Eugene’s Whiteaker District is, among other things, an artists’ colony. One can find all sorts of curious and artistic objects sitting in front of colorful old bungalows–including this purple Montego. It hasn’t moved in years, instead becoming a fixture in front of the home of this artist, who obviously is fond of purple.
Who can argue with the artistic merit of the Montego’s fine lines…
and its sculpted nose? Michelangelo–or more likely Salvadore Dali–would approve.
The car’s color matches the trim on the house nicely… At least the owners are consistantly eccentric in their tastes
I think the design started with the Cyclone “gun sight” grill…….and should have stayed there. It was aggressive and a bit outrageous. But I loved it. I made a chop a few years ago, when Mercury still seemed viable, of a modern Cyclone Spoiler.
You’re giving me Ideas, and that’s not a good thing. I’m trying to imagine a gunsight grille on my Maruader or Grand Marquis………though I guess at the size it would need to be it could come off looking like a DOdGe.
Maybe someone who’s good at Photoshopping could do a last gen GM with it, pretty please.
That grille is definitely a love/hate thing. I personally love it. Those hidden headlights are yummy.
In the late ’70’s there was a couple of “artie” types who bicycled around manhattan in matching purple outfits. They were called the purple people, and worked very hard to be “Artie” maybe they retired out west and enjoying their old age.
Also, for 1970, Mercury dropped the Comet name from the mid-size line-up leaving only Montego and Cyclone, only taking a vacation year returning as the Maverick counterpart for the 1971 model year.
Here a pic on Oldcarbrochures on a 1969 mid-size Comet http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Mercury/1969%20Mercury/1969_Mercury_Montego_Brochure/1969%20Mercury%20Montego-16-17.html
Don’t ask me why, but I have always loved this front end. Looking at this, I wonder why I love this one but hate the equally protruding but wider version on the 74 and up Matador. As exposed as the nose was on these, it is a wonder that any of those plastic grilles survived normal use. Every one I ever remember seeing eventually looked like this.
I still bear a grudge towards an old lady at the drugstore for the time I tried to buy a model kit of a Mercury Cyclone of this vintage. There was no price tag (I think that they were all $2.25 at the time) but she wouldn’t listen to me. “It’s 3 in one and it has a Cycle or something.” Arrrrgghhh. She insisted on trying to charge $5 or $6 for it. I wanted it, but not that much. Next time I went back it was gone and I never saw another.
I think the main problem with the coffin-nose Matador was the single headlights. I’ve seen it photoshopped with quads and it looks much better, as does the similar ’74 Ambassador. AMC should have used the Ambo nose from ’75-’78.
I think the reason the Montego works is the extended fenders balance things out.
Given the wheels, I’m going to say this one’s been parked 20 years or more. Maybe 30.
I guess I’ll never understand “artists.” As far as I’m concerned, that Craftsman bungalow has been ruined by that stupid paint scheme. Judging by the state of the yard, that Montego and the probably-everpresent Christmas lights, I imagine the house is wreck inside. What a waste.
Nice find, though. I was pretty impressed by the now-rare run-of-the mill Torino hardtop posted earlier this week. I can’t imagine there are many Montegos left.
If this thing was parked that long would those tires have as much air in them?
doubt it.
I was thinking that as well. A closer inspection of the lead photo reveals a 2006 expiration sticker on the license plate.
Good tires, then…that’s still six years parked, assuming they didn’t drive with expired tags.
Looks to me like it moves. Either that, or the fence was rebuilt between photo shoots.
Must be LSU Tiger fans! Which makes it a Montegeaux.
Very nice looking machine in spite of its condition. Maybe the planets will align and it will end up in the hands of an enthusiast. Finding a replacement grille would be next to impossible though.
I freaked out one day while driving in downtown south-side Birmingham when I saw an orangish-colored 4-door one of these parked on the street. It had Brougham emblems on it and hidden headlights. The car looked completely original and was beautiful despite its condition being marginally better than poor Barney here.
It’s late at night. Your battery is dead, you are stranded and need a push to get going again. Traffic is zero. Nothing for hours.
Then this guy comes along . . . .
The Whiteaker District is one of my favorite places to visit when I come up to Eugene. Some great, and unusual eating places–especially the Pizza Research Institute.
“Who can argue with the artistic merit of the Montego’s fine lines…”
HEY! TEACH! OVER HERE!
There was, possibly still, a Montego MX sitting in the front yard of a house on the west side of Joliet Il. The first time I saw it was one of those gotta go back for that old car moments.
Nothing about the car’s design worked quite right.
As the owner rambled on about how it “wasn’t fer sale” and “Ima restore it one day” all I could think of was what I could do with the Cleveland under the hood.
Wow. I think I just got the jist of that quoted line.. ;D
Hey Y’all! I am the owner of the Montego in question, and, praise the gawds, was just gifted a 31 spline 9″, and a bit of cash (me birfday was on Thanksgiving) from friends and family that want me and my honey to enjoy the slippery vinyl bench-seat as only Teenagerman and his bride could! Sitting on this car and always being $2,000 short of getting it running has been a challenge for me and my family, but after convincing my wife that I wouldn’t give it up, she put the word out and voila! (All those split window VW vans… can I have all six of them back, please? I’d sit on those too…)
Hope you get it back on the road and uh… enjoy the drive.
Welcome, glad to have you here. One bit of advice concentrate on what is needed to get it on the road. Even if it’s only getting it to where it will make it around the block a couple of times. Driving it increases the enthusiasm and the desire to fix or upgrade other things. Way too many project cars never make it on the road because of grand plans to do everything all in one shot. Keep us, or Paul updated as it gets back on the road. Maybe it could be the official CC project car.
Can do. Rear end first, tear down the motor next (it has a top end that was new when I purchased the car in 2000, though the bottom made a strange sound when cruising…). After 6 years parked, I think it needs a good freshening. Fluid, tags, and on the road! The body, especially the fenders and nacelles, as one of the posters mentioned, are going to be tough to replace. But of course the joy of driving will keep me doing just that. I think I will be able to fashion a new “arty” metal grill for it. I am not an artist so much as an aesthete. I am a musician! (Hence the broke-ness.) But I have friends… that weld, fashion, replicate, etc. Of course any help in any direction would be most appreciated.
One place to check for parts is car-part.com it’s a nationwide wrecking yard service. I found some parts for my IHs through it in Montana. I was making a trip to ND so I picked up the stuff on the way home but most of the participating yards will ship. My quick search shows a fender but they don’t specify if the extension is included.
If you have any questions you want posed to our audience you can send them to Paul or me at [email protected]
For the grille I bet your friends that weld, fashion and replicate could make something out of aluminum. Thin square stock bent to shape or plate cut to shape could be made to blend in nicely.
Cool — glad you found “us”! It’s nice to know that you have plans for your car because I think it’s awesome. I’d just get it running & drive it as-is. I wouldn’t tear into more than one major assembly at a time. I (never?) learned the hard way that cars taken completely apart have less chances of being reassembled.
Hey Dan! I’m mighty envious of you, bud! I love those old Montegos and Cyclones, one of my favorite-ist cars ever… I hope you get it on the road and send us some pix!
Author: Paul Niedermeyer
Comment:
That’s more than a wee bit harsh about the nice guy who lives there with his
family and who welcomed me in to shoot the Montego and have a beer. Are you
always this judgmental, just over a choice of paint?
Sorry, not trying to be judgmental if that was aimed at me. I think its pretty cool. And I never that eccentric was a bad way of labeling people…
For the record, but not to blow my own wistle…I befriended a 70 year old woman in my city who has nothing but grief from people who thought she was a crazy woman because she has 8 eldorados sitting in her front yard and is unable to keep up or repairs to her home and yard. She rides a bike around town and generally looks as like she could be someone who is extremely down on her luck. Turns out she is a lovly lady who loved her cadillacs enough to keep them and had to live through years of vandalism and mistreatment because of how she chooses to live her life. I try to check up on her once a week or so.
Now that I think of it, 8 eldorados ranging from 68 to 76 might be a good shot for a curbside classic…even if they do look more like they’ved sat in a field for 30 years.
It obviously wasn’t meant for you. If you read the other comments, you’ll know who it was meant for. I deleted it later; no need to fan the flames further.
Sorry boss…If it had been obvious I wouldn’t have commented. I looked for it the comments but couldn’t find them so I assumed you sent it to me directly. You might have deleted it but everyone following the story got your response via email. Its hard to tell what will or won’t upset people these days.
I know who it was meant for. I didn’t mean to imply anything personally negative about the owner, other than my taste in paint and yard ornamentation is decidedly different. Upon re-reading my comment, I realize I sounded like a judgmental creep and that my comment was wholly unnecessary. And to think that just a couple of days ago I chided another commenter for dragging down the discourse around here…
The anonymity of the internet makes it far too easy to act like a total jerk. My apologies.
Thanks for that. We try hard to keep CC collegial. We can disagree, but we try avoid lobbing stink bombs here. 🙂
Here a REALLY nice 1970 Montego………..with a 429CJ, for $24k.
http://www.autotraderclassics.com/classic-car/1970-Mercury-Montego-811495.xhtml?conversationId=125377
I think I’m in love. That’s absolutely beautiful. Thanks for posting that pic.
There is a racing history too. If I remember correctly, after the very successful NASCAR 68/69 Torino/Cyclone fastbacks aka Sportsroofs, there was a problem. The 70 Torino Sportsroof looked real slippery, but wasn’t as aerodynamic. The “formal roof” (to me it still looks like a fastback) was better. The Cyclone didn’t get the Sportsroof anyway, so it was by default the better Muscle car for NASCAR.
Reminds me of: She Got A Nose Job