1949 Baldwin Mercury Special

Willis Baldwin's first racing special, the Payne Special, had been a competitive racer and a successful vehicle. So Baldwin decided to design and create a second car, dubbed the Baldwin Mercury Special. The car was built using a 1946 Ford chassis that had been shortened by over 13 inches, to 100 inches. The engine bay was modified to accept the engine nearly 23 inches farther back in the bay over the traditional setup. This helped distribute the vehicle's weight more evenly. The suspension was the stock Ford setup, with leaf springs in the front and rear.

A Mercury 284 cubic-inch V8 engine was mounted in the engine bay and mated to a three-speed Ford gearbox with a 3.78:1 rear axle. The engine was given an aluminum cylinder head, aluminum intake manifold, modified camshafts, exhaust headers, and enlarged bore and strokes.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2007