Comment #5

mikeintexas — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 23:04:47 GMT

Thanks for commenting

Comment #4

mikeintexas — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 19:16:43 GMT

JAP, I've seen replacement ornaments like that one which have lights in them. One like this, with running lights, like a plane and the best one was a Mack bulldog that had lit up eyes. I think Mercedes-Benz had to engineer a retractable feature for their iconic hood ornament, was being stolen by thugs who liked to wear them on a chain around their neck as jewelry. <br

Comment #3

JAP69 — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 16:59:44 GMT

Comment #2

CARBOB — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 09:53:14 GMT

My oldest brother fought in WWII, had a yellow one of these.

Comment #1

mikeintexas — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 20:48:45 GMT

I was sitting here looking at these photos, proud of myself for taking them (and I may have a bit too high opinion of them AND my meager talents) and an old joke came into my head. The funny thing is that it's one of those very odd coincidences, where something triggers a memory in my head. Sometimes it's a smell or sound, sometimes it's thinking of something so relatively insignificant as a word...and that word is "trousseau". I was studying words and momma was helpi... [ More ]

Original Blog Entry: Honeymoon Merc

mikeintexas — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 20:45:48 GMT

This is a repost from one from 2007 in my Blogger blog

This car belongs to a Mr. Jimmie M. Clark here in town who also happens to be a long-time family friend. (That might be presumptuous of me, but he stated he knew my grandfather and is also a friend of my uncle. Any connection to me should NOT be held against Mr. Clark. -grin-)

Mr. Clark also owns a '57 Bel Air convertible, featured earlier.

At first glance, it looks boxy and nothing like the sleek styles of today, but I'm so glad I gave it some good attention.

(click any pic f/ larger view)

In 1958, Mr. Clark was a young man in the Army, based at Fort Polk in Louisiana. On his last leave before being discharged that fall, he took a bus to Houston and saw this car and bought it on the spot for $950.00.

You can see a doofus taking a photo of that photocopy of the invoice and cancelled check posted on the inside of the window.

(I told Mr. Clark that I wouldn't post that last photo as it had personal info. on it. I don't care. he declared. That's not my p.o. box number anymore, go ahead! )

I like this shot, it's as if the car is smiling, enjoying the attention. It sure attracted a lot of admirers and I had a hard time, especially later in the day, taking unobstructed photos of any car being shown.

The KFC bucket is for donations to the Coffee Memorial Blood Center; you voted for each vehicle with money.

Back to the story: Mr. Clark came back home after his stint with Uncle Sam, and while riding around town in his new car, he met his lovely wife-to-be and married her a few years later. (and she's STILL lovely because Mr. Clark also brings along a photo album and will show you her pictures, both then and now. I don't blame him; I'd be proud of her, too)

I had been up at the show earlier and taken some photos, then came home and transferred them to my computer. When I saw the next shot, framed without any intention, I knew I had to go back up there and tell him of the great accidental shot I had taken with the Mercury sign in the background.

The car is lovely, but I'm particularly attracted to the bumper, so solid...simple, yet elegant. The hooded headlights also are like sleepy eyes above the grin of the bumper, making the car seem to be alive.

I almost expected it to wink at me.

If you've got the time, Mr. Clark will tell you that he took his new bride to Colorado for their honeymoon back in 1960 in this car. He'll show you photos of the car back then, shoe polish messages scribbled all over it (horrible to think of that NOW!) and the obligatory tin cans tied on the rear bumper.

I can just imagine her sitting close to him on this wide front seat on their trip to the mountains.

Thanks to the new innovative automatic transmission, the Merc-O-Matic , the proud groom could keep his new bride...now Mrs. Clark... snuggled close with his free hand!

Mr. Clark drove the car nearly every day from the time he bought it until '73, then he garaged it until 1991 when he started restoring it, a job that took six years.

He then took his wife on a second honeymoon back to the very spot they had stayed on their first, driving this same vehicle, now beautifully restored. He had a photo of the old motor lodge where he and his bride had stayed the first night, closed and run-down. He said it was now demolished.

Plenty of room in this trunk for a bride's trousseau!

(Heck, it's big enough to HAVE a honeymoon in! *grin*)

Mr. Clark said he once had some different fender skirts for it, but these are lovely. I wrenched my back getting up from this shot.

Love the whitewalls! The hubcaps have the god Mercury on them.

A lovely old car.

(as old as ME *sniff* and in much, much better shape! *sigh*)

One of the best hood ornaments ever created!

The car was featured in some auto magazine, a copy of which Mr. Clark has in the window:

There's one photo I wish I had taken; Mr. Clark's 92 yr. old mother had tatted a beautiful doily for the back seat. You can make it out in the frontal shots posted above if you'll view the large versions.

Hope you enjoyed this!

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