Roll With This 1951 Mercury Woody Wagon

You can’t help but smile upon seeing something like this 1951 Mercury Woody Wagon. After all, a car with wood paneling on the body is pretty special, a relic of a quaint past when there were no parking sensors in bumpers, airbags shoved every which way, and glowing screens embedded in the dash. This vehicle is a true beauty, but it’s packing some crazy modern power. You have a shot at owning this resto rod since it’s crossing the block at McCormick’s Palm Springs Collector Car Auctions.

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The current owner of this Mercury claims to have invested over $120,000 on the build, a figure which is entirely believable. While the wagon might look pretty tame from the exterior, a Shelby Cobra badge is a subtle hint about what’s under the skin.

At the heart of this car is a Ford 4.6-liter supercharged V8. A T56 Mustang Cobra 6-speed manual is bolted up to that, sending power to the Currie Ford 9-inch Positraction rear. That certainly is a lot of power for such a vehicle, making the four-wheel disc brakes and Mustang II front end/powder-coated frame quite necessary.

As you can clearly see in the photos, the black paint and wood panels look excellent. Shiny chrome and red wheels with chrome dog dish hubcaps make it look authentic. The interior has been customized with tiki-inspired details on the floors and headliner, plus a wood-grain dash which looks like it came from the factory.

People will take notice of this Mercury wherever you happen to take it. Naturally, onlookers stare at any woody, but this one is so well-done it won a first class trophy at the 2010 Grand National Roadster Show and was featured in the invite-only Fresno Autorama. Find auction registration info here if you want to bid on this car.

Check out McCormick’s auction cars, a list of auctions, or contact the auction house here if you have questions.