A Toast to the ’41 Mercury…

With Ford announcing the death of Mercury a few months ago, I keep thinking about the pioneering customizers favorite pre-war Mercs like the 1939-1940. Harry Westergard, Sam Barris, Coachcraft, Valley Customs, and many others appreciated the original Mercury for its longer chassis, upscale interiors, and the rarity over a same year Ford. Then Rikster’s “Snooky” post reminded me of the often overlooked 1941 Mercury, which was totally restyled and refined. E.T. Gregorie’s sharper grille was more in keeping with 1939-1940 styling than Ford’s approach. Mercury’s 4 inch longer wheelbase (from the firewall forward) with its spacious hood and front fenders also allowed the designers  to put a more proportionally attractive front end on the Mercury. The Ford and Merc bodies were identical from the firewall back that year.

Here’s a few of the other classic ’41 Mercury Customs (including the great Hal Peterson car) that rise to the top of the list for me. Please add your own if I’m missing one…

(Note that I omitted the Bill DeCarr Merc from the reference pics because (in my opinion) it was such a radical departure from the original car’s fundamental look.)