RARE MONTEGO GT, SAME OWNER SINCE '78, SOUTHERN CAR, 351W, AUTO, PWR STEER/BRAKE

This 1973 Mercury Montego GT was the car you saw circling the NASCAR tracks in 1973, and you can spot its track-bred shape a mile away. You should also know that owning this car will require a near constant supply of patience, because everyone is going to want to know what it is. If you like rare, unusual, cool cars with neat history, this Montego deserves a closer look.It's a mostly original car, and the bright red paint shows a few minor touch-ups here and there, but is otherwise almost entirely 1973 FoMoCo enamel. The black wheels give it a hardcore NASCAR look, but for the most part, it's bright, shiny, and very well maintained. It has lived all its life in warm, dry Georgia, so no worries about those irreplaceable sheetmetal parts rotting from within, and the detailing on this car makes it an awesome blend of Mercury's luxury and performance personalities. You've got the gothic grille up front, almost like a Lincoln, but twin hood scoops and that fastback profile are all about performance. A single black pinstripe highlights the rather dramatic shape of the fender line, but otherwise it has no need of stripes or spoilers. As an original car, you know that you don't have to worry about botched bodywork underneath and everything fits together pretty much the way Mercury line workers did it almost 45 years ago. The chrome bumpers look great and we particularly like the well-integrated look of the trunk line and rear bumper.The black interior is another awesome indicator of Mercury's mission to deliver performance with some style. Plush black vinyl bucket seats flank a center console, but the seating position is upright with great views. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels great in your hands and a T-handle shifter manages the 3-speed automatic transmission and looks sporty. A full array of gauges fills the dashboard, each in its own round pod, and it includes a tachometer, which is probably a rather rare find in a Merc. Factory A/C is a nice addition, but shouldn't be surprising in a Mercury (needs to be serviced), and there's a vintage AM/FM/8-track head unit that should give you some indication of this car's preservation level. There's a good amount of space in the back seat and for an all-original interior, it's really beautifully preserved. It also includes a fairly large trunk with what appears to be its original mat and a full-sized spare tire.Sometime in the late 1970s, the original 351 Cleveland engine gave up the ghost, so it was replaced with a more user-friendly 351 Windsor. They were both on the options list and it remains very stock-looking, with a correct air cleaner, valve covers, and a 4-barrel carburetor that makes decent power. Ford blue adds a little contrast to the all-business engine bay and as far as we can tell, there are no significant aftermarket additions, making this a very unusual find. The C4 3-speed automatic transmission is smooth and unobtrusive when you're just cruising, but doesn't mind serving up a crisp downshift when you prod it, and the suspension is a nice compromise between comfort and sporty handling. The dual exhaust system sounds suitably rumbly for a car of this type, not too loud but not whisper quiet, and the floors are remarkably clean. Those blacked-out steel wheels are pure NASCAR cool and are wrapped in fat 245/60/15 front and 275/60/15 rear BFGoodrich T/A radials.An unusual find that looks great and serves up a great blend of performance and comfort, this Montego is ideal for the Mercury fan looking for something a little out of the ordinary. Call today!