After the end of World War II, Ford Motor Company of Canada developed a new marketing plan, which effectively divided its existing dealerships into two groups: Ford and Lincoln-Mercury. Those selling the more expensive Lincoln-Mercury brands complained about losing their very strong selling light-duty commercial vehicle sales. To remedy this, a new line of pickups were released carrying the Mercury nameplate.

Besides being built for rugged duty, they were also quite handsome, actually pioneering the idea that the driver and those with him deserved much better creature comforts. While the Mercury pickups shared the same basic sheetmetal with the new F-series from Ford, they were distinguished by the use of special trim. A distinctive four-bar grille was used up front, flanked by a stylish wrap-around trim mounted on the fender's seam line, with specific badging in the center of the hood, which also wore quite prominent side trim. To the rear, the name M-E-R-C-U-R-Y was spelled out in bold lettering, leaving no doubt that this was a proud, pure truck.

The 1947 Mercury pickup truck presented here is a quite uncommon machine. While the exact figure for production of this vehicle has not been located; it has been found that in 1946 there were 2,074 Mercury truck units produced 1/2-ton through 1-ton. The peak year for Mercury truck production was 1952 with 12,676 sold.

This particular unit has been restored in the manner of a restomod presentation that accentuates modern power with the styling characteristics from when the truck was introduced. It is finished in an attractive two-tone gray and green color scheme and sits at a proper stance. The outstanding colors are set off by chromed steel wheels (including spare) with caps, wide whitewall radial tires, custom running boards with Ford step plates, chromed bumpers, side-mounted spare on the driver’s side, windshield visor, dual mirrors, bed tonneau and the always distinctive original grille.

The power is derived from a 2006 Corvette LS6 V-8 engine that measures 427-cid and produces 500-hp. This crate engine must run with at least 91-octane fuel, and it also features a high performance roller cam, fuel injection, electric fuel pump from a Jeep (located in the 90-liter fuel tank), Howell wiring harness, dual exhaust, electric fan, Walker radiator (with copper) and GM power steering. The impressive engine is paired to a 4L60E four-speed automatic transmission which, in turn, is mated to a Ford nine-inch rear end with 3.9:1 gearing. Granada power disc brakes provide the stopping power up front, while drum brakes are utilized at the rear of the truck. The front end is from a Mustang II with Mustang front coil springs and rear leaf springs.

The interior is presented in similar harmonized tones to the Mercury’s exterior with gray cloth and green vinyl tastefully utilized in the cabin. There is no air conditioning, but the heater is stated to work great. Additional equipment includes white-faced VDO instrumentation. The owner discloses that the gas gauge reads “in reverse.” In other words; “E is full, when the gauge reads 1/2, it’s empty.” The fuel filler is hidden in the truck bed and must be filled from in the box. A tilt steering column, four-way flashers, turn signals, a modern banjo-style steering wheel, AM/FM radio, two dry cell batteries and chromed diamond-plate kick panels are also key components in this nicely presented and rare Mercury pickup with a modern flair.