Raise your hands if you like to shift for yourself? This 1968 Mercury Montego MX has a 3-speed manual and it’s in Velarde, New Mexico, about 40 miles north of the capital, Santa Fe. It’s on Craigslist for $4,200 or $5,200 with a replacement 4-speed out of a Fairlane/Comet with floor shifter and linkage.
Automatics are useful for folks who can’t operate a clutch pedal anymore and/or for commuting duties, and three of our vehicles are automatics so I like them, too. And, obviously the foot-clutch-operated manual transmission that we’ve all known and loved for decades will eventually go the way of cursive writing. The Montego MX was in the Comet family and was new for 1968. This car looks great, body-wise, but paint-wise it’ll need some help. You may have noticed the trim piece missing on the leading edge of the hood, hopefully that’s in the trunk.
This is probably the body style to have in this car (or, in any car?), the two-door hardtop. The Montego was made in this style until 1971 when they went all whack-a-doodle with the design. Kidding of course, I like the next generation cars, but there’s just something about this late-60s era of Mercury that I like, they’re so Jack Lord.
The MX got simulated walnut interior trim and this interior looks pretty good, and you can also see that this car was originally, probably, Grecian Gold and why it was painted a gray color is beyond me. But, someone liked it and that’s all that matters. I’m not sure if it’s a good sign to see a rusty door top like that? I don’t think that I’ve ever seen that before and it looks like it may have messed up the arm rest and who knows what the floors are like. Scary, but other than that..
This is a 302 V8 two-barrel with 210 hp. A 230 hp four-barrel option was available and if a buyer really wanted to go, a 325 hp 390 V8 was an option; that would be quite a find. This car looks pretty good to me, you’ll have to budget in a couple of grand for a nice paint job back to the original color, or that’s what I would do since everything else is that color other than the peeling gray paint. I would personally pass on the $1,000 4-speed, a 3-speed column-shifter works for me. Are there any Montego MX fans in the house?
Source: barnfinds.com
