Vehicle Description
This 1973 Mercury Montego GT was the car you saw circling the
NASCAR tracks in 1973, and you can spot its track-bred shape a mile
away. You should also know that owning this car will require a near
constant supply of patience, because everyone is going to want to
know what it is. If you like rare, unusual, cool cars with neat
history, this Montego deserves a closer look.
It's a mostly original car, and the bright red paint shows a few
minor touch-ups here and there, but is otherwise almost entirely
1973 FoMoCo enamel. The black wheels give it a hardcore NASCAR
look, but for the most part, it's bright, shiny, and very well
maintained. It has lived all its life in warm, dry Georgia, so no
worries about those irreplaceable sheetmetal parts rotting from
within, and the detailing on this car makes it an awesome blend of
Mercury's luxury and performance personalities. You've got the
gothic grille up front, almost like a Lincoln, but twin hood scoops
and that fastback profile are all about performance. A single black
pinstripe highlights the rather dramatic shape of the fender line,
but otherwise it has no need of stripes or spoilers. As an original
car, you know that you don't have to worry about botched bodywork
underneath and everything fits together pretty much the way Mercury
line workers did it almost 45 years ago. The chrome bumpers look
great and we particularly like the well-integrated look of the
trunk line and rear bumper.
The black interior is another awesome indicator of Mercury's
mission to deliver performance with some style. Plush black vinyl
bucket seats flank a center console, but the seating position is
upright with great views. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels
great in your hands and a T-handle shifter manages the 3-speed
automatic transmission and looks sporty. A full array of gauges
fills the dashboard, each in its own round pod, and it includes a
tachometer, which is probably a rather rare find in a Merc. Factory
A/C is a nice addition, but shouldn't be surprising in a Mercury
(needs to be serviced), and there's a vintage AM/FM/8-track head
unit that should give you some indication of this car's
preservation level. There's a good amount of space in the back seat
and for an all-original interior, it's really beautifully
preserved. It also includes a fairly large trunk with what appears
to be its original mat and a full-sized spare tire.
Sometime in the late 1970s, the original 351 Cleveland engine gave
up the ghost, so it was replaced with a more user-friendly 351
Windsor. They were both on the options list and it remains very
stock-looking, with a correct air cleaner, valve covers, and a
4-barrel carburetor that makes decent power. Ford blue adds a
little contrast to the all-business engine bay and as far as we can
tell, there are no significant aftermarket additions, making this a
very unusual find. The C4 3-speed automatic transmission is smooth
and unobtrusive when you're just cruising, but doesn't mind serving
up a crisp downshift when you prod it, and the suspension is a nice
compromise between comfort and sporty handling. The dual exhaust
system sounds suitably rumbly for a car of this type, not too loud
but not whisper quiet, and the floors are remarkably clean. Those
blacked-out steel wheels are pure NASCAR cool and are wrapped in
fat 245/60/15 front and 275/60/15 rear BFGoodrich T/A radials.
An unusual find that looks great and serves up a great blend of
performance and comfort, this Montego is ideal for the Mercury fan
looking for something a little out of the ordinary. Call today!
