1956 Mecury Montclair Two-Door Hardtop
Provided by Hemmings

The big styling changes for Mercury came in 1955, when their Ford-based body shell was completely redesigned. The year before, both Ford and Mercury had received overhead-valve V-8s to replace the venerable flatheads that had powered the Mercs since their introductory year of 1939.

For 1956, all the Mercurys carried a mild facelift throughout their Custom, Monterey and Montclair series and were joined by the new Medalist line, a stripped-down Merc that sold for as low as $2,458 f.o.b. - and looked it. For less than $100 more, customers could opt for a Custom four-door hardtop, and many did, with the Custom outselling the Medalist four-door hardtop by two-to-one.

Introduced in 1955, the Montclair series was Mercury's top of the line offering. With two- and four-door hardtops, a sport sedan and a convertible, the Montclair enjoyed wide customer acceptance during the '56 model year and none moreso than the two-door hardtop, which ended its run with 50,562 examples sold.

Dual exhausts were standard on all Montclairs and Montereys, and nearly 90% of all '56 Mercs came equipped with automatic transmissions. The 312 V-8 was found throughout all the Mercury series and if the car had automatic, a 225-hp rated engine with four-barrel carb was installed. Later in the model year an M260 package consisting of dual four-barrel carbs and pumping out 260 bhp was available as an option in all series.

On the outside the Montclair continued with the distinctive color band framed by chrome trim just below the windows that was first seen in the 1955 cars. Side trim consisted of a "lightning bolt" theme which also nicely defined the upper and lower fenders for two-tone treatment. Near the tip of the front fenders this trim carried round i.d. medallions and "Montclair" was written in script as an additional embellishment.

From a performance viewpoint, Mercurys made a big impression in NASCAR in 1956, winning five Grand National races in that year.

Luxury and convenience options available on Montclairs for 1956 included power brakes, steering, windows and seats; air conditioning; radio and a padded dashboard.

When it comes to collector value Mercs have always taken a back seat to their Ford brothers, even though the Mercurys are usually more luxurious, better equipped, and sometimes carry more attractive body styling and interiors than comparable Fords. This cuts both ways, though, as you won't have to pay the premium for a Ford nameplate when you buy a '56 Montclair hardtop or similar Mercury.

As with any car of the '50s, your greatest enemy is rust, particularly in fenders, rockers and trunks. The cleaner the interior, the better, as some of the fabrics and patterns used in these cars are now unobtainable. Mechanical parts should not be any real problem and, of course, all the original paint mixtures are available as well.

Not only that, these cars are different and distinctive as well as a colorful reminder of the flamboyant fifties' school of auto styling.

1956 Mercury Montclair two-door hardtop

Base price:	$ 2,765
Base weight:	3,620 lbs.
Body:	Two-door, five-passenger all steel pillarless hardtop
Frame:	Ladder-type with X bracing and cross members
Suspension:	Independent ball joint; semi-elliptic leaf springs
Brakes:	Four-wheel internal expanding hydraulic drums on four wheels
Engine:	312-cu.in. overhead-valve V-8; cast-iron block; 3.8 X 3.44-inch bore and stroke; 210 bhp @ 4,600 rpm. 8.00:1 compression ratio
Transmission:	Three-speed manual standard. Overdrive and Merc-O-Matic automatic gearbox optional