Mercury’s first all-new design after World War II was introduced on 29 April 1948 as a 1949 model. This car featured only traces of the earlier Mercury styling and for the first time Mercury did not style their cars to look like upscale Fords. These new cars were sleeker, lower, and shared their basic body shell with Lincoln. The Mercury version became a favorite of young hot-rodders and customizers, particularly after a mildly modified ’49 club coupe was featured in the James Dean film Rebel Without a Cause.

This 1949 Mercury Coupe is finished in Berwick Green with a green cloth and tan tweed interior. It was delivered 14 October 1949 to Joliet Lincoln-Mercury Sales in Joliet, Illinois. The car was fitted with an oil-bath air cleaner, driver-side spotlight, clock, radio, heater, grill guard, front and rear bumper guards, fender skirts, dual exhaust, fog lights, “Mercury Eight” full wheel disks. The final sale price was credited $700.46 on the trade in of a 1940 Ford Sedan.

Bob Jones purchased this car in the Spring of 2017, where it joined countless other Fords in his impressive private collection. Apart from a repaint in its original factory color under a prior owner, this Mercury remains in unmodified condition and retains many of the features it left the factory with.

A favorite car for a generation of young drivers in period, the appeal of the 1949 Mercury Coupe remains strong today, representing one of the more cherished post-war American designs.