1946 Mercury Series 69M Sportsman Convertible

For the 1946 model year, the 69M received a new grille. The Liquamatic Drive automatic transmission option was no longer offered. The Sportsman convertible, featuring wood body panels, was new for this year and only 205 were produced during the 1946 model year.

For 1946, Mercury produced 86,603 vehicles, making it the 12th largest automaker during this era.

This 1946 Mercury Sportsman was delivered new to an executive of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company in Ohio, one of the largest manufacturers of steel. It was traded in 1949, now showing 20,000 miles on the odometer, to Bartholomew Motors of Warren, Ohio. They sold it to Franklin Ledru Moody of Orwell, Ohio for $1,495.

The car was found in 1974 and later acquired by woodie collector Donald Narus of Parma, Ohio, and restored by Don Newby of Bondurant, Indiana. It later joined the collection of Curt Heaton in Corona del Mar, California, before coming into the car of Nick Alexander in 2003.

This Sportsman has a Maple and Mahogany body and deep Navy Blue paint. There is a black canvas top with red piping, lined inside with tan canvas. There are lap belts in the front for two. The trunk floor is black rubber and the dashboard has restored mahogany woodgrain.

Between April and December of 1946, there were just 205 examples of the Mercury Sportman convertibles built. This would be the final year of its production.

In 2009, this 1946 Mercury Sportsman was offered for sale at the Sports & Classics of Monterey auction in Monterey, California presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $275,000-$350,000 and was offered without reserve. The lot was sold for the sum of $368,500, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2009