Hollywood heartthrob James Dean drove a Mercury coupe in “Rebel Without A Cause.” George Barris customized dozens of them in the mid-1950s. The 1949 to 1951 Mercurys’ bulbous but enduring lines highlighted the division’s first real break with tradition. Prewar and early postwar Mercurys had shared Ford body shells, though for 1949, the new Model 9CM Mercury received the same body and chassis as the little Lincoln, and that made a big difference. Ford division’s ambitious postwar plans had been to stretch its cars’ wheelbases from 114 to 118 inches. When cost analyses indicated that platform would be too expensive if marketed as a Ford, the tooling had already been authorized, so the decision was made to use the larger body to better showcase the newest Mercury. An identical body shell was used for Lincoln’s 121-inch wheelbase 9EL models. Head of design and former yacht designer Bob Gregorie’s design was a noticeable departure from his classic, nautically influenced 1942-48 Fords and Mercurys, which featured pronounced fender catwalks and repetitive trim strips. Unlike the breakthrough but slab-sided 1949 Fords, the new Mercury boasted vestigial fadeaway fenders. Sedans had front-opening “suicide” rear doors, and a massive grille flanked by large parking lights gave an illusion of greater width. The ’49 Mercury’s bigger, more distinctive body immediately highlighted the line as a different entity from the Ford—much better than the company did in later years. Mercury styles included a two-door coupe, a convertible and a four-door sedan. Earlier fastback coupe and sedan proposals were dropped. There was also a handsome two-door station wagon with Birdseye Maple and mahogany wood pieces decoratively attached to a pressed-steel body structure. The 1949 Mercury featured an enlarged channel section frame with a sturdy X-member and a reinforced front K-member. The ’48 model’s I-beam, solid front axle and traditional transverse buggy spring were replaced by independent, unequal-length wishbones and coil springs; the now-obsolete torque-tube was supplanted with a Hotchkiss-type open driveline. Larger 11-inch brake drums, Gemmer worm-and-roller steering and a 3-speed manual transmission rounded out the driveline. BorgWarner-built Touch-O-Matic Overdrive was optional. The famous flathead V-8 was stroked 0.25 inches. The venerable flathead’s displacement rose to 255.4 CI with 110 HP at 3,600 RPM. Minor trim changes marked Mercury’s 1950 models. The one- millionth Mercury was built that year. In lieu of a hardtop, which Mercury didn’t have, the flashy, padded vinyl- or canvas-roofed Monterey coupe was added, along with a more budget-friendly, fixed-rear-window two-door as an entry-level model. Mercury’s 1951 models were restyled with a new grille, roofline, extended rear fenders and vertical tail lights. Besides the Merc-O-Matic transmissions introduced that year, many items had wonderful, period-perfect names like the Econ-O-Miser carburetor and the Safe-T-Vue instrument panel. Almost as soon as the new Mercurys were sold, customizers began removing chrome, chopping tops (George Barris’ late brother Sam is credited with the first chopped Merc), adding sidespears and grilles from other makes, and lowering the cars to within a cigarette pack’s height from the ground. Popularly called “bathtub” Mercurys today, the 1949 to 1951 Mercurys have become the definitive early ‘50s American “lead sled” customs. So many cars were modified, then and now, it’s hard to locate a stock one. Underway, the venerable flathead purrs at idle and heats up quickly in stop-and-go traffic, but it still accelerates quite briskly. The Merc’s suspension is mushy by today’s standards; fast cornering is to be avoided. Still, a plus: those broad bench seats were ideal for “parking,” both then and now. This lovely black example showing just 19,000 miles and featuring a largely original interior, was once owned by the Monsignor of Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal, Quebec; there’s still a church decal on one of the windows. Surely among the most original 1949 Mercury coupes in existence, it’s been subtly enhanced to resemble James Dean’s famous movie ride by mild lowering, flared fender skirts and a throaty dual-exhaust system with period-style Smithy glasspack mufflers.
