1950 Mercury Eight V8 Survivor original paint time capsule California Barn Find
1950 Mercury Eight Coupe Eight
1950 Mercury "Eight" Coupe~Original California Survivor~Built in Los Angeles California~Original 69 year old Raven Black Paint~Sold new "Uptown Motors" Oakland California~Original dealer sales paper work and manualsNO RESERVE AUCTIONView Raw Image">
Possibly the finest most original 1950 Mercury Coupe available anywhere.Rust free time capsule sealed away for over 5 decades,unmolested and unrestored. One of themost iconic automobile design that started the California custom car cultural phenomenon anyone can restore a car but they are only original once.
So we have a 1950 Mercury Eight Coupe built in Los Angeles California shipped north by rail to Oakland California where on the 21st of July 1950 "Cornelius A.Smith Lt. Col. USAF retired" now a salesman at "Uptown Motors" 2345 upper Broadway Oakland Californiadeliveredthis new special dealer ordered #M72 DSO Oakland zone office Raven Black Mercury Eight Coupe to Irvin L. Barber who resided on Cedar street in Alameda, CA an island in San Franciscobay the former home of NAS Alameda a Naval Air station and military base from 1927-1997.
Irvin took exceptional care of the Coupe with military like maintenance, and it remained in his family'sownership for the next 26 years. The current owners family acquiredthis classic in 1976 and added it to their private 300 plus vehicle collection where it has been in a building and has not seen the light of day for over 5 decades.
This particular example is a true California survivor in every sense of the word the "vin" number#50LA30217M shows the first two digits (50) for the year 1950, the next (LA) is for Los Angeles which was actually the town of Maywood, California a small Gateway city in Los Angeles county. The Eight model signified the exclusive use of V8 power under the hood which was a slightly larger displacementversion of the famous flathead V8 at 255 cubic inches which generated 110 horsepower. Every single 1950 Mercury Eight that left the factory had a 3 speed manual transmission but not every 1950 Mercury Eight left the factory with a Overdrive transmission, as this special ordered example has. What you rarely hear about is original California vehicles that are nearly 8 decades old with it's original black paint. That is something you just don't see to often and would be quite difficult to duplicate. Because of the strong interest in customizing these Mercury's an original 1949 to 1951 Mercury in pure stock form is more difficult than finding one that'sbeen modified, and stock two-door models may be the most difficult to find. The 1949,1950 and 1951 Mercury'swere hot when new, and remain a must for any serious collection.This 1950 Mercury Coupe is possibly the most original stock example in existenceanywhere in the world.This is a unique opportunityto own an iconic symbol of the very start of the California custom car culture in the early 1950's untouched from new with its original Raven Black paint it left the factory with 69 years ago.
The Exterior of the car is in fantastic shape for being anoriginal 69 year old car. The quality of materials like the paint was far superior in 1950than the paint used now a days. This superior quality and protection from the elements have been the reason this 50 Mercury looks so good. It is a 69 year old car and is not perfect. There are some thin spots on the hood where the paint has thinned down to the primer. There are also 2 scratches on the lower passenger side and a small dent on the lower rear drivers side. The car is rust free and very straight and 100% american made steel.
Mechanically: This car has traveledand average of just 1017 miles per year, it has the powerful Mercury 255 Flathead V8 and a 3 speed manual transmission. The car actually fires up and runs very well considering it has been in storage for nearly 50 years. When taking these pics the car was left running and it stayed cooled with no visibleleaks or strange sounds or squealing belts which is amazing to me. The linkage for the 3 speed column shift needs adjusting however the transmission pulls strong in all gears and reverse. The car runs fantastic however please be realistic in your expectationsof this 69 year old automobile in other words don't expectto fly and drive to Canada, the tires are in great shape how ever very old the car still has it's 1963 mandated California plates with the last sticker being 1976 when the car was retired to the collection.
INTERIOR: The interior of this car is anything short of amazing, like the rest of the car it is a time capsule with the glove fox filled with all the original books and recordsfrom its first day of sale on July 21,1950. As was the custom of the day many people would cover there brand new furniture in plastic which I am finding out as I have two 1950 automobilesthat have been covered from new as told by the daughter to the father of the present owner who has no intention of taking them off but the seats should be brand new underneath as they have been covered from day one. The art deco design dashboard all new for 1950 is a work of art never to be duplicated again. Starting with the original headliner which is in near perfect condition to all the door panels with beautiful accents that look as they did in 1950. The gauges and handles are all fresh and new looking as a work of art that has been sealed in a vault exactly the way it was in 1976
NO RESERVE THIS ITEM WILL SELL TO THE FINAL BIDDER!This listing includes well over 100 detailed photos and the vehicle has been described as descriptive as possible. If there is anything that is unclear or additional information is needed please don't hesitate to ask. Please ask any questions before bidding.Please only bid with the intention to own. Bidding then canceling for "entering the wrong amount" will get you blocked from further bidding. Thanks and Good Luck**ONLY BID WITH INTENTIONS TO PAY FOR AND OWN THIS CAR**
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HISTORICALLYSIGNIFICANT :This iconic design was part of the family look Ford chief stylist E.T. Bob Gregorie was going for. One of the most unique design features was the accent line that starts on the front fender and gently curved down to a lower body trim line of the rear quarters, according to an interview with Gregorie before his passing in 2002 he liked this line back to his first love the design of yachts, imagine the bow of amightyship cutting through the glassy smooth water of a lake, Gregorie said, that line represents the churning wake that is brought up as the vessel moves forward.The Mercury featured a toothy vertical grille divided inthe middlewith a chrome ornament stating "Eight". Flanking either side of the grille were thecombinationpark-turn signal lamps, with the brand name spelled out in chrome block letters along the front hood. The rear, uniquetaillightsand deck-lid trim finished off the exterior design. An expansive stamped metal dash board spannedthe widthof the interior and with a fullcomplimentgaugesin circular mountingsadoredthe instrument cluster.More 1949-1951 custom Mercurys have been built in that classic 1950's style by legendary artisans like George and Sam Barris, Joe Bailon, Valley Custom, the Ayala brothers and Gene Winfield much of the work devoted to the 1949-1951 Mercury with first choice a original black coupe. These pioneer custom car icons propelled the hobby forward more than any type of car in history of customizing
The 1949-1951 Mercury coupes have played many rolls in movies mostfamously in"Rebel with out a Cause" starring James Dean.
TERMS OF SALE
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- Make: Mercury
- Model: Eight Coupe
- SubModel: Eight
- Type: Coupe
- Trim: Eight
- Year: 1950
- Mileage: 70200
- VIN: 50LA30217M
- Color: Black
- Engine size: 255 CI Flathead V8
- Number of cylinders: 8
- Fuel: Gasoline
- Transmission: Manual
- Drive type: RWD
- Interior color: Green
- Vehicle Title: Clear Want to buy? Contact seller!
