MERCURY COUPE

Following the class at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours dedicated to Postwar Mercury Customs, interest in these ‘lead sleds’ has rarely been higher. But for Mark Fox his passion runs much deeper: “I used to buy Custom Car and Street Machine when I was at school – I’m 47 now. This 1949 example is the car I’ve wanted since I was a little boy – it just looks so sinister and I love traditional customs.

“The Mercury has had its roof chopped by 4in at the front and 5in at the back, so it’s got that classic custom style. It’s supposed to look as if it was built in 1953 or ’54. It was done in the UK by Romance of Rust, and since then I’ve replaced pretty much the bottom 6in of the entire car. I bought it from London, where it had been sitting on a guy’s drive.

“It’s low at the back – what they call the speedboat stance – and it’s all pretty stock. It’s got lowering blocks on the back with basic air shocks that you can pump up when it’s fully loaded. Apart from that it’s mostly standard, bar a GM tilting steering column and ’55 Chevy steering wheel.

“Over the winter I’m going to round off the hood corners, which is a traditional modification, and I’m going to redo the front end including new chrome accents. I’m a painter by trade, so I’m going to clean it up and possibly do some gold scalloping to tie it in with the interior.”