Tony Ferreira's 1954 Mercury

Tony' Merc as it looked like in 1957

Tony's Mercury as it looked when it was featured in Custom Cars September 1957

The Merc as it sat in 1958..

1954 Mercury Monterey owned byrestyled by Tony Ferreira of San Diego, California. According to Custom Cars September 1957, it was restyled by the House of Custom in San Diego, California. However, in Car Craft December 1957, Robbie Martinez of Broadway Auto Body Shop in Chula Vista, California was responsible for the bodywork. Up front the car was fit with hooded headlights from a 1955 Cadillac. The headlights were frenched into the extended front fenders. A new grille was created by combining 1955 DeSoto and 1956 DeSoto components with 3-inch rolled tubing. The hood was shaved and chrome mesh and teeth were inserted into the airscoop. Tony kept the stock bumper, but he had the bumperguards removed. In order to complete a soft look, all corners on the hood and deck lid were rounded. The quarter panels on the car were extended 9 inches and got 1955 Lincoln taillights. The stock rear bumper was replaced by a 1953 DeSoto bumper that was stripped of bumper guards and the exhaust tips were routed through the new bumper. Fender skirts were added, along with an additional chrome strip at the bottom shear. New side trim was also added to the car in order to give it an unique appearance. The car was lowered by de-arching the springs, and by C'ing the frame. After the bodywork was done, Tony had the car painted in an orange and grey two-toning with black and white pinstriping by Jerry Hanson of San Diego.

3 months after Tony's Merc was featured on the cover of Custom Cars September 1957, it also landed the cover of Car Craft December 1957. In 1958 the car was featured in Hot Rod Magazine August 1958, by then the design of the car had been altered altered by filling the scoop in the hood, and by adding two portholes in it instead. On this version of the car the sidetrim was removed, 3 chrome spears were added to each of the quarter panels in front of the fenderskirts, and the car had been repainted orange. This version of the car has also had a chrome bullet added to the centre of the hubcaps.

Magazine Features

Custom Cars September 1957
Car Craft December 1957
Custom Cars March 1958
Hot Rod Magazine August 1958