Tiffany Temptation: 1966 Mercury Monterey Convertible – Sold?
December 7, 2021 Update – We believe the seller just commented below that this Mercury remains available for sale, so we’re trying to reach him by phone to confirm that. Stay tuned!
November 10, 2021 Update – We just confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found we’re assuming this ride “Sold?” unless we find out otherwise that’s not the case.
Through most of the 1960s, many consumers considered the purchase of a Mercury a nice step up from a similar Ford car. A prime example was Mercury’s version of the Ford Galaxie 500: the Mercury Monterey. Much less common to come by, the three-owner, 47K original Tiffany Blue, 1966 Mercury Monterey originally listed in October 2021 on Craigslist in Cleveland, Ohio appears to be a nicely preserved, survivor quality example.
Currently offered for $14,995, comparing that price against the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms the private seller has their Mercury convertible priced between this guide’s #4 “Fair” (Daily Driver) estimate of $10,200 and its #3 “Good” appraisal of $17,000. Interestingly, the Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #3 “Good” estimate of $12,000 and its #2 “Very Good” appraisal of $15,700.
The Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool also provides this overview of the mid-sixties Mercury Monterey:
“Ford had nearly given up on Mercury, along with Edsel, by 1960. The 1961 cars no longer had Mercury bodies but were glorified Fords again, as they had been prior to 1957. But as time went on, sales of middle-class large cars recovered, and Ford Motor Company began planning a new Mercury that was more than a rebadged Ford but less than the entirely separate body of 1957-60. In fact, Ford was simply now doing what competitors Chrysler and GM had been doing for years: sharing major unseen components with different make and size vehicles to reduce costs.
A lot of money was spent on the engineering of the all-new Ford and Mercury cars that were introduced six months after the highly popular Mustang increased floor traffic at dealerships. Alas, Mercury sales stayed in ninth place in 1965, but overall sales increased by some 15 percent.
The 1965 Mercury Monterey went up in size, and remained the best-selling big Mercury for 1965. The new chiseled look was deemed attractive, and a Lincoln-like grille was very popular. A 390 cid V-8 engine was standard with 250 hp, more than adequate for all but high-performance speed work. Higher powered 390s of 300 and 390 hp were optional, plus a 427 engine of 425 hp was also technically available but rare.
An all-new perimeter frame allowed a lower roofline yet increased room inside and gave a lower center of gravity. The suspension was all-new, and the ride quality and NVH (noise-vibration-harshness) was attended to particularly well, making for serene cruising. All new bodies utilized curved side glass for the first time in a Mercury.
The cars also lent themselves as the basis for all-new Canadian-built Mercury Meteor cars, which were available with six-cylinder and small V-8 engines, and which used Ford interiors and instrument panels.
The 1966 cars were facelifted, with the biggest change under the hood being a new optional, lower cost 428 V-8 engine of 345 hp and 410 cid V-8 of 330 hp replacing the 427. The most powerful 390 engine was now 275 hp, which was standard on automatic transmission cars, and a detuned 265 hp version was standard on manual shift cars. Most buyers opted for automatics.
Body styles for the Monterey again included Breezeway four-door sedan, two-door sedan, four-door sedan, convertible, fastback hardtop coupe and a new fastback hardtop sedan was added.”
We came across this interesting video featuring the “Move Ahead With Mercury” theme song used to promote the brand’s 1966 car lineup:
Other than the stained convertible top blue, the missing convertible top window, and what appears to be a missing lower rocker molding, there is a lot to like about this low mileage survivor. Especially with what appears to be a period-correct 8-Track player.
Here’s the seller’s description (apologies for their use of all capital letters):
“1966 MERCURY MONTEREY CONVERTIBLE
47K ORIGINAL PAMPERED MILES.
ACCIDENT AND SMOKE-FREE.
IN NEARLY NEW MECHANICAL CONDITION.
METICULOUSLY CARED FOR SINCE DAY ONE. EXTREMELY CLEAN INSIDE.
ALWAYS GARAGED.
GORGEOUS ORIGINAL BRILLIANT TIFFANY BLUE PAINT IN GOOD CONDITION.
GREAT CONDITION HUBCAPS WITH RADIAL TIRES.
NO BACK WINDOW.
IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A REASONABLE OFFER GIVE ME A CALL.
THIS CAR IS GREAT OVERALL WITH ONLY 47K PAMPERED MILES!
VERY METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED.
TRULY SUPER RARE WITH VERY LOW PRODUCTION NUMBERS.
STUNNING OLD SCHOOL ORIGINAL!
POWERED BY THE BIG BLOCK 390 CU IN. 275 HP 6.4L V8 FE ENGINE.
3-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
MERC-O-MATIC MULTI-DRIVE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
(HILL START ASSISTANCE)
MECHANICAL UPDATED AND GONE OVER BY TRUSTED LOCAL MECHANIC WITH OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE!
MUCH MORE!
STUNNING BLUE INTERIOR IN VERY GOOD CONDITION!
ALL GAUGES, AM/FM RADIO, 8-TRACK W/ TAPES, POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, POWER CONVERTIBLE TOP, TILT STEERING ETC…
SERVICE MANUAL, NEW CARPET, AND SOME MISC PARTS.
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY LOW MILEAGE, PAMPERED, ADULT-OWNED, AND EXTREMELY CARED FOR MONTEREY CONVERTIBLE!
JUST A COUPLE TLC SPOTS ON BODY, BUT A TRUE FACTORY ORIGINAL THAT RUNS AND DRIVES LIKE A NEW CAR SHOULD!
NEW BRAKES, MASTER CYLINDER, ALTERNATOR, RECORED RADIATOR , TIMING CHAIN, EXHAUST.
YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED!
COULD BE EASILY TRANSFORMED INTO A PARK LANE, S-55 OR MARAUDER!
JUST GAS HER UP, AND DRIVE AWAY! READY FOR CROSS COUNTRY TRIP ON START UP!
RELATED TO FORD GALAXIE, PARK LANE, MONTCLAIR, MARAUDER.
ALL OFFERS CONSIDERED!
1ST OWNER HAD FROM 1966 – 2014
WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY HER ESTATE GAVE THE CAR TO CHARITY AND THEY SOLD IT TO THE PERSON I BOUGHT IT FROM.
I AM AVAILABLE FOR CALLS ANY TIME DAY OR NIGHT 24-7. IF I DO NOT ANSWER – I WILL RETURN YOUR CALL PROMPTLY.
TwoONE6777ninetynineHundred
SCAMMERS WILL NOT HAVE CALLS RETURNED!
“
Show or go: what would you do with this restored Triumph? Comment below and let us know!
This Car is Still Available…Call me.
Steven, I left you a message. Please feel free to call me at (877) 468-6497 when you get a chance.
The car is a beauty however, after repairing the rocker panels and quarter panels bubbling from apparent rust making a comeback, the paint is not going to match so, I’d be looking at complete left and right side paint job. $15,000 is steep for a huge job like that on such a large body. Don’t mean any disrespect but to make it a $15,000 to $17,000 car, I’d have to invest at least $5,000 and maybe even more with today’s crazy paint prices. I honestly feel that cars that need no work have the advantage in today’s environment.
Fair point. More than likely, someone looking to hold on to the car rather trying to flip it will end up being the right buyer for it.
Very true.
Make me an offer…