Mercury came of age in 1955, as it became its own division of Ford Motor Company separate from the Lincoln-Mercury division for the first time. That year a new forward look styling was unveiled and the new top-o-the-line model was called the Mercury Montclair.
The Montclair was lower and had a contrasting “Panel of Color” along the top of the doorline. The “Far Advanced Full Scope” wraparound front windshield offorded more style and saftey. And the ’55 dashboard had a new “fan-shaped” instrument panel.
his week a 1955 Mercury Montclair Convertible was listed for sale by Show Your Auto.com. Their client says the color is called Banner Blue metallic and the Montclair convertible comes with the 292 V8 Mercury overhead valve engine. This one was fully loaded with options, including power options such as Power Steering, Power Brakes, Power Convertible Top, Power Seats, Radio, Dual Exhaust, and Tinted Glass.
Many options we take for granted today, were the stuff of vaunted luxury in 1955. The still original car comes with the Automatic Chassis Lubrication System, Super-Torque Merc-O-Matic Drive, dual spotlights, and the Continental kit (see photo of the kit cover.) It even came with a padded dash. Weighing in at 3,900 pounds, the Montclair was capable of a top speed of 105mph.
The current Canadian owner has had the car for four years; bought it as a fresh, concours restoration, completed by the previous owner. That gentleman, from Colorado, owned the car for 25 years. He drove and enjoyed the car and it was in tremendous condition prior to the complete rotisserie restoration.
Included with the car is a complete photo album chronicling the endeavor from tear down to completion. This is a restoration of considerable detail as you can see in the ad photos.
The year 1955 marked Mercury’s best sales year in the 1950’s with 330,000 vehicles sold. The impact of the new styling was significant. The Montclair was Mercury’s only convertible offering for ’55. They sold an impressive 10,668 drop top versions.
Unfortunately, not many have survived until today. This one has had an older concours restoration and remains in beautiful condition. Show Your Auto.com estimates that it remains in 90 to 96 percent in showroom condition with just slight wear visible under the closest investigation. This is the one to own.