This 1940 Mercury convertible was purchased five years ago from the grandson of the third owner. The current seller has since put together an amazing amount of history on the car and its travels, though not without some mystery still remaining. The Merc’ was just shown last month at the Grand National Roadster show, and has also been featured in Hot Rod Delux, Kustoms Illustrated, American Rodder, and Old Cars Weekly. It is now sorted out as a nice driver with factory flathead power and interesting details throughout. Find it here on eBay in Monterey, California with the reserve already met.
The seller purchased the car with no grille, minimal interior, and worn burgundy paint. There are many similarities between this car and a Mercury convertible built by Jimmy Summers, as shown in this photo gallery. The windshield chop and sectioning work are particularly similar. The car is shown below on a California used car lot in 1967 as purchased by the previous owner’s grandfather. It is believed that the Carson top was stolen around that time, but the shape is hinted by the window frames.
The interior has been given a clean white tuck and roll job, and the 39 dash is believed to have been installed all the way back in the 40’s when the car was first altered. The satin paint was shot after the body was thoroughly blocked. We’d think about taking in burgundy similar to the tattered paint that it was purchased with. The transmission is manually shifted on the tree and the rear seat area is blocked off.
Power comes from the stock Mercury flathead V8 with a single screened carb. The engine finish looks appropriate for a drive and the generator, fuel pump, and oil filter are all period correct.
Additional photos are available in the seller’s Flickr album slide-show below. Also check out the Old Cars Weekly article for more good info and pics. It is always great to see period builds, and even better when there is good ownership history to go along with them. We would take the paint and interior to the next level and then enjoy the ride.
