Here are some pictures of my other Mercurys. First out is my 66 Park Lane convertible. I’ve had this car for 32 years now, and I am pretty sure this car will stay with me as long as I am around. This car is a DSO84 car and it is also a very early production car. I was told when I bought it that it had been used for taking pictures for internal use, but I have no really proof of that being the case other than the fact that it is A special order car wiht AC and clear glass, which is kind of odd, but I also know that they used to use cars with clear glass fro photos, so who knows.
The car has the regular 410 FE engine with a C6 transmission and 2.80 rear end. It now has just about every option available in 1966. When I bought it it had power windows, cruise, AC, AM/FM radio with studiosonic reverberation, wire wheel covers, door edge guard, dummy RH mirror, power steering and brakes. When I restored the car back in 1996-1998 I added several more items to the list, like cornering lights, tilt steering column, tinted glass, power vent windows, power seat, power antenna, automatic headlight dimmer.The car originally had bench seat, but I replaced the front seat with 6 way power bucket seats and a console a few years ago. In the summer 2013 I added another factory option; power disc brakes.
Steven, I just call it a dummy mirror as it is a functional mirror, but it can’t be adjusted to be used for the driver. I think they called it the “campanion mirror” back then. It is pretty rare and the last time I saw one for sale on eBay it went for $400. It has a C4MY part number, so I assume they were first made to be used on the 64 Mercury.
Here is another Mercury I’ve had some years now, and that I really need to finish soon. It is a super rare 67 Mercury S-55 convertible, one of only 145 made that year. Very few remains today. It is a cool car, and as with my 66 this one is also super loaded with original options. On the picture the rocker moldings are missing, but I have found a NOS set for it so they will come on. Otherwise the car has about the same option list as my 66 + the 8 track stereo. The wheels are of course not original, but I think that they are perfect for this car. I do have a set of NOS wire wheelcovers and original wheels if I want to go that route one day. I have put a lot of time into this one to make it look as it does today. When I bought it the car had been resting for near 20 years in a cattle field in Texas and I paid $330 for it on. Even that was probably too much.
Another big Mercury is this Grand Marquis coupe with only 4255 original miles. I love these big Mercurys and this is the very last true full size coupe Mercury made.
Drive them??? Nooo. Do you also ask someone who collect stamps if he ever use them? Kidding aside, I am more into restoring the cars than driving them. I used to drive my cars a lot more when I was younger, but for a number of reasons I don’t drive much anymore. Back when I was a musician and just had bought my home I only had the touring bus and the 66 Mercury, so then it was driven all year around. After I restored it I have only used it for summer day driving and also drove it to a lot of car shows for a few years. Unfortunately the gas here in Norway is right now $9 for a gallon and that for sure puts a limit to how much use they get. Also the classic car driving season is relatively short here due to the fact that Oslo is at the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska.
Steven, the S-55 option package includes a 428 Super Marauder engine, bucket seats and console and Heavy Duty Suspension.
I wasn’t quite done with the presentation. I also have two cars that are waiting to be restored. Some of you have probably noticed the 60 Park lane convertible sitting under lots of dust and car parts in my garage. I started restoring that car about 10 years ago, but every time I think that now is the time to get it done something else comes up. My plan is to start working on it as soon as the XR7-G is finished. I have already done most of the body work, but it needs to be taken totally apart and get a nice paint job. I have been saving NOS parts for this car for 15 years, so this will be a very nice car when done. Also it will be fully loaded with AC, power everything, continental kit (self made) and dual spot lights. I am planning to paint it either gun metal grey or lilac metallic and the interior will be two tone silver.
BTW, the car behind the 60 is in fact my 67 S-55 before I started the restoration
And there is one more. This is a very rare 56 Mercury Custom convertible. I bought this last year and I have not made any firm plans for it yet. Maybe all original outside and modern engine and suspension. Time will show. If someone knows about parts for this car I would love to hear about it.
I didn’t figure you would drive them on a regular basis, but half the fun in owning them is driving them once in awhile. You mentioned that you were a musician. Are there any jobs that you held where you gained experience in restoring cars?
I totally agree that it is fun to drive them. Hopefully I will get time to drive my cars more in the future than I have done in the last few years.
And for your other question, no, I have never worked on cars as a profession. I do have an auto engineering education, but when I finished school I jumped out in the music business and just toured for many years and when I retired from that my knowledge was kind of outdated so I never got to use it.
Gry, every one of these cars are beautiful! I can see the 60 Park lane convertible in the color your planning on, very nice. My first car was a 68 Mercury Meteor, love the ride.
Time to make a little update here as the 56 Mercury is gone. I just lost interest in the project as I realized that I really like the cars from the 60’s better. Also the ridiculously expensive parts for the car helped me make the decision that selling to someone else might be a wise move.
Not to mention that I found this 68 Park Lane for sale in California, and this is a car I really wanted for a long time. Original 428 and loaded with option, built as a “Dealer Demonstrator for Pap’s Lincoln Mercury in Sunnyvale, CA” according to the Marti report, so I guess they gave it some special treatment at the factory.
Kidding aside, I am more into restoring the cars than driving them. I used to drive my cars a lot more when I was younger, but for a number of reasons I don’t drive much anymore. Back when I was a musician and just had bought my home I only had the touring bus and the 66 Mercury, so then it was driven all year around. After I restored it I have only used it for summer day driving and also drove it to a lot of car shows for a few years. Unfortunately the gas here in Norway is right now $9 for a gallon and that for sure puts a limit to how much use they get. Also the classic car driving season is relatively short here due to the fact that Oslo is at the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska.
