Classic Cars and Trucks / Photos Specs Model History, Production Numbers

1955 Mercury Montclair Coupe / Photos, Specifications, Model History

Featured is the 1955 Mercury Montclair Hardtop Coupe, a great looking automobile offering buyers both style and performance in one unforgettable package. The Mercury Montclair, a full size luxury car, is a stylish and luxurious car produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1955 to 1960.

Ford Motor Company’s Mercury Division had only offered just one model for years after it’s inception. That was the Mercury 8. As the years progressed, Mercury then in 1952 unveiled the Mercury Monterey allowing buyers two models to choose from. Then for the 1955 model year Mercury unveiled the Montclair.

mercury cars — 1955 Mercury Montclair Hardtop Coupe.

The New Mercury Montclair

The full size and top of the line Montclair was Mercury’s newest model, and with a height of 58.6 inches, it was marketed as the lowest sedan you could buy. As an example, the 1955 Ford Crown Victoria has a height of 60.1 inches. The coupe shared the Ford Crown Victoria body in general with modifications and included the glass top Sun Valley, of which only 1,787 were made. Body styles also included a four-door sedan, two-door hardtop, and a convertible.

1955 Mercury Montclair Styling

For the 1955 model year all Mercurys were received new exterior styling. The 1955 Mercury’s were a big departure from the warmed over Ford type styling promoted earlier in the decade. There was a time early on when Mercury’s were like Ford’s but with more luxury appointments.

The 1955 Montclair came with classic two tone paint. The new bright colors introduced in 1955 were a big positive. The chrome accents along with it’s distinctive chrome grille, sweeping fender lines, and wrap around windshield makes this model a beautiful classic.

Standard was full carpeting, bright metal trim on door panels and surrounding the windows. Options included power steering, brakes, electric windows, electric seat adjustment, factory air conditioning and the Merc-O-Matic transmission.

The Mercury Montclair was Mercury’s top of the line model for both 1955 and 1956 then was changed to a mid size model for 1957. The Turnpike Cruiser became Mercury’s top of the line model for 1957 and 1958. There were 23,268 Turnpike Cruisers were produced over it’s two year run.

1955 Mercury Montclair Specifications

The 1955 Montclair was powered by a 292 cubic inch Y-Block V-8 with a four barrel carburetor delivering 198 HP. This was the Montclair V-8. There was a standard 292 that Mercury offered in 1955 with 188 HP. Mercury would offer a 312 cubic inch V-8 for 1956 with configurations for 225 and 235 HP.

Transmissions include a three speed manual, a four speed overdrive manual and a three speed Merc-O-Matic automatic.

Brakes are four wheel hydraulic drums.

Front suspension is a torsional stabilizer bar and rear is semi elliptic long leaf springs.

Total 1955 Mercury Montclair production totaled 104,500 units. The largest produced model was the two door hardtop coupe featured here at 71,500 units.

Dimensions include a 119.0 inch wheelbase, 206.3 inch overall outside length, 58.6 inch height. 76.4 inch width. Curb weight 3,500 lbs.

New car price was about $2,750.

1969 Chevy C 10 Long Bed / Photos, Specifications, Model History

The 1969 Chevy C10 is a true icon of American automotive design..a rugged and dependable pickup truck. Introduced in 1960, the C10 represented a bold new direction for Chevrolet, moving away from the utilitarian designs of the past and offered a sleeker, more modern look that would go on to influence truck design for many decades. Our featured model is a 1969 Chevrolet C 10 Long Bed Half Ton.

Chevrolet pickups starting in the late 1960’s had design and mechanical changes and upgrades not seen since the big redesign for 1960. The 1967 model year was the start of this significant second upgrade.

1969 Chevy C 10 Styling

The Fleetside design had a square look with a flat panel cargo box and offered more carrying capacity than the Stepside. The Stepside design would be known for being more stylish essentially using the exterior design of the many earlier models of the 1930’s and 1940’s. The Stepside models featured a large step behind the cab and before the wheel well. Others would say the Fleetside had a more modern appearance which was true in several ways but not taking anything away from Stepside’s classic truck look.

A 1969 interior design addition was the Custom Comfort and Convenience interior package that fell between the Standard cab and CST cab options. This package included power steering and brakes, air conditioning, full foam bench seats, and an exterior door lock on the passenger side.

Minor exterior changes were made to the 1969 Chevrolet Pickups. A new grill featured the Chevrolet nameplate through the center while the bow tie logo moved to the front and center of the hood. Both Chevrolet C10 and K10 models could be equipped with either a 115 in with a 6 1/2 ft. cargo box or the 127 inch wheelbase with a 8 ft. cargo box being available in Fleetside an Stepside models. Standard engine is a 155 HP 250 Inline Six cylinder with several optional V-8’s also available that are described in this article.

Standard Features include: Panoramic rear window, padded dash, heater/defroster, padded sun visors, low-profile control knobs, safety glass, painted front bumper (chrome bumpers were a separate option), 2-speed windshield wipers, windshield defrosters, low profile steering wheel, directional signals and more. The CST (Custom Sport Truck) which could be identified by the CST/10 nameplate on the front fender had a custom wood grain insert and front side marker lights with chrome trim.

An interesting design change that went into effect with the 1967 C 10’s and carried forward was that the overall truck length was about two inches longer and the height was about two inches lower which improved access to the cab.

1969 Chevrolet C-10 Specifications

Plenty of engine options available for the 1969 Chevy C 10. Standard engine is a 250 cubic inch inline six cylinder with 155 HP. Optional engines include a 292 cubic inch I-6 with 170 HP, a 307 cubic inch V-8 with 200 HP, and three 350 cubic inch V-8’s producing 255 HP to 350 HP. These 350 cubic inch V-8’s replaced the 327.

Also plenty of transmission offerings to go with all the engines. A standard three speed manual, an optional four speed manual, a three speed Powerglide automatic, and a Turbo-Hydramatic.

Brakes are four wheel hydraulic drums. Front disc brakes would be on Chevy half ton’s starting with the 1971 model.

Front suspension is independent with heavy duty coils and rear suspension includes coil springs and trailing arms.

The Chevrolet C 10 featured a 115 inch wheelbase for trucks with a 6.5 foot cargo bed. C 10’s with a 8 foot cargo bed were built with 127 inch wheelbases. Overall outside length for the Long Bed version is 206.25 inches,

Curb weight 3,550 lbs and price when new about $2,560.

Total 1969 production for the Short Bed and Long Bed Chevy C-10’s combined was 412,800 units.

Total 1969 Chevrolet production including all vehicles came in just under 2.1 million units. 1969 Production totals for the Long Bed C-10 Fleetside was 268,200 units, the largest seller for 1969 C 10. The second biggest seller was the C 10 Short Bed at 54,200 units. The reasons for the popularity of Long Bed pickups are generally because they often have more powerful engines, have better tow ratings and due to it’s longer wheelbase appear to offer a smoother ride.

See these related Auto Museum Online articles..

1960 Chevy C 10

1966 Chevy C 10

Reference material for this article includes..Chevrolet Trucks: 100 Years of Building the Future by author Larry Edsall.. Standard Catalog of Chevrolet Pickups and Other Light Duty Trucks, 1918-1995 by John Gunnell. GM/Chevy Archives..National C10 Club.. C10 trucks.com

Chevrolet light trucks from the 1960’s are popular collector vehicles. As such, auction and private sales prices have been increasing as of this date. Many variables are considered such as overall condition and mileage, originality, matching numbers, engine type, degree and date of restoration, short Bed or long bed. It appears that examples in excellent condition are found anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000. As always, there are models priced well below $50,000.

(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)

1969 Chrysler 300 Convertible / Photos, Specifications, Model History

The 1969 Chrysler 300 Convertible featured here was a full size luxury automobile that embodied the style and sophistication of its era. The first Chrysler 300 came out in 1955 and the design of the first Chrysler 300’s were led by noted automotive designer Virgil Exner. The goal for the design team working on the 1955 Chrysler’s was to achieve a complete break from the past.

Virgil Exner and the Forward Look

The story about how Chrysler redesigned their models in the 1950’s is all about Virgil Exner and his Chrysler design team.

By May 1955 Chrysler’s Forward Look was a part of all models with both logos and slogans. While the Forward Look slogan was a creation of a New York and agency, the inspiration was Virgil Exner’s designs. The wedge shaped styling of the Chrysler 300 letter series and updated 1957 models, with their long hoods and short decks, uplifted Chrysler to the forefront of design, with Ford and General Motors scrambling to follow up and using many of Exner’s design traits.

Chrysler Fuselage Styling

Chrysler redesigned the bodies of its largest cars for the 1969 model year. It’s new Fuselage styling was introduced in August 1968 for the 1969 model year. The main reason for this redesign was to replace the boxy design that Chrysler produced from 1965 until 1968. The new model was a head turner. With its distinctive gun-sight grille (the gun-sight styled grille would be eliminated starting with the 1970 model in favor of variations of the remaining horizontal chrome band) , hidden headlights, long hood, and sleek lines, it certainly was a true head turner that exuded class and power. The car was available in both two-door and four-door versions, with the latter being the more popular choice.

The ads that promoted the all new models maintained that the new styling not only made the cars look wider and longer. They also said that it surrounded the passengers with a hull, like in an aircraft, therefore the advertising reference to “fuselage” design.

The 1969 Chrysler 300 was a masterclass in automotive design, blending power, elegance, and performance into a package that remains iconic to this day. In September 1969 Car Life magazine released its ‘Best Of’ issue, a title awarded by market segment and vehicle class. In the ‘Prestige Car’ category, CL declared the Chrysler 300 as the best of the class over three other models; a Buick Wildcat, a Mercury Marquis, and an Oldsmobile entry.

1969 Chrysler 300 Specifications

Under the hood is Chrysler’s legendary 440 cubic inch V8 engine with a four barrel carburetor and 350 HP. The 440 was Chrysler’s largest big block engine and first appeared in 1966. The engine was soon available in both full size sedans and coupes as well as in intermediate muscle cars. This big block V-8 engine was built with a cast iron block and heads.

The standard transmission is a three speed manual with an option for a three speed TorqueFlite automatic.

Brakes are four wheel hydraulic drums.

Independent front suspension are coil springs, shock absorbers with upper and lower A-arms. Rear suspension are coil springs, heavy duty shocks and leaf springs.

Dimensions for the 1969 Chrysler 300 includes a 124.0 inch wheelbase, 224.7 inch overall outside length, 79.1 inch width, 55.6 inch height. Curb weight about 4,025 lbs.

The 1969 Chrysler 300 Two Door Convertible is a rare automobile with only an estimated 1933 units produced. This compares to 30,500 Hardtops built for 1969. Total Chrysler 1969 production covering all models were 260,750 vehicles. The Chrysler 300 Convertibles, along with convertibles across the entire Chrysler lineup were discontinued after the 1970 model year where only slightly over 1,000 examples of the 300 convertible models were built. Chrysler’s decision to stop producing convertibles at that time had to do with both the weak economy and new federal safety regulations.