History MILESTONE CUSTOM CARS: Nick Matranga '40 Mercury

This famous Barris custom was built in 1950. The top was chopped 5” in the front and 7” vertical measurements in the back. Most of the sheet metal on the “c” pillars was made using preshaped metal from Californian metal shaping Inc. Sam Barris worked almost a year on the roof to get it just right. The windshield was chopped less and its leading top edge was moved upwards to open up the opening.

Nick Matranga standing proud alongside his 40 Merc.




According one of the Barris books this is the Matranga Merc in its early stages. Strange thing though is that the windshield is chopped extremely in this picture and not moved upwards into the top... perhaps that was done later in the process, or this is just another 40 Merc beeing chopped at Barris




The side window chanels where hand formed from squire 3/8 inch chanel and later chrome plated. The chanels are fixed and do not roll down.
Both front and rear fenders where molded to the body. All emblems and handles where removed. Aftermarket fender skirts for '39-40 Ford/Mercury's where use and at the back a ‘46 Ford gravel shield was molded- to the body and ‘46 Ford bumpers and bumper guards where used front and rear. The bumper guards at the back where placed further from the center on the bumper and Barris cut a section from it to create the taillights using clear red plexiglass.







The interior was created by the Carson shop and uses white and oxblood red nuaghide and black carpets. The dashboard was fully chromed and the center panel was created out of red plexiglass. A ‘50 Mercury Monteray steering wheel was used.





Wide white walls with ‘50 Cadillac Sombrero’s on red wheels where used. The doors open with solinoids hidden in the running boards. The side trim was shortened a few inches at the front.
The custom was painted a high gloss Royal maroon lacquer with gold iridescent highlights.

 

In its short live the “Matranga Mercury” has won many awards at some of the major shows from that time. The wonderful side window opening style was later used on another famous Barris custom the “Hirohata Mercury”.
The car was later sold when Nick Matrange left to Korea. The new owner wrecked the car soon after that, wraping it around a telephone pole on a rainy night, the car was totaled.

 

Two pictures of the Matranga Merc never published before generously donated by Kurt McCormic.

 

That car is truly a classic.Beautiful lines and proportion.It's amazing to think that this car was only around for about 4 years before it was destroyed. Then think about how many other 40 Mercs were built using this car as inspiration.One of the greats from Sam and George Barris.

 

Thanks Rikster, great post as usual. -MIKE

 

It's amazing how a stock Mercury, which I personally think has a funny looking roof, can turn into such a beautiful car.

 

another killer post Rikster. thanks for posting all of the pictures and info. just a quick question, how was the car destroyed?

 

God I love that car.
Great post and pics. Thanks!

 

post says 'new owner wrapped it around a telephone pole on a rainy night'

 

another great post. I love these milestone posts by Rickster.

does anyone have any more pics of this Merc? I just cant get enough.

Keep these informative posts coming.

jeff

 

I love your posts Rickster, they always educate and entertain a "kustom junkie in training" like me!
Ther burning questione here is: any pics of it AFTER the wreck???

 

A few more, to bad this car never was featured in a custom car magazine before its new owner crashed it during a race in the rain. I bet there are so many more photo's of the Matranga Mercury in private collections, perhaps even some more of it under construction. Hopefully the will be publised one day, so everybody can enjoy them.






same location different angle







The carson top created a very stylish interior for the Matranga Merc. That in combination with the chromed dash with transparent red insert and perfect choise steering wheel makes this interior very beautiful.

 

my bad, i guess i skipped that sentence in the post. sorry for the blonde moment.

 

It's amazing to me how much of a difference raising the windsheild made. It's just incredible. The whole car is really amazing.


Chris

 

Hey Rik !

Why don't you show some REAL cars instead of that ol' heap...?

 

Great post, Rikster. Thanks for yet another history lesson. The thing I love most about the early Barris cars is all of the cool creative little details that, because of their clean, subtle execution can easily go unnoticed until you sit down and take a good long look. I really dig the look of the psuedo-hardtop window frame treatment.

 

I'm shocked,there's nothing more I could add...not even pics ! The pics donated by Kurt McKormick are especially nice as I never have seen them before.Thanks for sharing them with us,Rik !

One more thing regarding the crash.My info says the new owner lost control of the car on railroad tracks while street racing in a rainy night...

And another interesting thing is Nick Matranga wouldn't let the Barrises change the front end of the car at all.So did they have plans to do such horrable thing ? George maybe,but Sam...? NO ! Long live Nick Matranga.Who knows what's correct as other info differs even in the Barris books...

Well,J.B. mentioned to show some real cars and why not...I guess his Merc gives us an idea how the Matranga Merc would look in color,today,for real or whatever...bitchin' !





Notice the Öhmann Chevy is now painted satin copper...

 

Surely the greatest chop ever!

Really - minus the chop - everything else on the car would make it a fairly "mild custom"... a really nice one, but still mild - but that chop alone turned the whole rest of the car into an exotic, flowing masterpiece. Sexual even.

I think it was genious of Matranga to insist that the front remained stock.

 

Quite possibly one of my favorite customs ever.

How was this car lowered (suspension-wise)? Does anybody know?

 

Does anyone know what Nick Matranga is doing today? Last I heard he had an automatic transmission shop and was driving a georgous '32 3w.


Frank

 

I was KIDDING !!! You know how weak I am for the Matranga Merc, ha ha...

Those pics from Kurt was to me and Wolf during the build of my Merc. They
showed us an idea of the rear window chop which wasn't seen so much
before...

Still need to do some proper side windows and interior and...

 

Between Rikster and Frenz's posts, you guys have educated me SOO much on killer customs... Just wanted to say THANKS


speedy

 

Of course I knew you were !!! I was kidding too,just look at the icon I did choose for my reply...same thing when I said to Rik "I'm shocked...etc." ! And you know what... ? I do it again !!! Hahaha...




Slide,your question regarding the lowering of the Matranga Merc made me think and to answer your question first,no,I don't know how it was done.(J.B.'s Merc for example was done different) Maybe somebody else does know ?

I don't know why, but suddenly I must think of the accident at the railroad tracks were the car did hit the phone pole in a rainy night and was totaled...I know the Quesnel Merc was lowered in a very unsafe way and maybe,just maybe, the Matranga Merc was lowered in a similar adventurous way too...maybe there even was a small hill at the railroad tracks which lifted the car out of suspension,high speed,slippery road and bad sight did the rest.... who knows...guess we'll never know...


Speedaddict,I appreciate your credit and Rikster surely does too ! Thank you !

 

I LOVE IT!

Thanks for posting this, and your other custom posts as well. I think the 40-41 ford and mercury customs make some of the nicest tail draging sleds ever. Hot.

Danny

 

Thanks sooooooo much Rickster for posting these pics along with your web site. Between your site and pics from another person on a merc in Santa Barbara area that was chopped I have been able to see how it was done and have been working on my 40 merc. I posted pics about a month ago and just about ready todo the chop. Hopefully this weekend I will start and post as I go. As always your posts really good and helpfull more that you know.

 

Rik, thanks for the refresher course on this superb custom. Certainly one of the best ever, and one of Barris' masterpieces.

FrenZ, please tell more about the unsafe lowering technique on the Jerry Quesnel car. I've always liked its looks and found its relative obscurity puzzling.

TIA

 

Thanks for the response onthe suspension question. I know most of the ways they lowered "later" cars that had independent fronts and parallel leafs out back, but I was curious how they did earlier cars like this one, and the Westergard-style 36's. This one in particular, because it is much lower than many customs built around the same time.

Some day I hope to know a fraction of what some of yall know about customs!

Thanks so much for your posts, Rikster and FrenZ! (And the others that add even more info!)

 

According to the March 1952 Hop Up article which was written by George Barris,the Quesnel Merc was lowered by inverting (!) the leaf springs in combination with lowering blocks.Spring hangers were cut,heated and moved closer to the frame.Frame has been c'ed and drive shaft tunnel has been raised.

Of course you can't compare the parallel leaf spring set-up with the transverse leaf spring on the Matranga Merc but nonetheless it makes me wonder if the Barris Bros did apply some sort of high-end engineering to Nick's car as well...again,it's just a thought.

 

Rikster, I just flipped when I stumbled onto your thread!!!!!!!!!!! These are the first pics I've ever seen of the actual matranga merc. Lots of pics of copies and clones but this is the actual car! God I love it! I've got a '39 which I'm doing in the matranga style and so am always looking for info on this classic. Many thanks to all you guys who've posted on this fabulous car!

 

Please post some photo's of your project...


Here are a few more Matranga Merc photo's not posted before (sorry they are a bit fuzzy... but nice anyway)








At the 1951? GNRS