“I always intended to do that, but had to be after I’d raised my family,” McNiel added. “I decided, except for the paint color, which was the most recognizable feature, I’d do it the way it was when I got it. I wanted everything to be done right here in my garage—and except for the painting, it was.” Fortunately, the car’s previous owners had kept the Mercury pretty much intact. “When I first got the car,” McNiel added, “the fender skirts were in the trunk. And it still had everything on it, even the Von Dutch striping, which was put on in ’55.” With Sue’s enthusiastic help, Jim McNiel, a talented mechanic and painter, painstakingly repaired the ravages of time that had resulted from the car’s 50-plus-year history. The pair uncovered the original Ice Green and Organic Green Metallic paint hues buried under several repaints. Stan Betz electronically duplicated them, and PPG formulated the exact acrylic lacquer color, ensuring the team could refinish the car to look just the way it did in 1953.” When Jim removed the dash to rewire the car, he found Bob Hirohata’s and George Barris’ business cards wedged behind the radio speaker, to keep it from rattling. “I never touched them,” he said. “It was important to me that their hands put them there. I didn’t want to change anything that was a link with the builders. I wanted to feel their presence.” Pat Ganahl described Jim McNiel as the consummate perfectionist, noting: “All the car parts are authentic 1951 Mercury, and the engine parts are original 1953 Cadillac.” It’s hardly surprising that the restoration took a long time, but the results speak for themselves. It’s spectacular, and befitting for a car Ganahl called, “the most famous of the classic custom era, if not all time.” Jim and Sue McNiel generously showed the Hirohata Mercury at many important events. But the big moment eluded them until 2015 when the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance approved a class of Mercury Customs—a first for the event. The Hirohata car looked presentable, but that wouldn’t be enough, and some damage had occurred when the car was shown in Sweden. Jim McNiel didn’t have the means to fund it, so the call went out for the old gang to reassemble one more time. Junior Conway, who’d arguably become the most acclaimed painter in the business, led the charge, culminating with a thorough freshening by Frank Sonzogni, Bill Lazerlere and others. 68 // MECUM.COM
