Lot #351.1 - This custom Mercury Coupe has an amazing history and was not driven from 1971-2012. This car had the same owner from 1953 until 2012, when the Mercury was sold out of the owner's estate in Indiana. Carl Thomas Drag raced this Mercury from 1953 to 1970 in the Midwest, primarily Indiana and Ohio. Originally it was raced with Flathead power, but under the hood resides its last power plant, installed in the late '60s, a 307ci small-block Chevrolet with Rochester mechanical fuel injection and ignition from a 1960 Corvette. There is a custom adapter and scatter shield to mate the engine to the stock Mercury bellhousing. The engine is backed by a T10 4-speed manual transmission with a Hurst shifter. It features an early Chevrolet posi-traction differential rear with a 3.73 gear. This car really runs out well and has great power, still pulling at 6,500 rpm. The engine was built for rpm, not torque. This car still wears its tires from 1970 on Astro chrome wheels. Rears are Mickey Thompson red line cheater slicks. The lacquer paint and interior were refinished in the late '60s. Still showing great with little wear, the interior features custom diner-style copper and white glitter material on the seats and the front buckets are from a ‘65 Chevelle. The paint was fully sanded and buffed to show-quality and looks amazing, a testament to its careful storage over the years. The chrome is very nice throughout, with only minimal flaws from age. A solid car with all-original floors and trunk, this car won tons of trophies and awards in the '60s, including an NHRA Division 3 class winner award. It was also the Ohio-Indiana Champion. Comes with the jacket awarded to Carl, along with his old helmet with assorted trophies. This was a street/ strip car; it was street driven to races and also was shown in car shows. A few years back, the injection was rebuilt by a specialist, and the brakes and clutch were replaced so it could be street driven again, with only about 50 miles since.