conceptcarz.com

1953 Mercury Custom Series

The Mercury automobile received its first all-new postwar styling on April 29th of 1948. While prior Mercury automobiles had mirrored the Ford line, essentially up-market Fords, the new Mercury's shared Lincoln styling and similar body shells. They had wraparound front and rear bumpers, and a large and shiny grille divided in the center by a large vertical piece of chrome.

Another restyling occurred in 1952, and again it was applied to the entire Ford Motor Company lineup. In the front were 'frenched' headlights, a one-piece curved windshield replaced the prior two-piece windshield, a large integrated bumper and grille, a fake (yet sporty) hood scoop, and vertical tail and backup lights.

For 1953, the Mercury Custom Series received a major update to its grille, with prominent bumper guards that were bullet-shaped. In the back, on the trunk, was a new medallion, and the side chrome trim included a full-length mid-body spear and rear fender molding.

Power was provided by an L-head, 255.4 cubic-inch V8 engine fitted with a Holley two-barrel carburetor delivering 125 horsepower at 3,800 RPM. The engine was backed by a three-speed manual transmission as standard equipment, or optional Overdrive or Merc-O-Matic. Other options included power steering, power seat, whitewall tires, bumper grille guard, radio, power brakes, electric windows, and wheel covers.

Body styles on the 1953 Mercury Custom Series included a sports coupe, a two-door sedan, and a four-door sedan. The two-door sedan had a factory price of $2,000, the four-door of $2,050, and the sports coupe at $2,115. The 4-door sedan was the most popular with 59,794 examples built. The two-door sedan had 50,183 units built and the sports coupe had 39,547.
By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2020

Related Reading : Mercury Monterey History

An automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company, Mercury was founded in 1939 with the purpose to market entry-level-luxury vehicles that were slotted in between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles. All Mercury models are today based on Ford platforms. The Mercury name is derived from messenger of the gods of Roman mythology. In the beginning years, Mercury was known for....
Continue Reading >>

Recent Vehicle Additions

Related Automotive News