All Ford Motor Company cars received new bodies for 1952, which were mounted on stronger chassis frames and sporting such advanced features as suspended pedals and curved single-pane windshields. Mercury, like Ford, held over its L-head V-8, which had the same displacement as in 1951 but was more powerful, thanks to higher compression. A Merc-O-Matic transmission was optional and very popular; however, nearly half the production run of 1952 was equipped with manual transmission, with about a third of those having optional overdrive.

The 1952 Mercury Station Wagon was offered as a four-door, all-steel model, with seats for either six or eight, decorative maple and DI-NOC wood-grain side trim, and stainless steel trim on the rear wheelhouse. All wagon bodies were assembled at the Rouge plant in Dearborn and then shipped to their respective assembly plants.

The wagon offered here is one of 2,478 models built for the 1952 line; it was assembled in Los Angeles and completed on October 20, 1951. Meticulously restored in California for former owner Mario Duhon, at a cost of $190,000, the Hillcrest Green body boasts flawless paint with a deep shine, exceptional brightwork, and excellent script glass. The interior boasts tan and brown vinyl, in the correct patterns, with brown carpet on the floor. Options include a pushbutton AM radio, a fresh-air heater, and a Borg electric clock, as well as the aforementioned rare and desirable overdrive transmission, which provides excellent performance and effortless highway cruising.

Formerly part of the world-renowned Ford collection of Michael Dingman, this Mercury is one of very few survivors of a seldom-seen model, and it is, perhaps, the only one restored to this outstanding, world-class standard. It would stand out in any collection of noteworthy Mercurys or Jet Age station wagons as one of the very, very best.