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Disgusting 1966 Mercury Montclair Barn Find Gets First Wash in 26 Years

Barn-found classics usually come out into the light covered in thick layers of dust. And sometimes, you can't tell what hides underneath. This 1966 Mercury Montclair is one of those cars that's still in solid condition after decades in a barn, but it also came with a few nasty surprises.
1966 Mercury Montclair 6 photos
Photo: AMMO NYC/YouTube
1966 Mercury Montclair1966 Mercury Montclair1966 Mercury Montclair1966 Mercury Montclair1966 Mercury Montclair
Parked in 1996, the four-door sedan spent a whopping 26 years in storage as of 2022. And it only came out because the guy who purchased the property wanted to get rid of it. But instead of sending it to the crusher, he contacted the folks over at YouTube's "AMMO NYC" to see if they'd be willing to take it for free.

Fortunately enough, the answer was "yes," and the Mercury got a good scrubbing before it was donated to one of the channel's subscribers. And surprisingly enough, the Montclair was still in good condition after almost 30 decades off the road.

Sure, it was all dusty on the outside and stinky on the inside, but the cleaning process revealed a solid body with straight panels and just a bit of rust. On the flip side, the engine was stuck, and the air filter was packed with acorns and rat poop. Making matters worse, it came with a giant rat nest under the rear bench seat.

Needless to say, it's one of the most disgusting barn finds I've seen in a long time, but the result is downright fantastic. This Montclair is not only a solid candidate for a restoration, but it's also a pretty stylish sedan that will turn heads everywhere it goes.

There's not a lot of info about what's under the hood, but the Montclair was sold with a long list of powerful engines in 1966. Whether fitted with the base 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 rated at 265 horsepower or the range-topping 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) V8 good for 345 horses, the Montclair was no slouch. And the good news is that the new owner managed to get the old mill running again.

Oh, and this Montclair is also a celebrity car because it was owned by Emmy award-winning screenwriter John Vlahos, who passed away in 2004. See the 1966 Mercury come back to life in the video below.

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About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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