A nod to the ’41 Mercury…

When you ask most early custom guys their favorite year of pre-50s Mercury is, most will say “1949”, of course. That car is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic and factory-beautiful Ford Motor Company coupes of all time. A few die hard nuts like myself will dare to say the 1939/ 1940 Mercs as our favorite, and an even smaller group will tip the hat to “1941”. (further down the list you’ll find the 1942- 1948 Mercurys, which honestly have never been well received in the custom world)

My appreciation for the ’41 Merc grew tremendously after seeing pictures of the Hal Peterson Carson-topped convertible in one of my Dean Bachelor books many years ago. I had a never really warmed up to the stock split grille nose until I saw Hal’s car with unnecessary brightwork removed and hood shaved.Vince Subias car is quite similarly styled, and recently became the drool-worthy property of El Jefe, as displayed at the HRR in Austin last year.

There is unique beauty to the forward leaning front end that gives the 1941 Mercury an aggressive and distinctive one-year-only look that worked better than it’s Ford contemporary, in my humble opinion. And it’s ET Gregorie styling was never repeated again: Totally different from the 1940 model Merc, and totally different than the rare ’42 model. I wish there were a few more of these ’41 convertibles being done as traditional pre-war style customs. They are worth the nod.

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