1940 Mercury Eight

1940 Mercury Eight Convertible — Garnet Maroon, Flathead V8, Restored Throughout

The 1940 Mercury Eight holds a specific place in American automotive history that is easy to overlook today. Ford Motor Company launched the Mercury brand in 1939 as a deliberate answer to a pricing gap — the Ford was entry-level, the Lincoln was luxury, and there was nothing competitive in between. Mercury filled that space with a longer wheelbase, a larger engine, and noticeably more refined styling than anything wearing a Ford badge at the time. By 1940, Mercury had found its footing, and the second-year cars showed it. The body was restyled with smoother, more streamlined sheetmetal, and the convertible body style represented the top of the Mercury lineup in terms of desirability and cost.

The convertible was never a high-volume body style. Ford Motor Company produced roughly 3,954 Mercury Eight convertibles for the 1940 model year, making them considerably rarer than the two-door and four-door sedans that made up the bulk of production. What you are looking at here is a restored example of that low-production body style, finished in Garnet Maroon with a tan convertible top and a red leather interior — a combination that reads as period-correct and visually coherent from every angle.

The VIN on this car begins with 99A, which tells us this is a 1940 Mercury (the "9" prefix was used for Mercury in Ford's system for that model year), built in the Dearborn assembly plant — Ford's home plant and the source of many of the most complete early Mercury builds.

The 1940 Mercury Eight was also a car that influenced the custom car culture of the late 1940s and 1950s more than almost any other vehicle of its era. Lead sled builders and kustomizers gravitated toward the '40 Merc specifically because of its proportions — the long hood, the low roofline relative to other cars of its day, and the naturally flowing fenders. James Dean was photographed with one. The marque was embedded in American car culture before most of the people buying hot rods today were born.

This particular car has been restored with care at every level, from the engine bay down to the undercarriage, and presents as a driver-quality example that can be shown or used on the road with equal confidence.

Key details
Exterior: Garnet Maroon
Transmission: 3-Speed Manual
VIN / chassis: 99A210692

Offered by Skyway Classics, 10420 Portal Crossing, Bradenton, FL 34212. Taxes, title and fees not included.

Photos courtesy of Skyway Classics.