The 1954 Mercury Sun Valley was the beneficiary of one of the more memorable advertising campaigns of the 1950s . " The inwardness of a city at night gleams with its own stars of neon and marquee . This is a glorious mass … All the fullness and color extend to you . Yet the strength is damp , filtered by the shade of the credit card roof …
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" You stop for a dealings Light Within . You glint up through the top at the overhead signal . It twist greenish and you proceed your pleasant journey – completely , wonderfully at relaxation . "
The honeyed words came from a brochureMercurycreated for the 1954 Mercury Sun Valley . Together with its counterpart , the Ford Crestline Skyliner , it was the first production car with a cap you could see through . Between the two of them , the " glasstops " find 23,000 buyers in 1954 . Though Ford ’s translation outsold Mercury ’s , the Sun Valley expressed the nitty-gritty of the idea , the good form it ever bring .
Of of course , the melodic theme had many antecedent . interior decorator get cerebrate about " bubbletoppers " in the late thirties , as credit card set out to be accept as a structural as well as ornamental material .
John Tjaarda , work for body - constructor Briggs , developed the first such software – a one - piece charge plate top for a 1939 Plymouthconvertiblesedan . At Ford after the war , show car predecessor of the 1954 Mercury Sun Valley were the X-100 and XL-500 , the latter a 1953 good example with a crystal clear top bisect by a forward - leaning rollbar . As of late as 1956 , when the last production Skyliners were rolling off the meeting place line , Ford exhibited the Lincoln Futura with its duplicate plastic cockpits .
The 1954 Mercury Sun Valley received ample publicity , take " A freshness of horizon , a new gaiety and glamour , huge new areas of visibility , a whole new conception of light and luxury … you ’re well ' out of door ' all year long … with that wonderful feeling of being fashionably first . " really , much of this well-chosen puffery rang dead on target , with sure qualifications .
To see how the 1954 Mercury Sun Valley lived up to its publicity hype , go to the next page .
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The 1954 Mercury Sun Valley may have been heavily promoted , but packaging was not its trouble . The big problem was hotness . To keep it down , the Plexiglas surgical incision had to be tinted sun - glassful green ( though advertizement used an untinted type to show off the interior ) . Thus , the light that filter inside seemed " kind of weird , " according toMotor Trend , " and may cause many a vernal lady to check her makeup . She might as well switch to green lipstick . "
And , though desert examination take only a five - level difference between a 1954 Mercury Sun Valley and a normal hardtop interior , Mercury offered a snap - on interior refinement for in high spirits summertime . Air conditioning , although usable in 1954 , be an arm and a leg , so few Sun Valleys had it .
The 1954 Mercury Sun Valley came in only two people of colour combinations : yellow or mint green , both combine with a dark green top . interior featured yellow and black light-green all - vinyl upholstery ( which must have been uncomfortable ) , and white textile - green vinyl . atomic number 79 " Sun Valley " script adorned the front fenders . Sun Valleys be quite a good deal – $ 2,582 in 1954 , compared to only about $ 2,150 - 2,250 for the Ford Skyliner .
With its bubbletop , the 1954 Mercury Sun Valley would have been merely an oddness , but the 1954 Mercury was generally an exceptional car . TheForddesign generation of 1952 - 1954 was low for the time period : taut , clean-living , without chromium inordinateness , smoothly carry out , and functional .
The 1954 Mercury Sun Valley emerged cleaner still , peculiarly at the extremities . Its attractive rear lamp , make out into the rear fenders , could easily be seen from the sides and had flute similar to that of late Mercedes , and which deflected road soil .
At the front rode a childlike , one - bar grill under a nippy hood with a dummy airscoop ( likely the only non - functional aspect ) . The dashboard , likewise sporting and dependable , featured aircraft - like toggle lever tumbler controls .
Mercury also debut its all - newfangled overhead valve V-8 in its 1954 Mercury Sun Valley ; it displace almost as much loudness as its flathead predecessor . But whereas the flathead was a " stroker , " the new Mercury V-8 boasted an oversquare constellation and grow a muckle more power .
Its new four - barrelcarburetorfeatured an inlet vacuum cleaner which replaced the mechanical linkage to the two rear Venturis , plus dual floats and a concentric fuel bowl . Other mechanically skillful niceties of the 1954 Mercury Sun Valley include Mercury ’s first ballock - joint frontsuspension , only four grease trying on , and more insulation than ever . But the unparalleled feature remained that see - through top . Although all 1954 Mercurys had a band of glass , the Sun Valley offered more satisfying inches of visibility than any other automobile , including the 1954 Kaiser , which of line had a unanimous roof .
Mercury would field another Sun Valley in 1955 , but whatever market place existed had already been satiated , and so it rule only 1,787 taker . No matter : the original stood out as the best .
Keep reading to learn about the specifications of the 1954 Mercury Sun Valley .
1954 Mercury Sun Valley Specifications
The 1954 Mercury Sun Valley , along with its compatriot the Ford Crestliner , redefine the condition " visibleness " in the 1950s car humankind . Unfortunately , the problem that came along with a charge plate roof ultimately doom the model . suss out out the 1954 Mercury Sun Valley specification below .
Specifications
Engines : ohv V-8 , 256 cid ( 3.62 × 3.10 ) , 161 bhp
Transmissions:3 - amphetamine manual ; overdrive Merc - O - Matic optional
abatement , front : self-governing , volute spring , thermionic vacuum tube shocks
abatement , rear : springy axle , leaf saltation , tube shocks
Brakes : front / rear drum
Wheelbase ( in.):118.0
Weight ( lbs):3,538
Top speed ( mph):100
0 - 60 mph ( sec):14.0 - 15.0
