Painted roofs as an alternative to vinyl tops are seriously underrated. You get that cool, period look but without the concerns of rust and additional maintenance for the vinyl top. I can't imagine this car in a more stunning color combo! Really pops in the sunlight. Merry Christmas, Adam!
I helped a friend roll on house paint over the mastic when his vinyl roof peeled off and you could barely tell that there was anything wrong with it. Vinyl is not pretty, but it does make the car a lot quieter in the rain; it was also used on a few stretched models (most famously on the '76 Cadillac Seville) to cover the roof extension seam.
I don't buy your "bought it from that uncle/nephew" story. Admit you have a time machine and got it straight from the dealership. So beautiful! Thank you for sharing and Merry Christmas!
My Dad had a 1966 Meteor Rideau 500 with a 289 V8. He had always had Mercurys prior to that and after that,. We drove across Canada and all the way from Edmonton to Mexico in that car. Brings back fond memories.
Thanks for the memories! My dad bought a new 1967 Meteor Montcalm Convertible blue with white top, so visually similar vibe. He only kept it 7 years primarily because the 289 powertrain wasn’t up to vacation trailer towing. The carb also gave him problems. He lamented not going for the 390 (with C6), especially realizing over time that they got close-enough fuel mileage. Even still, memories of pulling a camper trailer through mountains and parks with the top down still make me smile!
@@BarryTsGarage NOT YET THAT STARTED IN 1972. SAFETY WAS THE MAIN CONCERNE IN 1968. EVEN A 50 MPH CRASH COULD BE DEADLY DUE TO VARIOUSE THINGS INCLUDING A STEERING WHEEL IN THE CHEST (FRIEND WITH A 67 MUSTANG WITH A 390 DIED LIKE THAT IF THE COLUMN HAD BEEN COLLAPSABLE HE MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE SURVIVED)
@@csi1392 The 429 was available starting in 1969 from what I read. You may have been able to special order a 428 FE in 1968 but not sure about for the Meteor.
was a proud owner of my Dad's hand-me-down, two-door, medium blue/white vinyl-topped '73 Meteor Rideau 500. I adored that car but, this one might beat it! Yes...hello, from a first-time visitor to the channel, from Canada.
What a beautiful time warp! I was in Canada in 1972 and remember the Meteor. I was 15 at the time and noticed more “Mercury’s” than Ford’s and more Pontiac’s than Chevrolet’s.
I'll bet that CAR GOD himself, Jay Leno, watches this channel pretty religiously - he might even be watching right now!! This is among the best of channels like this! In Canada, you could still get Mercury pick-up trucks until the late 1960s or early '70s. They even had large C series cabovers! Is that different from the Madras Blue we got in the USA? I remember reading a magazine article about a pair of '68 XR7Gs, one of which was Madras Blue, (IIRC) but it looked much darker. Either way, the Madras Blue on the big Meteor is beautiful. I wonder what's up with the paint on the air filter housing not quite matching the Ford Engine Dark Blue paint on the rest of the engine. Canada-only air filter housing? The way that the paint just stops on those trunk lid hinges... Kinda surprised at the jack location too. A close-up of that engine info label on the driver side inner fender would be cool, along with other data tags, like the Warranty Plate and even the buck tag if visible. Not trying to see your VINs though. Cool to see the Marti at the end. I've never owned an FE, but I'll still choose the SBF much of the time. Old Lincoln on the right @ 14:03
I always enjoy your video a matter of fact I owned 1969 2 door montcalm with 302 2 barrel it was a light sandy coloured with black vinyl top it was my first car I bought in 1975 with only 30000 miles. Wish I still had it. Please keep pumping those videos out for all to enjoy.
Hi mate, we never had these in Australia, we did get a lot of other Canadian cars often in completely knocked down form ready to be painted and assembled here. That’s a lovely old Mercury you have there.
I went to driving School in 1967, the car I learned to drive on was a 67 meteor Rideau. the 68 meteor Montcalm that is featured is a beautiful car. I wish I had it.
What an insane find! This car has low enough miles that I'd basically consider it "New Old Stock." What a time capsule! Do you ever take any cars to car shows?
My dad had a 2 door 67 Meteor Rideau 500. Dark green with a painted white roof too. That's a beauty, love the colour combo. We had the same clear plastic seat covers.
🇨🇦 Here and these were everywhere in the 70s. Dad got a 73 Rideau 500 with a 351C when our 75 Maverick's engine blew. It had the Galaxie interior. It was copper coloured and people would actually compliment us on it because it was in such stunning shape. We sold it in 82 because it needed a valve job and got a 74 Malibu.
What a lovely car! It's simply amazing! At the first glance, I thought it was a Mercury Park Lane! Indeed, the dashboard and instrument cluster remind the ones in the Brazilian Ford Galaxies!
This is a very unique Mercury. My dad had those exact plastic seat covers installed on the seats of his brand new 1963 Rambler Classic station wagon with rear facing 3rd seat!!! 🙂
Hi Adam, finding this beautiful Canadian 2-tone 1968 Meteor Montcalm with only 1,400 original miles is nothing less than amazing. Original everything including never removed original plastic covers on the rear seat belts...wow. With only 1,400 miles on it the original owner drove it perhaps for a couple months at most then properly stored it for over 47 years is an outstanding find. Thank you for preserving this beauty and showing it to us! Love the maple leaf in the steering wheel. The only things this car lacks is factory A/C (but who would really need that in the Great White North then) and a hood ornament. The 302 is fine and nowadays for most driving is a better choice than a 390 for a lower cost of ownership. The Canadian car has US mph on the dash is red above 70mph. I remember in the news on Labor Day Weekend it was announced that Canada completely converted from mph to kmh. I'm sure you feel nothing less than very (Mont) CALM when driving this super quiet beauty!
Very nice car. Great colour. Being Canadian I grew up with cars like this around. These, others and Mercury trucks. Great memories. Your neighbourhood looks so much like so many in Ontario. Your Meteor must feel right at home.
The Meteor was not actually a Merc, it was a retrimmed Ford made for Mercury dealers. Ford dealers had the Monarch, a retrimmed Merc made only for them - Ford dealers.
Beautiful old Ford. I have had several old Fords with a 302 or a 351, and they were the smoothest running engines I have owned. Those Motorcraft carburetors are so simple and easy to work on.
The old 302 and 351 Windsor V8s are awesome engines. I have a 1996 Ford F150 with a 5.0L (302) Windsor V8 with 210,000 miles on it and still going strong 💪. The only things I replaced on my truck was the starter, the rear fuel pump, and the power steering megunisum but other than that mostly was just simple maintenance, took out the transmission fluid just to get rid of the shuttering it was making and it hasn't had a problem ever since. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mWdlh5OCJEg.html
Wow Adam that's an awesome unit,,, there was a reason Ford did all their quieter than a Rolls Royce stuff with the small blocks... I had a 1971 F100 pick up with ZERO options and a 302 and one belt on the engine... lol That thing was the most silent vehicle I've ever owned in my life and people commented on it's silence quite often..
I had a 71 Meteor Montcalm with a 351W. great car. In a family that only bought Pontiac's (Canadian) Thanks for the memories. Rust took it's toll on the old beast so I pulled the engine and put it in a 70 Cougar from Florida. Thanks for the videos Adam.
I am so glad there are people like you with so many old and beautiful, easy to work on vehicles. Believe it or no it brings me joy, considering all the garbage we currenlt have on our roads. 👍 That ENGINE is quieter than a silent night!!!
My parents had on of these when I was a kid. It was a station wagon, Rideau 500 trim. It was green exterior with black interior. I remember that it had a blue "Cold" light that would come on when the engine was cold and a red "Hot" light that would come on when it was hot. I always figured a proper gauge would have been easier and cheaper to implement. My father always hated it, so it became my mother's car. It eventually got traded in on a BMW Bavaria in 1973. It sat on the BMW dealer's used car lot for months before someone bought it (or they gave up and wholesaled it). Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
At Mecum or Barrett Jackson auctions, that Meteor would fetch at least $30 - 40K. Great video. The ultra low mileage and pristine condition floored me!
Merry Christmas, Adam! What a beautiful and rare 60’s vehicle. I can tell by the windows down and the leaves on the tree you’ve been holding back this video! 😉 In the job I retired from, I had occasion to travel to the Detroit market often. Based upon the road conditions I experienced, I can well understand why you so enjoy the cushy suspensions of the times. 😂 Besides the value of your impressive collection of classics, I cannot imagine your total auto insurance premiums! Thank you for this excellent content. 👍👍👍 ~ John
Beautiful car Adam! Gorgeous color! I expected the 302, adequate probably slow high speed pass, but quiet and lighter nose weight. Interesting to still have open PCV! With those low miles I would be torn, as I would want to drive that daily just beautiful. That era of Mercury is very comfortable, I am a Buick person but those will get me to look.
I enjoyed this video. Super rare car. Even more rare considering how incredible it is to see such a car without any rust on it. Thanks for showing us this spectacular car.
Wow 2100 miles, what a find. I have a 68 LTD Brougham in the same color combo. It was called Gulfstream Aqua in Ford Terms. Mine had 35,000 miles when I bought it and drives like a new car. I have about 55.000 on it now. Awesome highway cruisers.
Adam, what a smile! In 1980, took by driver's test in my grandmother's 68 Galaxie 500 - identical interior - with that 302. I always loved driving that car. If you love vintage Fords, that's a special engine. Loved hearing it again!
To a guy from the U.S. it's fun looking at Canadian variants like this Ford/Mercury, and the "Plodge" Plymouth/Dodges. Fargo and Mercury branded trucks too.
Thank you for featuring this car. You had mentioned in an email that you had this car and here it is. Takes me back to teens and our 67 Rideau. As you mentioned these 289/302 small blocks did a remarkable job carrying this big cars around. I would buy one in a heart beat. Thanks again for what you bring us on your channel. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Another amazing example, Adam! While I could confess to a twinge of envy over your collection, it’s so much better for you to have them, with your know-how and means to give them all the attention they deserve! Just outstanding, sir, and we share your joy and “pride in ownership”!
Great find congratulations. The kick panel vents is on my list of things I wish you could still get on a car or truck. Now that they have the sliding back window in trucks seems like a no brainer. Then we could have a Mercury Montclair style.
Comfort-Stream ventilation option was a unique option that worked really well. Coupled with the cowl vents, it really cooled the car off in Summer in no time. Unusual to see it in the mid-line trim level like this. That option was usually on top trim models without A/C.
My friend's dad had a '72 and '74 Mercury Montcalm's which I think were sold by the local Lincoln Mercury dealer. I recall they were both very nice cars with smooth and quiet rides.
That is one sharp ride. I love the color scheme. That body style is so classy and the hard top (minus the door pillars) really brings out the huge expanse of the interior. The original plastic seat covers are sweet! I miss all of the dials, knobs, buttons, and switches. And those older cars had the cable controlled heaters with the vacuum solenoids.....no electronic head units or digital readouts. Those were good times. They really knew how to make nice cars then.
Hi Adam: I GREATLY enjoyed watching this video. What a great vehicle! If possible would enjoy seeing a “tour” of your station wagons that you have in your vehicle portfolio. I miss staton wagons and one of my favorite station wagons was a 1960 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon. What a great vehicle. Thanks and I enjoy your channel!
I love this car, I can see why you enjoy driving it so much! Years ago, as a second car, I had a '79 big, 2-door Ford LTD, with the 302, I bought it from the original owner. It was fun to drive, and had the coldest AC I think I've ever had in a vehicle. I should have kept it longer than the year and a half that I owned it. It was huge, and green, on green, very green!
I had a blue '74 LTD and later I had a '73 Chrysler Newport in green. I fantasize about putting the giant Newport (or a green LTD) in the "green cars only" spaces we have now.
@@AcmeRacing hahaha good one! I never thought about that, what if my big green Ford, and your big green Chrysler both were in the "Green Space" somewhere now! Those 2 cars would fill up the spaces! 😄😃
With the multitude of keys, the way I deal with that is to buy appropriate vintage key rings and - where necessary (for example I have multiple LTDs and Mercurys) I try to but leather fobs that match the paint colour of the car - so I can tell the difference. It is also fun to buy key rings that are contemporary to the vehicle. Something to consider.
Now that is priceless. One beautiful and rare find for sure ! I know that feeling. Back in 1970 I bought (at a great price !) a 1969 red Meteor Montcalm convertible with a white top and the 390 V8 (two barrel carb with single exhaust) Sold it in 1973 (I put well over 120,000 miles in 3 years) Drove it from coast to coast to coast ! It was one great looking car and it never let me down. That was a great ride down memory lane. Thanks.
Adam, thank you for another video. You're right about Ford's from this vintage. To me they are a true Ford. The sound of your car here reminded me of my '66 Fairlane 500 coupe, that I had as a young pup in the mid-seventies. It had the 289/2V with Cruise-O-Matic. And it was the smoothest and most velvety small eight I've ever had. I never had another 289 but would welcome one, as that entire car has stayed in my memory for years now.
In all fairness, it’s a very close cousin of your two 68 Marquis’s and I’m sure everyone would thoroughly enjoy them all photographed together. It would be any collector’s dream to see!
This is an interesting car. Interesting story about why Meteor existed. Also interesting about 73-74-75 US and Canadian Pontiacs being sold at the same time in dealerships!
Wonderful car! My dad had a 1968 Meteor two door (a fast back) in burgundy with black vinyl interior. Power steering with non-power drum brakes. He bought it at Frank Rowland Mercury in Toronto - long since demolished. A V8, but not sure if it was the 302 or 390. He might remember what engine it had. In the winter of 1974, (when I was 17 and newly licensed) I ran it into the back of a Chevrolet Vega during a freezing rain storm. It was a very low speed fender bender, but the Vega, with its flimsy bumpers, fared much worse than the big Mercury.
my brother had a 68 Meteor , same color , power windows , air , 390 , 4 door HT ..... really nice car . I was driving it into the city and a guy came through intersection and wrote it off ....a sad day .
And it's a 4 door hardtop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No B pillar and no window frames cluttering things up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NICE!!!!
Adam, I was very close to looking at a Meteor LeMoyne convertible - I believe the same color that you describe - when I was in Arizona this summer. It was on Craigslist and nowhere near as pristine as the cars you typically own, but it had spent most of it's life in AZ, and was relatively rust free, which I figured was pretty rare for a Canadian car. It was a '68, but not the same car you were looking at because it was earlier this year that I'd heard about it. Unfortunately some unforeseen issues came up and I wasn't able to see it when I was passing through, but I thought of it as you described the car you were interested in. As to your beautiful car, I absolutely love it. Such a low mileage original. The four door hardtop is one of the best looking configurations ever, and, with large cars, I generally prefer it over the two door versions. Thanks for the video.
hey Adam, super great find in that Meteor. Ill always remember my Dad had a 63 (i think) with the cool roll down back window! Keep up the good work in bringing these rare and killer cool relics from a better time. Im a big fan, and love your work.
That is unbelievable. Unbelievable condition for that car, even sitting around. And that engine smoothness would be amazing for a new car, stunning for a 1968.
Beautiful car. I love the color combo as well. Great exterior lines. The Maple leaf in the steering wheel is a cool detail for this Canadian car.. I've always liked that style of steering wheel I think Ford used in all their cars in '68. .Thank you for sharing this Adam.
Friend of mine was looking for a second car for his wife , back in the early 80s . We went to a farm auction , bunch of cars were consigned and he wanted my advice . After looking them over I directed him to a car identical to this ( except for having a six ) . He got it for 300$ , drove it as second vehicle till 10 years back , sold it to a guy who used it for a 800 mile weekly commute for couple years , then it went to man who wanted the engine for a 1/2 ton . Had quarter million miles on original drive line
Living in MN, we get to see some of these Canadian market models when visitors would cross the border, or when we would travel in Canada....my favorite was making a trip to London, ON in 1996 and seeing a dealer lot full of Pontiac Tempests that were rebadged Chevy Corsicas. I love the color combo but still of the triple black Park Lane in Hawaii Five-O.
Yes. I love the triple black color combo too. However, I believe less than 100 or so were made that were originally all black. I think only 300-400 were painted black w any color interior trim.
Another great video! Really enjoy them. What an absolute fantastic rare car with such low miles I'm amazed, has beautiful colours and condition is awesome. Being from Australia and as an avid car enthusiest from about 10 years old I can tell you that I have never seen one of these down here. I grew up in Sydney in the late 60s to 80s and was always looking at cars whenever I was out with Mum and Dad. I particularly noticed the North American cars (incl Canadian!) and Sydney was the biggest international city in this country even then. There were heaps of Impalas, Dodge Phoenix (the Aussie version of some other American Dodge), Ford Galaxie LTDs, the late 60s and 70s Pontiac Parisiene, heaps of Lincolns and Caddies, the Boat Tail Rivieras, Mercury Cougars and other USA cars but never saw one of these. Even as a wide-eyed kid rushing over to some very special looking American cars with all their style and chrome, and peering into the interior, I was always surprised that the interior was so spartan compared to the amazing exterior. This car is a perfect example of this. Looks so limousine luxurious on the outside but inside is very "Plain Jane". Vinyl flat Bench seats, no extra courtesy lights, plain dash with only a speedo and fuel guage, column shift, manual windows etc.
Thanks for giving a tour of this beautiful Meteor. Very interesting to see the subtle differences from the American models, and the tiny 302 in such a big body Ford.
Don't forget, the 302 before 1972 made 210/230 horsepower. Yes, gross, not net, but still, I compared 71 and 72 Fords with the 351, and the 71 was a lot faster.
