ACE OF BASE

Andy Green’s 1976 Mercury Marquis is a low-mileage and very original example of how even the base model cars were luxurious in the Seventies.

- Mike Renaut

Sometimes you look at a car and it just stands out. Sucha car is Andy Green’s 1976 Mercury Marquis coupe. The colour is brilliant and it’s in such superb condition that I found myself wondering if it was a recent restoration. “The first owner bought it in South Dakota and had it for about 30 years,” explains Andy, “but I don’t know much about its history beyond that. I’ve tried writing to him but heard nothing back. I’m sure it’s been repainted, but I suspect the rest is original.” Andy recently paid for a vehicle history report, but didn’t learn anything beyond that the car was retitled in Florida in 2015.

“I bought the Mercury from MJC Classics in November 2018, a Florida-based dealer who only buys low-mileage cars; it currently has 53,000 on the clock. I imported it via Kingstown Shipping (01482 374116/www.kingstown-shipping.co.uk) in December 2018. I’ve used them three times now, each time getting the cars containerised and shipped into Felixstowe.

“I had my eye on the Mercury for eight months and kept returning to the dealer’s website to look at it,” admits Andy. “I’d come home from work and look at the photos online. A friend had previously shipped in a couple of Marquis to sell on and there was just something about the front end of those cars I loved, the hidden headlights particularly just appeal.