The Medalist was introduced for 1956 as a model at the very bottom of the Mercury line to enable the buy-up from Fords to be easier. Apparently, the strategy was not a success as the model was discontinued after the one year! This original-appearing (see how I avoided the P-word?) car has lost its engine along the way, but is just waiting for you in Minot, North Dakota. It can be purchased here on eBay for the low buy-it-now price of $760. I’ll bet at this point you’re thinking Bronze at best, maybe even no medal at all. But stay tuned!
You guessed it, there’s another reason this car is inexpensive besides the lack of a 312 V8 powerplant. Rot! After examining the pictures pretty closely, I think the seller’s statement that it “has some typical lower body rust on bottoms of fenders, rockers and lower quarter panels” is pretty accurate. They don’t mention any rust in the floors, and maybe there isn’t any (dream on, Jamie). Still, with the possibility of no floor rust and such a low entry price, maybe you’d give it a medal now?
A restored one of these isn’t worth a whole lot, either, according to NADA. But I don’t think that’s the point with this car. When I went looking for patch panels, quite frankly I was astonished at the low prices. $27.99 for a complete rocker exterior panel? What? And similar prices on the rest of the panels you might need. Not a lot of silver needed, that’s for sure! Ok, I’m up to giving it a silver medal, especially since it’s a four-door and I can haul my whole family in it easily once I had it back on the road, and even afford to buy them dinner because I didn’t spend everything I had on the car!
Looking at the interior pictures, I’m starting to believe that lack of floor rust. Maybe I’m not dreaming after all. And it shouldn’t be too hard to get close to that seat upholstery, if not exact. I’d be building it as a driver anyway, so 100% accuracy would not be critical. That being said, if I could find the original fabric, I’d surely use it. The seller tells us that the windshield is cracked, but thanks to it being common with 1955-56 Fords, a new one is easy to find and not terribly expensive either.
If you look at the lower left of this ’56 Medalist brochure, it describes the four door sedan as “Powerful”. I suppose without an engine, that’s not strictly true, but I look at this as an opportunity! Any number of choices could go back in, from an original 312 V8 to a modern 4.6 modular and anything in between. And if you want that original 312, I found this 1956 Mercury Custom here on eBay where the owner will sell you the entire car or parts of it. Overall, I think this would rate a gold medal from me in the “I wish I could take this project on” category. It sure would be nice to be able to actually afford sheet metal parts! Would you give this Medalist a medal, and if so, what metal would it be made from?
Source: barnfinds.com
