Mercury was founded in 1939 with the purpose to market entry-level-luxury vehicles that were slotted in between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles. All Mercury models are today based on Ford platforms. The Mercury name is derived from 'messenger of the gods' of Roman mythology. In the beginning years, Mercury was known for performance. Mercury bowed its first formal two-series line for 1953: the Custom series offered a hardtop and two and four-door sedans, while the Monterey line listed a convertible, hardtop, wagon, or four-door sedan. Retained from '52 was a trendy dashboard with big aircraft-type levers flanking a large half-moon gauge cluster. Business picked up with the end of Korean war restrictions, and Mercury moved nearly 305,000 cars, though it once again ran eighth. Prices ranged from $2000 for the Custom two-door to nearly $2600 for the Monterey wagon.This particular '53 Mercury Custom is believed to be a 74,000 original mile example that has gone through an older restoration. The car retains the flat head V8 that made these early 50's Mercury's so popular and it runs great connected to the three speed manual transmission. The car has been repainted burgundy which looks very good. We recently had the car buffed out and it really brought the paint back to life. All of the stainless going around the car along with the front and rear bumpers look great with no damage to be found. There is a bit of chipping to the paint on the passenger side of the front fender where the hood meets the body as you can see in the photos. Inside, the car has been reupholstered in a dark blue cloth which looks very good. The carpet is older and does show some age and fading. The headliner, door panels and seats look great with no major wear showing. The same goes for the painted dash. The steering wheel is solid and all lights work along with the blinkers which are slow. The original AM radio is inoperable as well as the original clock. Under the hood, the flat head V8 runs great and appears to be very original. There has been an aftermarket electric fuel pump added to improve reliability. There are also new hoses, plugs and wiring. Connected to the three speed manual transmission, the car runs great and is a pleasure to drive down the road. The underside is solid overall with only a bit of rot showing to the body supports coming off of the frame. The frame and floors both appear to be solid. In the trunk you will find a full size spare and fresh carpeting over the original matting. The spare matches the set of four bias ply, wide white wall tires that are all in very good condition. These are wrapped around Mercury wheels and chrome hubcaps that look great. The current mileage shows 74,239 and is said to be original for the car. The clean Kansas title shows miles of 72,929 at the time of purchase in January of 1994. VIN number is 53SL118882M.