1954 was a big year for Mercury, with the introduction of the V8 flathead engine which served as a replacement for the overhead-valve 'Y-Block' V8. Ford had originally introduced the flathead in 1932 with Mercury's benefiting from years of design, use, testing, and experimentation. It was larger with over 160 horsepower and 238 foot-pounds of torque. Another important feature on the Mercury cars for 1954 was a ball joint suspension in the front, allowing for sharper handling and a better ride.This 1954 Mercury Monterey 2 door hardtop comes finished in its original colors of Lakeland Blue with an Arctic White top. The car has gone through a recent restoration to bring it to the standards you see today and looks great. During the restoration, new paint was applied and nearly all of the stainless and chrome was removed from the car. It was polished or rechromed before being put back on and looks great. No pitting, nicks or damage to be found on any of it. With dual spot lights and fender skirts, this Mercury looks great. Inside, the seats have been reupholstered in blue and white vinyl that looks great. The seats show no notable wear or rips and appear to be newer. The door panels have been reupholstered to match the rest of the interior and look great. The same goes for the headliner, kick panels, arm rests and carpet. The dash looks great and has been freshly painted to match the new carpet. Under the hood, the 256 Cu In V8 looks great and has been nicely detailed. Connected to the automatic "Merc-O-Matic transmission, this car is a joy to drive and goes down the road with no problems. The engine compartment has been nicely finished to the condition the rest of the car is in and looks great. The car starts up with a turn of the key and goes down the road with no issues. In the trunk, you will find the original style matting along with a newer bias ply spare. The steel wheels are covered with correct Mercury hubcaps and wrapped with wide white bias ply tires that are in very good condition. The underside of the car is very solid and has never seen any undercoating. It's rare to see a car of this era with clean, solid floor pans as this car has. VIN number is 54LA36869M and the current mileage shows 14,568. The car is being sold on a clean Illinois title.