Your post captured my imagination. The stories this car could tell...
One piqued interest sparks another, so I went back today to take more pictures and to speak to someone who knew about the car.
While the Merc didn't tell me any stories, the guy behind the counter at Globe Tire did.
He confirmed that it's a '59 Monterey, said it's been sitting there for about a year, and was only good for use as a sea anchor. They'd like the owner to move it.
The owner, however, is a good customer who wanted to restore it, but apparently got in over his head after buying it on eBay for $2,000 and paying $1,500 to have it shipped here from Tennessee. Supposedly, it has not been driven in 30 years.
The owner works locally and is probably willing to take offers or even................well, let's put it this way:
After taking some more pictures, I was walking back to my car when another Globe employee asked "Can I help you?". I told him that I had been speaking to someone else there about the Mercury.
"Take it", he said.
The pictures:
1. You can see why I didn't take any pictures of the front end on Sunday.
2. I moved what I could to get a clear shot of the front right quarter - "Monterey".
3. Risking life and limb (and after unwittingly scaring away an animal I almost stepped on that may have been a cat hiding under the bramble thicket), I got two shots of the front end.
4. Surprisingly, the driver's door was unlocked, so I got a fairly clear inside shot. Globe Guy told me that one of the things that made this particular car rare was its factory A/C. If you look at Sunday's interior shot, there's a hang-down gauge near the steering column that I thought was an aftermarket oil gauge or tach, but he said it was a factory oil gauge. And no - I didn't check the odometer.
5. The lovely rear deck
6. Yep - it's a Monterey on this side too.
7. Let's all wish a Happy Birthday to the car's inspection sticker, which turns 30 this month. Let's also hope that it eventually gets replaced by a new one.