1957 Mercury Monterey

1957 Mercury Monterey Description

Up for sale is my 1957 Mercury Monterey -- probably the most original 57 Monterey anywhere around. This is a very straight, rust-free car that I have owned for more than 10 years. In fact, I am only the third owner. The first was a little old lady from southern Illinois (her initials are still on the mirror). I bought it from a man who bought it from her back in about 1990.
Since I have owned it I have driven it many thousands of miles with no problems at all. I have made several long distance trips (in excess of 1,000 miles) to shows and to do old car tours. It has won numerous awards from the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) in the Historic Preservation of Features (HPOF) class, and those awards go with the car.
The car has a 312 Mercury engine with a three-speed manual shift on the column with overdrive and it is a blast to drive. Everything works as it should. Everything is original on the car with the exception of 15-inch wheels and 1956 Mercury hub caps. I have the original 14-inch wheels and original hub caps and they will go with the car. The tires are newer high-dollar Michelin radials that look right on the car in my opinion and make it drive like a dream. I also have the original air cleaner and a brand new air filter that go with the car but it is not pictured. I also have the spare tire but it I took it out for the photos and it is not pictured.
The car starts the first time every time and idles perfectly. Please see the Youtube links below to videos of the car at idle and driving down the road.
The chrome and the stainless is all very nice and straight. The interior is original and there are no rips or tears. The headliner is a thing of beauty and looks like brand new with no tears or stains. Even the floor mats appear to be original Mercury rubber mats. The glass is perfect all the way around with the exception of the two vent windows. Both of the vent windows have very small discoloring about an eighth of an inch around the seal. It's not bad and hard to see and I have tried to show it in the second to last photo. The seat belts are not original to the car (don't think you could get seat belts in 1957) but they were obviously installed in the late 50s or early 60s and look right at home in the car.
The car and the paint are 59 years old and there a few places where the paint has faded from wear, and I have tried to make sure that is visible in the photos (see the last one). The black paint is still very shiny and it was difficult to get good photos because of the reflections. The faded paint in spots does not take away from the car at all in my opinion. There are a couple of small bubbles in the paint on the tops of both front fenders above the headlights about a quarter the size of a dime. They have been like that since I have owned the car and have not gotten any worse.
The trunk is solid and there is no rust at all. The mat and cardboard are all original, including the instructions for jacking the car to change a flat. Although not pictured very well, the original jack, stand and lug wrench are in the car. This is a real time machine back to 1957. just look at the photo of the rear view mirror with the original owner's initials (remember when folks did that?) and the cool aftermarket compass above it (1950s J.C. Whitney possibly?).
The engine was rebuilt before I bought the car and I believe the car has a new four barrel carb and not the original. All of the lights and gauges work and I would not hesitate to drive this car across the country. And I have been told by some people who know that this car would easily win a Senior Award in AACA judging.
I love this car and would not be selling it except for the fact that I also have a 1957 Mercury Commuter station wagon and am restoring a 1957 Mercury Monterey convertible. If you have any questions at all please email me through ebay and I will be glad to answer them as quickly and honestly as possible.
I encourage anyone interested in the car to come and see it. It is being offer on an AS IS WHERE IS basis with no warranties nor guarantees, I require a $500 deposit within 48 hours after the end of the auction and full payment via wire or in person within seven days after the end of the auction. Any shipping is the responsibility of the purchaser, although I will be glad to help in any way I can. I reserve the right to end the auction at any time.
Please look at the 24 photos I have posted below and the videos.
(I am having trouble with ebay getting the video links clickable through Youtube. Go to youtube and search "1957 Mercury driving" and "1957 Mercury at idle" to see the videos. I will post links here if I can figure it out).

On Nov-03-16 at 08:33:19 PDT, seller added the following information:

I have added a third video of the car, this time it is walking around it to show how straight and original it is and to try and show the few places where the paint was a little thin and has faded from wear. Please type in "1957 Mercury walkaround" to see the video.