YEAR:  1953                                                    MAKE AND MODEL: MERCURY MONTEREY                                              

COLOR: YOSEMITE YELLOW                       UPHOLSTERY:  DEEP BROWN TWEED

INDIA BLACK TOP

ENGINE: STOCK FLATHEAD                        TRANS: STOCK AUTOMATIC

REAR END: STOCK                                        WHEELS:  STOCK

FRONT END:  STOCK

When is a Ford car not a Ford?  When it’s the Mercury of Don and Cookie Ford.

This car is no April-fools’ joke. It looks like it was just driven off the showroom floor in 1953. 

Well in 1953 there was another Mercury that looked just like it and it was driven by a young girl named Cookie. Seems her dad had bought it for her from a service man from Camp Cook (now Vandenberg AFB).  Cookie and Don raised a couple of kids with that car and drove it till the wheels fell off so in 1999 Don started rebuilding a 1953 Mercury to replace the one Cookie once had. After about 7 years, Cookie’s car was done, so he thought. It seems he had forgotten the original one had that India Black top. So, back to the paint shop.

Don kept it all stock except he let Cookie do what she wanted for the interior, and she did a great job with that gorgeous tweed. 

They have taken it to lots of shows including Dana Point, Solvang, Santa Maria, Palm Springs, Canyon Cruise, Santa Anita, and others. I have personally watched them walk away with the trophies. The fine old Merc looks great in CAL-RODS.