The Mysterious John Cox Mercury

It was 1958, and George Barris was en route to the San Diego High School car show. Riding on fumes, he made a pit stop at a dingy local gas station. There, in the hazy light, he snapped a single shot of John Cox and his wild 1953 Mercury—a fleeting moment of automotive brilliance frozen in time.

To the best of anyone’s recollection that I’ve talked to, that solitary photograph is the only proof that John’s Merc ever graced this earth. And what a tragedy that is. By all accounts, the car was a dazzling spectacle, boasting a heavy channel, ’55 Chrysler side trim, and those iconic ’55 Chrysler taillights that seemed to scream subtle custom. The paint job was a masterstroke of defiance: a light lavender crown over a Wimbledon white body, a visual symphony that surely turned heads and quickened pulses.

That elusive photo was said to have been published in a late ’50s issue of Car Speed & Style. Despite having a comprehensive library of the title, that elusive feature continues to elude me like a ghost in the machine. Yet, my obsession with that mysterious Merc persists, compelling me to cast this query into the digital abyss: Does anyone out there know more about John’s magnificent Mercury?