Please help me Identify this car

[Guest bozoclown]

I am in need of some expert opinions.  The attached photos come from a rather notorious film, of which the year of release is in question.  If someone could tell me the model year, I would know earliest date the movie could have been released. 

If anyone recognizes the film, please keep it to yourself until the car is ID'd, so as not to spoil the impartiality of those judging!

I'll reveal the story of the film after the car is identified.

Thank you in advance.

[john2dameron]

Not much picture but I think '53 Mercury.

 

[Grimy]

The right taillight looks like 1952-53 Mercury and the lack of dividers on the rear window glass limits the Mercury to 1953.  I'm not sure the left taillight is identical.  However, the fairly sharp curve of the trunk lid seems more 1955-57 Chevrolet.  And I agree with NZcarnerd (different thread) that the greenhouse looks like mid-50s MoPaR.  Could this be a kustom?

[Ivan Saxton]

The sports car on the left looks like MG  TF, the first one without wire-spoked wheels.   I am not an enthusiast.  I drove one once, to deliver it somewhere about 40 miles away for a friend, and it was awful.   I different friend restored one much later, and said it was not much good on the road. He said he fitted an anti-sway bar on the front, off a Simca.  That, and radial ply tyres transformed it;  and he enjoyed it for years.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

The Mercury is a sedan. Although i believe it's a 53 the 3 piece back light was only found on the hardtop 52.Note the trunk lock is basically just a circle on this 52 hardtop

 

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Now see how the trunk emblem has wings which can be seen in the one in the pic,confirming it is a 53

 

[Grimy]

Dave is right that only the 1952 hardtops had the rear window dividers and only the 1953s had the "winged" trunk lid adornment, but the curve of the trunk does not appear right for a 1953 Merc sedan. It may be a trick of the lens, but the subject car trunk lid seems to have almost a 90 degree curve.

 

[Spinneyhill]

It is NOT one of those. The tail lights are more vertical and there is a turnup on the bumper ends that is not in line with the lights. It also has a large rear quarter light with a chrome divider from the rear door windows.

[keiser31]

The MG is more like an MGTD. The TF had headlamps growing out of the fenders. The car in the photo has separate lamps.

[keiser31]

21 minutes ago, Spinneyhill said:

It is NOT one of those. The tail lights are more vertical and there is a turnup on the bumper ends that is not in line with the lights. It also has a large rear quarter light with a chrome divider from the rear door windows.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see that the driver's side has the fence sticking out past it that makes it look like the car has a fin.

[Grimy]

I agree, Spinney, that it's not a Mercury.  The RH taillight resembles 1952-53 Merc AND has a suitable slant but the greenhouse doesn't match, not does the shape of the deck (trunk) lid.  I also agree with Keiser31 that the background even further obscures the shape of the LH taillight.

[Curti]

I believe the car in question is European. 

[alsancle]

15 minutes ago, Curti said:

I believe the car in question is European. 

 

My first thought was a Ford Consul or another American manufacture building in Europe.

[alsancle]

Knowing where this film was filmed would make the guessing much easier.

[Guest bozoclown]

Thanks to everyone for your responses for far!  It certainly does look like the '53 Mercury, although the angle of the fin looks different.  It could be a fence post in the foreground, as keiser31 stated.  I will try to get more frames in a gif and post it later tonight.

This movie was reportedly filmed in Dallas, Texas.  

[keiser31]

I agree with Dave....1953 Mercury. It looks to me like the left taillight is partially missing or damaged.

Edited June 30, 2016 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Guest bozoclown]

This gif shows a few more frames of the car, although I don't think it helps much.

I'm about ready to conclude it's a '53 Merc, it's similar enough to Dave Mellor's photo.  But I'll give a little more time if someone has other ideas. 

Then I'll reveal why I think the year is important

[F&J]

The drivers taillight/fin looks strange, but it is a fence post causing that.

 

If it is a 53 Merc, then that MGTD is likely the same year or close.  I think the last TD was 53?  and that must be a later one as it has the stamped steel wheels, not wires

[Grimy]

Consider a Simca Vedette,  This one is 1957. These cars have the trim on the C pillar and the stainless trimmed windows like the subject car.  Trunk handle is small on Simcas, however. In a cursory examination of Google images, I couldn't find a two-door of this vintage.

 

[keiser31]

1 hour ago, F&J said:

The drivers taillight/fin looks strange, but it is a fence post causing that.

 

If it is a 53 Merc, then that MGTD is likely the same year or close.  I think the last TD was 53?  and that must be a later one as it has the stamped steel wheels, not wires

My all original 1950 MGTD had the steel wheels. 1954 and 1955 were the MGTF years.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Looking at the two pics I posted,the side molding on the 52 stops at the door while on the 53 it runs all the way to the front fender. Here's a 52 4dr I couldn't find a 2dr sedan

 

[keiser31]

Looking a little closer, I see that the fence has a square sign or something at the upper corners of the break in the fence. One covers the upper part of the driver's side taillight. The one on the other side of the fence opening covers part of the front of the MGTD.

Edited July 1, 2016 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Guest bozoclown]

Gentlemen, thank you for your help in identifying the car.  I'm 95% certain that it is a 1953 Mercury.

So here's the story of the movie.  It's a classic stag film starring the infamous Texas stripper Candy Barr:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_Barr

If you click the Wikipedia link above, you will see they make reference to the film in question, entitled "Smart Alec", saying that it was made in 1951.  When I came across a copy of the film on the internet (I was viewing it for scholarly purposes) I took one look at those tail fins and knew that someone got the date wrong.

You must realize that all porn was illegal in those days, so there was not much record keeping, copyright dates, etc going on.  So when Candy was interviewed nearly 50 years later, memories being imperfect, she claimed that she was only 15 or 16 when it was made.  So 1951 became the official date reported by Wikipedia, IMDb, and any other source that uses the internet for fact checking.  

But us guys, knowing a little about cars, we know that unless that '53 Merc was fitted with a flux capacitor and went back in time, Candy was of legal age when the movie was made.

 

[Pomeroy41144]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 6:32 PM, bozoclown said:

No way.  This is not a Mercury.  Look at how those fins angle outward.  And they are pretty much vertical, unlike the forward slant of the Merc. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am in need of some expert opinions.  The attached photos come from a rather notorious film, of which the year of release is in question.  If someone could tell me the model year, I would know earliest date the movie could have been released. 

If anyone recognizes the film, please keep it to yourself until the car is ID'd, so as not to spoil the impartiality of those judging!

I'll reveal the story of the film after the car is identified.

Thank you in advance.

 

Edited July 1, 2016 by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

You get the greaseball Oscar for the lousiest picture we have ever been asked to identify. I am amazed that anyone recognised the car. Nevertheless, it is newer than 1951 and 1953 Mercury seems plausible.

[keiser31]

25 minutes ago, Pomeroy41144 said:

 

Once again....that is NOT a fin sticking out on the driver's side. It is the fence obscuring the taillight.

[Pomeroy41144]

6 hours ago, keiser31 said:

Once again....that is NOT a fin sticking out on the driver's side. It is the fence obscuring the taillight.

 

 

Pretty crummy photo. 

[Guest bozoclown]

I humbly accept the greaseball Oscar!  

Yes, 60-odd year old 8mm porno is not the best medium for identifying automobiles.  That just speaks to the skills of you guys that made the ID!

 

As pointed out by keiser31, there is a fence in the foreground, with a gate that has some kind of plate on each side, the plate obscures the left taillight, and the gatepost makes it look like the tailfin is at the wrong angle. you can see this better in the zoomed-out version of the screen capture:

[Mike36]

Not a Mercury, looks foreign to me. Tailights are angled, not straight up and down like a Merc.

[Curti]

2 hours ago, Mike36 said:

Not a Mercury, looks foreign to me. Tailights are angled, not straight up and down like a Merc.

 I agree, look at English Ford, Vauxhall  (sp) etc. 

[keiser31]

If you look at the quarter panel on this, you can see that the trim looks fatter at the side/rear because of the bump out and reflection. Same on the car in question. The roof and 'C' pillar looks different also because of the fence rail obscuring the base of it. I still say it is one of these.

[CarlLaFong]

OK, so spill the beans. What is this all about???

[Guest bozoclown]

The beans were spilled in post #23

[Curti]

13 hours ago, Mike36 said:

Not a Mercury, looks foreign to me. Tailights are angled, not straight up and down like a Merc.

 I agree, look at English Ford, Vauxhall  (sp) etc. 

[JACK M]

You guys made me watch porn.

[Curti]

Ya, but you missed the good part  Jack !

I now agree with John, 53 Merc.

[JACK M]

I say 53 Merc as well.

You can see it in one of the clips.

I will be back when my eyes stop burning. HA!

[Laughing Coyote]

I say its a 1951 Packard Patrician 400.  Just my thought.

[keiser31]

23 minutes ago, Laughing Coyote said:

I say its a 1951 Packard Patrician 400.  Just my thought.

Here it is for a comparison....I think the trim is a tad too low to be this car.

Edited July 5, 2016 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[auburnseeker]

It almost has a bit of a Taunus look to it.  Maybe they had wing tip bumper accessories then for them.  Here is a random one from the web. 

It looks a bit more like the Merc though.  Just some food for thought.