1947 Mercury Woody Wagon

Description

Wow, everything about this 1947 Mercury woody wagon is remarkable. Hailing from New Mexico, where it spent most of its early life in the service of the National Forest Service, it's the result of a 15-year restoration that has turned it into one of the most attractive Woodies on the market. With superlative highway manners complements of a Columbia 2-speed and that wonderful flathead V8 purr, this is a car that satisfies on every level.

You can imagine how expensive the restoration was, given that the wood is all-new, replaced at a cost of $21,000 just for the raw materials! Then there was fitting, finishing, and final assembly, making this car better than new in almost every conceivable way. The lovely sage green paint is a great contrast to the vivid ash and mahogany bodywork, with the steel staying in the background to let the wood do all the talking. The post-war Mercs were pretty darned good-looking cars with restrained styling and a bit more flash than their Ford counterparts, and they're arguably the best-driving flatheads ever built. The bodywork was refinished to the same standards, with good fit, a wonderful gloss on the fenders, and a vinyl roof insert that looks like new. All the chrome on the car was restored, and there is a lot of it, and the car includes rare accessories like the bumper ends and spare tire cover.

The tan leatherette interior still features all three rows of seats, a rather rare find on an old wagon, since early owners often removed the rear bench for additional storage space. All the seats were reupholstered using correct materials and someone did a marvelous job of woodgraining the dashboard, making it almost a match for the mahogany inner door panels. Correct stainless screws, original hardware, and a beautifully re-cast steering wheel make this a very comfortable place to spend some time, like your favorite cabin in the woods. The gauges were restored with bright faces and a very upscale look (this is a Mercury, after all), and there's an AM radio in the dash and a heater underneath, both desirable options in 1947. All four doors fit well, regardless of the weather (ask a woody owner about humidity), and there's a bit of storage space in back with a tailgate whose lights swivel to always face rearward.

The 239 cubic inch flathead V8 really needs no introduction, and in this neat little woody it provides a wonderful punch and a great soundtrack. Thanks to the Columbia 2-speed rear end, it's an effortless cruiser at modern highway speeds, but still feels quick around town and it doesn't mind carrying a full complement of passengers. The engine is nicely detailed if not 100% correct, but the demerits are quite minor, like the parts store battery. It still uses a correct oil-bath air cleaner, and the radiator hoses are proper reproductions that won't sag. It still runs off of six volts so you get the full experience and no worries about careless workmanship. The 3-speed manual transmission shifts easily and even though Ford was still using buggy springs and rigid axles at both ends, the ride is surprisingly plush with the wagon body on top. The chassis is nicely finished and quite correct and the color-matched steel wheels have shiny hubcaps, trim rings, and fresh whitewall tires.

This is a really easy car to fall in love with, combining the romance of the woody with the performance of the Ford flathead. With no stories, it's worth every penny of the asking price. Call today!