1947 Mercury Panel Truck Truck

When peacetime resumed, Ford Motor Company of Canada introduced a line of Mercury trucks for the 1946 model year. These ranged from half-ton pickups to three-ton heavy-duty, stake-bed bodies, plus a line of school buses. These trucks were sold in Canada under the Mercury and Ford badges.

There were differences between the Mercury and Ford trucks, though they were siblings, such as the Mercury truck transmission which featured all-helical gears. The Mercury trucks were powered by a 239.4 cubic-inch Flat-head V8 engine rated at 100 horsepower. There were four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes and a heavy-duty rear axle. Mercury would continue to stay in the Canadian truck business until the late 1960s, with all production coming out of the Windsor, Ontario plant.

For 1947, Mercury produced 3,809 Light Trucks with fewer than 60 being the Half-Ton Panel Truck style. This example was discovered in the late 1990s in a field in Saskatchewan with its original Yosemite Green exterior. It was brought to Ontario and, over a period of seven years, restored by Mercury truck expert Ron O'Neill. The body and all sub-components were removed from its frame and acid-dipped. There was very little metal damage and small amounts of rust, plus no evidence of any body filler. The truck's chassis was stripped down to the rivets and all mechanicals, including the original engine, transmission, rear axle, suspension, brakes, and ancillary components were restored.

In 2010, this Mercury Panel Truck was offered for sale at Gooding & Company's auction held in Amelia Island, Florida. The car was expected to sell for $55,000 - $75,000 and was offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $44,000, inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2010