Saleofcar.com :Mercury

Mercury Montego Spoiler (1970)
for sale

Price: US $0.99

Description:

...call it what you will.. Barn find.. Survivor.. Garage Find... they're all the same titles for a desirable vehicle we all lust after which has been neglected and left forgotten for years or decades. From everything I've gathered from the surviving family members of the deceased owner, this vehicle had not been removed from the garage in Detroit where the pictures shows it parked above since the mid 1970's. The tires and condition of the vehicle and the surroundings paint a picture detailing a consistent storyline.
This rare and often-times forgotten Mercury Muscle Coupe (err-Fastback) is now being made available for the first time since I believe it was sold new to a Ford employee (DSO 84). The car wears its original paint with some minor touch ups done many years ago to chips and whatnot. There is minor rust immediately behind the rear wheels and the bottom is completely surface rusted. This is the result of the car being parked in a horribly decaying concrete floored and concrete block garage for decades and not being driven or cared for. The bottoms of the doors have rot on the bottom horizontal surface and would need to be addressed if this car goes through a full restoration process (not a terribly difficult task, or doors could be replaced from another car-however the door skins are in great shape).
The interior of the car is about as perfect as one can ask for with supple vinyl and clean surfaces. The previous owner was obviously a smoker as evidenced by butts in the ashtray, but no discoloration on any of the white surfaces. The center console hinged glovebox cover hinge connections are broken and would need repair. The chrome accents in the interior are in excellent condition as well as all the glass (windshield has a small crack in front of the drivers position.). The rubber seals are still in good condition. The hinge pins on the drivers side show some wear indicating some heavy local commuting while the original owner was still working at Ford possibly. (Sure--maybe I'm speculating--but everything else supports my speculation).
The interior of the trunk appears to house the original spare tire and jack assembly as well as the checkered mat and side fiber board covers in the quarter panels. The trunk lid has some surface rust (heavy surface, none of it is through rusted) which is common for these cars. The original rear spoiler is in perfect condition.
No evidence of any previous body work efforts are shown anywhere except immediately forward of the drivers rear wheel. Some slight effort appears to have been made to repair a dent and the blue paint does not match (located directly below the Spoiler white stripe). There is a dent as is obvious in the passenger front fender and a small dent behind the passenger door.
There are minor door dings along the passenger side door likely from close parking in lots or in the garage. The remainder of the exterior is in remarkable shape as well as the paint itself presenting a lustrous shine.
The front end of the car is complete with the spoiler, and all rare grill components. This model does have the hideaway headlight option, however the covers are retracted in all photographs. The chrome on the front and rear of the car has surface corrosion similar to what is normally seen on aluminum, likely from the poor temperate conditions of the concrete enclosure.
The original keys are included which will likely bring the lovely 429CJ back to life. The 429 is the original motor with the ram-air components and appears to have never been molested. I would encourage everyone who looks at this listing to study the Marti report which I paid for before I bought this car to confirm it is the real deal, which it is. This is an amazing car that when restored or just brought back into mechanical health will be the star at any muscle car event. The only other cooler options this car could have had would have been the 429 SCJ, DragPack or 4-speed parts, however there' no arguing the beauty of this car. This is only the second one of these cars that I've personally seen in my past 20 years in the Midwest, and although I'm not hunting for them--I appreciate their rarity and physical similarity to the more common Torino Cobra's.
Currently--I'm selling this car as a project locally and anyone interested in seeing it is encouraged to contact me. It could easily be restored mechanically and driven as is, or a nut-bolt restoration to make it a superstar. It rolls and can be assisted onto a trailer as the rear drums have been removed since the brakes were stuck. The front calipers are loose. I live in Union Grove, WI and the car is temporarily stored at my house. If the car does not sell, I'll not be upset, nor will the woman in my life as she loves the car. I however accept that I'm not a Mercury expert and believe this car may serve someone better in their private collection once restored. My reserve is fair in respect to what I paid for the car and what it took for me to get it home. I will be applying for a title, however I possess a bill of sale from my purchase of the vehicle at this time.
Please call me at 760-473-4814 (Yes--I know its a California area code, I used to live there when I was in the Marines.. I've never changed my number since moving back.). Please peruse the photographs attached to this listing (all 93 of them) and if you need more, let me know. The photobucket link contains some short video's made prior to extricating the car from its long resting location. The tires all hold air for transport, the drivers rear does have a slow leak at the bead area. Aside from finding and buying this car, I've gone through the effort to get it home and give it a bath for the first time in at least thirty years--the pictures above show it in both as-found and washed condition.
**As a side note--I'm going to make an effort to see if the engine will run--I'll likely adjust the BIN and reserve should I get to that during the work week ahead.**
Thank you,
John

_{update: 2016-02-29}