1946 Mercury Pickup Offers One Cool Change of Pace
Daily Slideshow: Most Mercury M-Series pickups were sold in Canada, and are rarely seen here in the U.S. even today.
From the North
To most Ford guys, it's no surprise that Mercury produced their own version of the F-Series pickup for many years. But most of these appropriately named M-Series pickups were sold in Canada, and even today, are rarely seen here in the U.S. So we obviously did a double take when we found this gorgeous 1946 Mercury 1/2 ton pickup hitting the block at Mecum Auctions' upcoming Phoenix sale, taking place March 14-16.
Images provided by Mecum Auctions.
Subtle Differences
To many, the styling of these Mercury-branded pickups undoubtedly looks familiar. Mainly because, well, they're basically just rebadged Fords. But there are some notable differences, mainly in the front end styling, that set them apart from their more popular brothers.
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Canadian Bred
Mercury offered these alternatives to Ford's perennial best-seller from 1946 to 1968, making this first-year model very attractive to collectors. But why, you might ask, would Ford bother to build these trucks and market them mostly in Canada? Well, as it turns out, there's a very good answer to that question.
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Pickups for All
Back in 1946, Ford of Canada split its Ford and Mercury divisions into two different sales networks. At the time, most rural Canadian communities had either a Ford or a Mercury dealership, but not both. To make sure that all of their customers had the option to purchase a pickup without traveling too far, Ford decided to build them under both brands.
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Naming Conundrum
The M-Series name didn't come about until 1948, however, so the early models were simply called Mercury pickups. This went right in line with Ford's F-Series, which debuted in 1948 as well. At first, model names represented the GVWR of each pickup—the F-47 had a GVWR of 4,700 pounds, for example. But starting in 1951, Mercury followed suit as Ford introduced the F1, F2, etc.
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Early Luxury
Interestingly enough, Ford also saw the Mercury pickups as a way to counter GMC as a "luxury" brand. With special chrome grille work, chrome bumpers, twin-taillights, and chrome Mercury-script hub caps, they looked pretty fancy, at least.
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Desirable Options
This particular pickup is certainly a looker in its black on black garb. It uses a Flathead V8 with a downdraft carb and "oil bath" air cleaner for power, which is backed up by a 3-speed manual transmission with a floor-mounted shifter. That last feature alone is a pretty desirable one in these early FoMoCo pickups.
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Fancy Adornments
As you might imagine, there's plenty of special chrome work all over this pickup, which was what folks wanted back in this era. At that time, most chrome bits were optional and considered somewhat frivolous by those who used these as work trucks. But that didn't stop Mercury from dressing up their trucks big time.
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Getting Fancy
Chrome might not be as cool as it used to be, but it still looks fantastic on this old Mercury. Another cool little detail are the “Smithbilt Hats” logos on the doors, a nod to the makers of the famous white Canadian cowboy hats folks up north wear on special occasions.
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Change of Pace
You certainly don't see old Mercury trucks like this one every day, and that's a real shame. Mainly because they're not just a great change of pace from your typical F-Series, but also because they're incredibly cool in their own right!
Related Slideshows
10 Facts About the Canadian Mercury Trucks
This 1953 Mercury Pickup is Built Canadian Tough
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