual transmission powertrain with 17,000 miles. Performance is further enhanced with ECU tuning by Specialty Performance Team. In keeping with its Viper powertrain, the Merc's Chris Alston's Chassisworks frame is painted Viper red. Rear wheel tubs house a set of Centerline Convo Pros wearing huge 33x21.5x15 Mickey Thompson street tires, driven by a Fab 9 9-inch Ford 3.891 rear end with Strange Street axles located by a Prostreet 4-link setup. Varispring adjustable coil-over shocks and Wilwood brakes with slotted rotors round out the underpinnings. Flowmasters with cutouts remove the spent gases from the wicked Viper V-10 engine, which is fed via a 20-gallon fuel cell. The interior is fully upholstered in leather and features Viper gauges and shift knob, door poppers with key fobs, power seats, power windows, air conditioning, and tinted glass. Stunning throughout, this custom-built Mercury epitomizes 1950s coolness with today's build quality and performance like no other.
