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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsCool Car Find: 1950 Mercury Eight
A custom car classic, this Mercury Eight convertible is gorgeous in green.
Third Time’s the Charm
Starting in the late 1930s, Ford’s Mercury brand was positioned as a mid-market offering between the Ford and Lincoln brands. The brand’s first model was the Mercury Eight, which came as a sedan, coupe, or convertible and equipped with a Flathead V8. The second-generation car’s production was interrupted by WWII, splitting it between 1941-42 and 1946-48. It was this second generation that featured an expanded list of body styles that included an excellent woody station wagon.
While those two generations were good, it’s the Mercury Eight’s brief third generation that became most renowned. Here, the Mercury Eight jumped from its pre-war Ford platform to a new one shared by the Lincoln EL Series. The woody wagon version went from four doors to a stylish two-door. And the Flathead V8 grew from 239 cu in to 255 cu in. It was this third generation of the Mercury Eight that became popular among car customizers, and our Cool Car Find is just such an example.
A Custom Classic
The third-generation Mercury Eight became a favorite in the budding Southern California custom car scene of the early 1950s. Brothers Sam and George Barris of Barris Kustoms were two such builders who’d built a reputation for quality and style. Their work on a ’51 Mercury Eight Coupe owned by Bob Hirohata became a benchmark for custom cars of the day with its radically lowered roof line, lowered ride height, and seamlessly blended body work that incorporate pieces from several ’52 models, including a Lincoln, a Chevy, and a Buick Riviera. The “chop top” design of the Hirohata Merc became hugely influential in the custom car scene and the car is considered one of the best customs ever created. (George Barris would go on to become one of Hollywood’s premier car customizers. His creations included the original Lincoln Futura-based Batmobile.)
Third-Gen Specs and Our 1950 Custom Convertible
The third-generation Mercury Eight was one of the first post-war designs to make it to the street. Its big and bold looks would be emblematic of a decade of statement making cars in the 1950s. The Mercury Eight offered just one engine, a 255 cu in Flathead V8 paired to a three-speed manual transmission. It came as a 2-door coupe or convertible, a four-door sedan, or a two-door woody wagon. The third-gen Mercury Eight also received more than its share of pop culture shine. A 1949 Mercury Eight was the hero car in the James Dean classic Rebel Without a Cause and David Lee Roth can be seen driving a 1951 in the music video for “Panama.”
The third-generation Mercury Eight only lasted a brief three-year production run from 1949 through 1951 before it was succeeded by the Mercury Monterey. The Monterey name had first appeared in 1950 on an upscale version of the Eight’s coupe which offered a front independent suspension.
Our Cool Car Find is a stunning example of the Mercury Eight from 1950. In proper fashion, it’s extensively customized. The Flathead V8 is bored and stroked out to 294 cu in and a host of aftermarket parts that include a new cam shaft, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, and headers. And then there’s the body work. Badges, door handles, and other exterior hardware have been deleted for a smooth and continuous finish. The dark green and tan color scheme adds elegance and refinement. The interior is flawlessly restored too, with the classic Mercury head emblem in green located in the center of the steering wheel.
For a showstopping piece of automotive history, this 1950 Mercury Eight Convertible is hard to beat.
