ERTL Mercury Eight 2-Door Coupe 1949 Black 1:18 Scale Diecast Model Unboxed

Lovely unboxed condition model. Gloss black paint, chrome front bumper, grille, hood ornament, headlight surrounds, licence plate, windscreen surround and centre bar, windscreen wipers, door shoulder trim, side window surrounds and front quarterlights, door mirror, door handle, side trim, rear window surrounds and vertical bars, rear light surrounds, rear Mercury badge and rear bumper. Silver MERCURY lettering on the bonnet, gold Mercury badge, black EIGHT lettering on the front grille, Massachusetts 49 MERC licence plates, black MERCURY lettering on the front wing side trim, black MERCURY lettering on the rear badge, realistically glazed headlights and red tinted rear lights, clear cabin glazing.

Opening doors with two-tone pale grey/dark grey seats, matching door cards with chrome door handles and window winders, pale grey dashboard with mid grey panels on the passenger side, chrome centre strip with clock and radio, white on black instrument dials, chrome rear view mirror. Functional pale and mid grey 2-spoke, 2-ring steering wheel with column shift and instrument stalk. The wheel is functional and turns the front wheels. Grey floor and pedals.

The bonnet opens revealing a detailed flathead V8, 255 Cubic Inch (4.2 litre) engine and ancillaries in green and black.

Underneath there is a detailed chassis, suspension and drivetrain with a green painted engine & transmission, silver sump, black propshaft, rear axle, exhaust system and fuel tank.

It rolls on treaded whitewall tyres and chrome wheel trims with black MERCURY EIGHT lettering.

The Mercury Eight is an automobile that was produced by the American manufacturer Ford Motor Company under their now defunct division Mercury between 1939 and 1951. The debut model line of the Mercury division, Ford positioned the full-size Mercury Eight between the Ford Deluxe (later Custom) model lines and the Lincoln. In total, Ford assembled three generations of the Eight (before and after World War II).

For 1949, Mercury introduced its third-generation design as its first postwar line. The first models released under the combined Lincoln-Mercury Division, the Mercury Eight now shared its body with the Lincoln (which no longer carried a divisional nameplate).

Keeping its 118-inch wheelbase, the third-generation Mercury was sized between its two divisional counterparts. The "pontoon" body design eliminated freestanding fenders and running boards (along with widening and lowering the hood). Substantial modernization was made to the chassis, as Ford retired its long-running transverse-leaf suspension and torque-tube drive axle (the former feature, used since 1908 on the Model T). While the rear axle was remained leaf-sprung (with more conventional longitudinal springs), the front suspension was independent with stabilizer bars.

The Flathead V8 (resized to 255 cubic inches) made its return, producing 110 hp. A new overdrive system was optional, activated by a handle under the dash.

In a model change, the four-door station wagon was replaced by a two-door version; as with the Ford Country Squire, wood construction was relegated to side paneling (still manufactured at the Ford Iron Mountain Plant). An 8 tube AM radio was introduced as an option; full instrumentation was added to the dashboard.

Within its era and beyond, the third-generation Mercury Eight was popular with customizers. In 1949, Sam Barris built the first lead sled from a 1949 Mercury Eight; the Eight became the definitive "lead sled", much as the Ford V-8 (as the "deuce") was becoming the definitive hot rod. The Eights were among the first models to receive an aftermarket OHV engine swap, since Oldsmobile and Cadillac developed the first high-compression OHV V8 engines in 1949, whereas Ford was still using a sidevalve engine.

Sam and George Barris also used the 1949 body style to build "the most famous custom car ever", the Hirohata Merc, for customer Bob Hirohata in 1953. Setting a style and an attitude, it had a "momentous effect" on custom car builders, appeared in several magazines at the time, and reappeared numerous times since, earning an honorable mention on Rod & Custom's "Twenty Best of All Time" list in 1991.

The Eight remains a very popular subject for car modellers. In 1990, Hot Wheels created the Purple Passion, a model based on the 1949 Mercury with a chopped top. Fiberglass replicas of the Eight, inspired by Sam Barris's car, are still in production and are popular with custom and rod enthusiasts.

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