April's Cool Ride: Mats' 1968 Mercury Marquis 390

I have owned from brand new and restored many 1968 Mercury full size cars since 1968 and still have one today.One of them was a Mercury Marquis with a white vinyl top,dark maroon body with the dark blood interior.I bought it for $800 with 157K miles because the original owner had passed away.The car was in perfect original condition but got hit in the rear quarter.I drove it home with just seeing a video tape of it,from Virginia to Chicago after a big snow storm hit the mountain chain over there.My intent was to use it's frame to restore a factory wood grain sided 1968 white Monterey fast back with 57K miles but a real badly rusted out frame.I just could not do it.I drove it back doing 70 to 80 mph,got 17 mpg, it ate no oil,was the best '68 Merc. I ever drove plus the quietest and the trans. and engine were never touched.I also fully restored a one of 207 made,'68 Merc. ParkLane convert. which ended up on the cover of Collectable Cars magazine in Oct. of 1998 and you can see many of the '68 Mercs. I owned in the soft cover book by Krause Publication book " 55 Years of Mercury".I feel that the 1968 full size Mercury was the last of cars made in that era ever made.Thanks for the memories.John Adamek