1956 Mercury Custom

[EssexExport]

I liked this car.

[EssexExport]

Now that's a dashboard.

[BobPalma]

That was almost the cheapest 1956 Mercury model, believe it or not. Only the Medalist series was cheaper, whereas the Monterey and Montclair series were more expensive. This one has been dolled up with the second-color panels below the windows, which weren't actually available on Customs, AFAIK.

A virtually identical car in different colors has been shown at the May Studebaker Indiana Swap Meet and car show from time to time:



It's quite a rarity with its clock and radio blank-off plates still intact:



Even if a two-door hardtop is manufactured with those, they are frequently gone by now when subsequent owners (or even the original selling dealer) sought to equip the cars with those common pieces of optional equipment.

Unique, attractive cars; those 1956 Mercurys. Too bad their mechanicals weren't as good as their styling; with the same maintenance schedule, a 1956 Chrysler, Dodge, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, or Buick would last longer with fewer repairs.

But in 1956; who cared about that nonsense? It would be traded off in three or fewer years anyway. Styling was king and those Mercurys had it in spades. BP

[studegary]

In 1961-1962 my main car was a 1956 Mercury Montclair hardtop. It was red and white. Mine had a red body with white roof and the panel below the windows. As soon as a I traded it in (1961, on a 1957 Studebaker President Classic), the lower portion was painted red to match the other 90% of the Montclairs on the road.

Bob P. is nearly correct. Only the Montclair and Phaeton (four door hardtop) had the panel below the windows. I believe that the Medalist only came in a sedan, not a hardtop.

In 1955, only the Montclair hardtop had the low roofline. For 1956, all of the hardtops used the lower roofline.

The 312 cid V8 and AT in my 1956 held up well to some very hard use. IIRC, it had about 65K miles when I traded it in at five years of age.

[paintim613]

That car screams, "We're in the 50's." Love it.

[Chucks Stude]

This thread got me looking for some pictures of Mom and Dad's 1958 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser. It had a 406 and a pushbutton transmission. IIRC the thing had no B pillar. It also started in second gear, but when you got it to downshift into first, it was a screamer. Wish I could find a picture of it.

[j.byrd]

Hey, Chucks Stude, you should be able to find a match in this group ! OR, just get on Google Images and type in 1958 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser...lots to look at !

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=713&q=1958+mercury+turnpike+cruiser&oq=1958+mer&gs_l=img.1.2.0l1

[Warren Webb]

I remember seeing the 56 Merc on a turntable in the now old Newark Airport terminal building. It blew me away it looked so good as it slowly turned facing others. Seeing these brings back those memories.