Robert Mooselli's 1948 Mercury

1948 Mercury restyled by Spohn Coachworks in Ravensburg, Germany. The complete chassis was bought new from Ford Motor Company in Belgium at a cost of $1,100. The body was built entirely at Spohn's shop for an additional $6,000 and is heavily inspired by the 1951 GM LeSabre Concept Car. The build was completed in 1952. When the car was featured in Motor Life January 1954 it was owned by Robert Mooselli who had bought it from an Army captain for $3,800. The custom built body had a removable steel top that was covered with tough rayon fabric. The rear end of the car resembles the 1951 GM LeSabre Concept Car with its fins, taillights and chrome strips. Functional air scoops were built into the rear fenders and the rear bumper was extended forward to protect the side panels. Up front, the headlights were recessed into the front fenders. A P.A. system with speaker mounted in the front grille was installed in order to ease drive-in services. The stock Mercury instruments were kept, but a radio and ashtray were mounted in a compartment between the front seats. The stock Mercury motor remained without any modifications.

Magazine Features

Motor Life January 1954