For Sale: 1963 Mercury Monterey S-55 - "Mostly original, Every option works" - S Dakota - Not Mine - 5/27 SOLD!

[6T-FinSeeker]

For sale on Facebook:  1963 Mercury Monterey S-55 2-door Hardtop in Sioux Falls, SD  -  $22,500  -  Call: 605 359 41 four eight

 

Link: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/934238424387404/-1963-Mercury-Monterey-S-55

 

Seller's Description:

1963 Mercury Monterey S-55 2-door Hardtop

• Driven 38,585 miles
• Automatic transmission
• Exterior color: Tan · Interior color: Tan

1963 Mercury Monterey S-55with ONLY 38,585 miles. This car is mostly all original and is stunning. Every option in working order, original paint and it drives like it was only 5 years old...would take it anywhere! Serious buyers only need call.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by 6T-FinSeeker
update status (see edit history)

[6T-FinSeeker]

 

 

[Sal Hepatica]

Wide whites totally inappropriate on this Merc- they were gone by 1962- but that's an easy change.

Otherwise, looks like a very nice Breezeway S/55.

Had a '63 Marauder over 50 years ago... it was a fast, nice driving car. Sold it to buy a '65 Marlin. Last saw it on the back row of a junker 

lot in the early '70's.. went and inquired about it. The guy said "not for sale", it had been sold to a wrecker.

I still am sad about that after all these years.

[Crusty Trucker]

I have never liked the reverse angle tops on these Mercs or the earlier Continentals. They just looked unfinished, design wise. Maybe the stylists went out on strike before the design was done, and management went with what they had.

 

 

[bryankazmer]

6 hours ago, Crusty Trucker said:

I have never liked the reverse angle tops on these Mercs or the earlier Continentals. They just looked unfinished, design wise. Maybe the stylists went out on strike before the design was done, and management went with what they had.

 

 

Take a look at the Predictor, Packard showcar, and you'll see the reversed and operable window.  Some of the Packard folks ended up at Ford.  The Predictor survives, now at the Studebaker museum in South Bend

[rocketraider]

Nice. I've never seen an S-55 Breezeway. 

 

Always thought the Breezeway roof worked better on four-door bodystyles. They make two-doors look a little stubby and top-heavy.

[Fossil]

If you look at photo #1 you can sure see the similarity to the 58' to 60' T-birds. Especially from the firewall back.

[58L-Y8]

The prominent reverse-angle roof line wasn't aesthetically everyone's cup-of-tea but had a definite sales motivation driving its initiation.  Mercury, which had experienced increasing sales volumes through the postwar period up to 1955, as generally did its other medium-priced competitors, all experienced the rather sudden contraction of the segment though 1960.    Reasons attributed to this sea change were discontent with burgeoning size, lavish, outlandish styling, poor build quality, offset by rising interest in compacts and imports abetted by the Eisenhower recession.  

At Ford, Robert McNamera was president, cited the money losing Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln Division (MEL) as target for significant cutbacks in expenditures.  With Edsel dismissed, and Lincoln directed onto a consolidated model line that would eventually yield success, Mercury too was to be reined in.  The method selected was to return Mercury to share the Ford platform albeit with mostly its own identifiable styling.  The results weren't quite distinctive enough, recognizably a glamorous Ford again.   This reconfiguration didn't set off any 1961-'62 sale boon but did cause Mercury dealers to give district sales personnel feedback that buyers recognized the Mercury wasn't much more than a restyled Ford.  

 
Not much could be done until the next major restyle for 1965.  But the top could be modified without major expense, so stylist reached into their bag of already used tricks to come up with the reverse-angle 'breezeway' feature last used on the 1960 Lincoln Continental Mark V's.  Unlike every other FoMoCo body style, the 'breezeway' top was exclusively limited for Mercury's use.  Along with greater differentiation from Ford styling, proved to be popular with Mercury buyers, primarily the four door sedan models, Since the roof shell was utilized by both two and four door models, it comes off a bit awkward on the two door with the large quarter windows.

 
When the all-new 1965 Mercurys were developed, all breezeway models were four door sedans only since the two-door fastback was the current trend.  Even the four-door hardtop shared its body with the new Ford semi-formal style.  The severely rectilinear 1965-'66 Mercury styling complimented the reverse-angle breezeway.  That would change for 1967 when Mercury was given the softer, coke-bottle quarters which would clash with the angular.  A breezeway power backlight was a catalog option for 1967-'68 four door sedans with their coved rear windows, but it only retracts two inches under the shadow of the upper edge.

 

Make an astute observation, get a dissertation.
Steve    
 

[m-mman]

To expand on what Steve has said, the S-55 was the bucket seat interior option.  Started in 1962 it used the Ford “Galaxie” style pillars.  Mercury raced At NASCAR in 62 but then had a huge problem for 1963. 
The breezeway roof was the ONLY version available at the beginning of the 63 model year. A breezeway roof on a NASCAR super speedway is like dragging a parachute behind the car.
 

So Mercury wasn’t much of a participant until mid 1963 when Ford released the fastback roof cars. The fastback roof helped Fords on the track but it really allowed Mercury to go racing. They hooked up with Parnelli Jones and really went to town.  Not only NASCAR but Pikes Peak and even took the Comet on an African Safari in 1964.  
 

So, buckets, fastback and a few checkered flags and finally Mercury had something exciting to sell. This carried over into 1964. 

[JamesR]

Thanks Steve and m-mman for the great education. I love reading your posts. As I recall, the breezeway window was first introduced on a late '50's Mercury, but I can't remember which year. As Steve said, Mercury tried to incorporate a few older Lincoln styling elements into their early '60's cars.

 

I've grown to like the breezeway roof lines,  but yes, they are an acquired taste. However, the relatively rare more "fastback" version of the full sized Mercury is one of the better looking cars from Fomoco in '63.

Edited May 6, 2023 by JamesR (see edit history)

[ericmac]

I may be in the minority but I like everything about this car, even the color. If I was in the market, I'd have bought tomorrow. 

[deac]

I'm not a big fan of the roof but on this I can over look that on this car. The interior is is great shape and I love the floor shifter/console. The chrome and paint look good!  I especially like it because of the originality.... AWESOME!   Additionally this would make for a great movie car!  But I do wonder if the A/C unit works properly... The ad say the accessories work, so does that include the R-12 A/C system?

[TexRiv_63]

Cool car. Typical FoMoCo metallic paint fade, but nice shape.

[6T-FinSeeker]

On 5/27, Seller marked the Facebook ad "SOLD!"