Hi Bert C, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Fathers car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
What is not to love about this ‘Jetson-age’ car? The atomic age brought about many design innovations and creativity. Thanks Lou for a great Saturday morning treat!
The whole of the mid century design era was stunning. Before that there was Art Deco and Art Nouveau so you could imagine designers from that era being influenced and growthing up with such artistic movements. Presently we do not have any type of creative culture and what we have is bland and plastic (nothing against plastic).
In Canada, for the first half of the year, the 54 Fords and Mercs were flatheads and kingpins, so you might find one to your liking north of the border.
Hi ddkoda, Happy to read you appreciate the looks and history of this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
The interior doors in that car are more artistic than most modern cars. Today you would have to spend $200,000 on a Bentley to get anything close to that. I was going to suggest a Ferrari but realized that I have seen modern Ferrari cars with cheap fiat plastic buttons in them.
Hi benzlick, Happy to read you appreciate this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
I really enjoyed seeing this 1954 Mercury Monterey Sun Valley. In the movie "The Long, Long Trailer (1953) with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, they were driving a 1954 Mercury convertible. The engine was strong enough to pull that 40' trailer uphill in Yosemite. The trailer was loaded up with all kinds of extra items like the boxes of rocks that Lucy collected.
Hi David, Happy to read this car brings back memories of the movie "The Long, Long Trailer (1953) with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz" :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Some constructive corrections are needed here.The car used in "The Long Long Trailer" was a 1953 Mercury Monterey,which still had the much less powerful flathead V8.If you look closely at the scenes in which the trailer is being pulled up the mountain,you will see that the crew switched over to a 1953 Lincoln convertible in place of the Mercury.This is because the '53 Lincoln already had a much more powerful OHV engine.It would have been a very slow climb up the mountain if they had used the Mercury.The reason why the Sun Valley version of the Mercury (and the Ford version) sold poorly was because the plexiglass roof made the cars like an oven inside.It is a beautiful car,nevertheless....
They actually used a 1953 Mercury not a 1954. You can always tell by the taillights. The 1954 has much larger lights. They also snuck in a 1953 Lincoln Covertable in one scene when they were driving through the mountains, but most people aren't aware because they looked so similar.
In 1959 when I was a senior in high school in Houston TX this model Mercury was one of the cars I lusted after -- still feel the same way about it. Ken obviously is a top collector of vintage 50's cars, thanks Ken for this trip back in time for mel.
Hi Rick, Happy to read this car brings back good memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Lou
That is a beautiful Automobile! Man sakes, they don't make em' like that anymore! What a jewel! Kudos to the restoration job, looks like strait out of the factory as well!
Hi Dustbowl Hammer, Happy to read you appreciate the looks of this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Wow Lou, this one was a topper for me. I always thought the 1952-54 Mercury's were some of the prettiest US cars ever made and this particular one is a stellar example. I agree with the owner that the restoration was a 10. You can see a lot of love went into making that car as new. The color combo is so soft and "cool" looking. Just spectacular.
What a beauty ! This had features way ahead of it's time. Those were the days when every small detail was thought out and executed in style. What a gem. Thanks for bringing this one out !
I agree, the only word for this restoration is *stunning.* I love the fanciful fighter jet-type slider controls on the dash board for the heater and vents.
This car is slightly older than me. I grew up in small town South Dakota and never saw these unique kind of cars as a kid. I remember seeing an ad picture of one in a 1954 National Geographic. What a wonderful car and I was a fan of these cars from that time forward. My favorite scene in the movie Peggy Sue Got Married is the one with the 54 Sun Valley. This car is exceptional and a wonderful video to see (as are all of your videos). Lou for people who do not remember these cars new your videos are as close as you can get to that experience (you cover all the details of each car well). For people who had these kind of cars (or had one in the family) it brings back many fond memories. Overall for many it brings back many fond memories of a great period in this country as cars were all a part of that. After all these years with so many great cars of the past to choose from (and I have owned many over the years), I just bought a 1955 Mercury Montclair Sun Valley. Thanks again for doing this car and for all of your videos..
Hi Allen Eneboe, Happy to read this car brings back memories & congratulations on your 1955 Sun Valley :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing, and you're welcome. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Oh Lou this car is just out of this world! I love the colors and that sky top!! Oh wow just awesome and I remember those cars as the Fords had them too I remember. I have always been a Mercury guy from a kid. I remember Desi and Lucy driving one just like this but a convertible in the movie The Long Long Trailer. That body style is just breathtaking! Those colors with that interior colors just pops. And the detailing on the doors and dash and everything is just remarkable. Ken always has such awesome one of a kind cars and I love his stories on his cars too. He really has awesome cars like that other gentlemen I like in the Chicago downtown area with the Mopars. Thanks for sharing Lou and that ride looked so inviting and so much fun with that sky top open like that. That is waht they had before the opening sunroofs. I really enjoyed this video Lou!
When I was ten or eleven, I had a step-aunt who had exactly this car, right down to the color scheme. She was the sort of wild, spinster of her family, free spirit, fully employed and able to do whatever she wanted. When we got bored dealing with family, we'd hop in the Merc and go tooling. It had the first car I ever rode in which had power windows, which were almost magical for me in 1956.
Hi Lance Norton, Happy to read you appreciate this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
My father had the same exact car, bought it brand new, but not a Sun Valley. I believe the colors were Country Club Tan and Bloomfield Green. When parked, cars would ride up on the rear bumper and crack the tail light lens. Going to the Mercury dealer for a replacement lens, I talked him into a 59 Mercury Parklane 2dr HT. Hade to have that 430 ci engine. Two very beautiful cars...
Hi George, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Dads car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
@@loucostabile I am much looking forward to this. Have you met Mike McCandless? If not, do what you do, he's spent millions the last few years buying Virgil Exner's "forward look". MOPARS. 56 to 62? DeSotos, Chrysler 300s. One or two are the first off the assembly line, ALL are the very top drawer of whatever they are. RARE, original, power... he's built a museum, and best of all, has done it with his race car dad. It is a dream for me to visit some day. The Forward Look, FB group often features some of his cars, and I mean to tell you, he has spent BIG money, acquiring the best. He is also just a kid, 40 or less. Ty Lou.
Hi Maurey, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Granddad's car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
My mother had this car , bought it second hand from an old Mafia Don , her gentlemen friends Uncle. The roof was a blast during winter , as the ice and snow melted we could watch it cracking and sliding off . Loved this unique car . The plexiglass roof was great .
Hi lightmaker, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Mothers car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Hi Bill, Happy to receive a "WOW!" :-) Glad to share one you have not seen before. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Just a Gorgeous Mercury, I've always loved the styling of that model 😍my aunt Calamay drove one that was maroon and black top but not the sun valley,thanks for sharing and as always you know "Howdy from Texas "!!
That Mercury is really beautiful. The left side exhaust manifold header pipe goes across the front of the engine to the right side because it looks to me like there is no room for the header pipe to go down on the left side. That oil filter housing and the steering system are surely in the way. I have seen the same arrangement on other Ford cars and trucks of that era.
Hi Randall, Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Amazing job on this one , congrats to the owner and nice video , well done, My dad had a black 54 without the sunroof and he put a t bird engine in it when the original wore out , the silver threaded red seats looked very cool . still remember it 60 years later.
A gorgeous work of history and art! I've never seen nor heard of this car ever! I gotta say, I am impressed! Its so pristine, its almost a shame to even touch it! LoL. I'm-a-givin this un, a HUGE SALUTE! and two thumbs up! And a smile!
Hi Vernon Carroll, Happy to read you appreciate this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
In the mid 60's my Dad had the exact car. Sold it to a guy he worked with at the steel mill. From the bypass you could see mill parking lot. Over 10 years I watched the acid from the pickle line consume it. Broke my heart.
Hi Anthony Wayne Walker, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Dads car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
@@loucostabile: Oh no, thank you. I remember getting in the back seat & think'n 'damn, this is class'. Yep, when that flathead wound out it was like ride'n a bullet.
Love it! That's one of those cars that was super fun just to take us kids for a ride to go get some ice cream. I was guessing you wouldn't take that one for a ride... surprised when you did..
I had a chance to buy one of these from an estate sale about 25 years ago. The car was in decent shape and all original. Same yellow color. Ive always regretted not buying it. They are rare indeed.
I had one in 1959. mine was one color a dark matalac green....cruising town I picked up more chicks than i could shake a stick at.....sadly one night on a highway doing 70 mph a deer ran in front of me and i ran off the road and totaled it.....now every time I see one I sit right down and cry my eyes out.Side note they made around 9 thousand of these beautiful cars..
Hi DR Scruggs, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Hi Pr Utami from Indonesia, Happy to read you appreciate this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Hi Robert, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Dig those heater controls! What could possibly go wrong in a head on collision?!?! One of the many out of this world cars in Mr. Nagel's collection which I had the privilege to see some years ago. 😀
Hi Richard, Happy to read this car brings back memories :-) Good news! Ken agreed to share all his cars on this Channel, so hope you see more from his collection. Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
One of my uncles bought a new '54 Yellow with a black top Monterey hardtop at Park Motors in Highland Park Michigan next to the Ford plant. My Dad and I went with him to trade in his '51 Pontiac hardtop and pick up the Merc. He later married a lady that owned a '54 Orange with a black top Monterey hardtop. Both cars were always kept spotless. Great memories.
Hi Robert, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Uncles car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Very interesting car and glass roof treatment... my 2009 Mustang GT has a similar glass top treatment that spans the entire roof, a good 55 years after this version was introduced! Talk about innovations 😁
Hi Lou, Ken's probably already aware of this, but The Lincoln / Mercury Old Parts Store has special order replacement glass roofs for the Sun Valley at a cost of US $1,235.00. Not sure how they compare to the original factory roofs, but I thought I should mention it none-the-less. Also, in the 1965 science fiction film La decima vittima / The 10th Victim, Marcello Mastroianni's character drives a DS Citroen with a full plexiglass roof ...which is super cool! Unfortunately, I think it was done just for the film & never put into production. Cheers & all the best from Australia!
Thanks, KEN , Lou , et al. Interestingly, my FIRST CAR was a **1954 Ford : 3 ON tree,Model V-8 (**wirh 1957 289, ENGINE4>BBL Rochester ,Dual Exhausts thru glass pakS)......Definitely my CAR RADIO/ (thouhg no!clock)did,not,have a A TAG left on it: in 1963 my DAD found the car at Service Station in Colombia City IN: the Mechanic had worked it over: 15 inch tires in front, 14” in back( for proper rake), SMOOTHED OUT SOME body stuff & blue painted ,with White Top....Really interesting how much **fancier the Mercury is: we had a 54 Mercury 2 Door/HT Car in our High School , Student two years ahead of me, I,never thOUGHT TO, check it out much......The Mercury’s were supposed to,be much better & bigger engine, etc. Anyways, ran 54 for couple years : the. Happened upon a low Mileage 56 Ford 4 Door/ Florida car, Thunder Bird Engine, with Air Cond8tioning,etc....Unfortunately a car ran into me and totaled 56 Car in a few weeks: had just started renovating .....I believe the Glass tops 1954’s are getting really Rare: have memory of wishing I could have got a Sunliner/ Monterey etc.......
Boy talk about memories!! In HS we had a class on retail sales. I had the honor to try & sell a 1954 Mercury to another student. Don't remember if I sold it or not, LOL. My dad had a 57 & a 64 merc. I also remember my best friends' dad had the 54 Ford version of the sun roof.
Absolutely gorgeous in every possible way, a real dream car. 1954 marked the introduction of overhead valves from Ford. Power steering and power brakes rounded out the list of options. The interior styling and features are just as nice as those found on the exterior. I would imagine that by 1954 the electric window lifts were all electric, not hydraulic.
Hi ddkoda, High praise for the looks of this car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Good job on the warranty tag. I got to read it to confirm tube radio! 👍 A work of art. Thank you, both! 😷😷 Any guesses on the exhaust pipe? Balance or tuning or precursor to headers? Haha.
Love that car! Interesting thing that top works better in that car than the retractable moon/sunroof my 2010 Milan had in it. In the 54, you don't have the modern LED instrument panels that get washed out in sunlight.
This was the first year of the new-for-54 "Y-Block" engine, up until then Ford was still using the Flathead V8....that hot hot hot exhaust manifold was quite the real thing....My father bought a 64 F-250 in 1971 & it had that same crossover pipe... that F-250 carried an immense 10 & 1/2 foot Dreamer camper, spent 71 to 75 going to Suttle lake , OR every summer.
Hi Ricardo, Thank you for sharing your 1st hand knowledge of your Fathers F-250. Hope you see many more cars on this RU-vid Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
With regard to the '54 Mercury's engine's exhaust manifold wrapping around the front of the engine, in 1966 a friend of mine had a '54 Ford station wagon with the 239 cubic inch Y block engine that had the exhaust manifold that wrapped around the front of the engine (I think the '54 Mercury -- because it was more upscale -- had the 256 cubic inch Y block). My friend's brother had a '55 Ford with the 272 cubic inch Y block engine; if I recall correctly, his engine also had the exhaust manifold that wrapped around the front of the engine. At the time I owned a '56 Mercury Custom convertible with the 312 4-barrel Y block and dual factory glass pack exhaust. It didn't have the exhaust manifold that wrapped around the front of the engine. We were all just 16-17 year-old, and these were our first cars, and we were comparing engines as most teenagers do, and we didn't understand the exhaust manifold wrap around. Great video as usual, Lou.
Hi 1royalpalm, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Friends & your Friends Brothers cars :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing, and you're welcome. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
Holy cow what a beautiful car. Ken sure can find them. Those glass tops look amazing but Ford should have added AC to those cars because if I remember correctly they got rather warm in the summer. You have to love those 6-volt batteries trying to start those V8s. I had a 55 Ford and I swear the car would start at 33 degrees but when the temp hit 32 it sure struggled LOL. Great video Lou that you. I'll bet walking through Ken's garage is a treat!!
Hi Rich, Happy to read you enjoy this car :-) GOOD NEWS! Regarding "I'll bet walking through Ken's garage is a treat!!" Ken has agreed to let me video every car in his collection, to share with the Channel. Stay tuned, Lou
Hi Lou, absolutely stunning 54 Mercury Sun Valley classic, I think it would be very difficult to win a award going against this car at a Classic Car Show. I sure am glad that was Not you “panting” while admiring his car Lou. Keep up the great interviews & try to get the classic car owners to “ honk” their horns for this “old” kid (me, 64 yrs old) who misses the Loud obnoxious but cool sound.🙏🏻💚✌️❤️😎
Hi Lou. If I lived closer, we could go for ice creme, but enjoy our treats outside the car~ Absolutely stunning color combo! Bless you for the video (& finding this ~precious~ machine too)! ♡ Please Honk horn next time!! Beep beep!!
Hi Gary, High praise for this car :-) Like you, I get so excited around these cars. I've got quite a few cars lined up for the Channel videoed already, however I like the idea of honking the horn, so as I remember, I'll try to incorporate that, Lou
Lou Costabile Thanks Lou, me & my brothers used to always ask our dad to “honk” his horn when we would go under a bridge or tunnel. It sounded like a train, my dads car was a Olds 88 4 dr station wagon, the pistachio green (1957). Thanks Lou, for being such a cool & humorous host on your channel.✌️❤️🙏🏻💚👍
Bit chunky looking, but the glass top is unique, Mercury was an upscale brand, very cool lincolnesque taillights, colors sure stand out, good exterior/interior, love the lever pulls on the dash, OCD detailing on the tagging!very nice car to admire in your garage on a Sunday over a few beers!how the heck do you find these gems Lou?
Hi Ron, Thanks for sharing. I seek them out, I call people, I stop at car shows, and find ones I think you and I will enjoy. At Ken's place, everyone is a WINNER :-) Lou
Love it! It looks like it’s brand new. I’ve got almost the same one, a 54 Monterey aswell but as a 4 door and in black. And I like his steeringwheel aswell, mine is just white and a 2 spoke. Btw. he might have the aircleaner backwards. Mine has some letters “front” to the other side
Hi dennis885600, Happy to read this car is like your 4 door car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RU-vid Channel, Lou
