History MILESTONE CUSTOM CARS: Nick Matranga '40 Mercury

********************************************************************

I saw a couple of pics in a 1952 magazine ("Motor Life"? "Hop Up"? "Honk"?) of popular 'Customs' and 'lowering'. The Matranga Merc had a "Z'd" frame in rear, with a flattened crossmember and tunnelled floor. The spring looked flattened also, with 3"or 4"
shackles. (Frame modification was considered to be a major 'reconstruction' task at the time)

 

Mike,
Is there a way you can be a bit more precise about which magazine you saw this in? I cant recall ever seeing these.. but would love to add them to my collection of Matranga Photos.
I dont have all the 52 issues in my collection. So perhaps its one I'm missing.
Thanks

 

Any chance anyone has seen any post wreck photo's of it? I'd be curious how bad it was. I know one article told of the dashboard being buckled.
Remember the Jack Stewart/Ayala/Barris/Drake car had been hit by a train and brought back!

 

Best

Custom

EVER

 

Rik, THANKS! Again for the history lesson. Slim

 

Thanks for the post, proof some info on the HAMB is still relevant 1,3,25 years later! I recenly sold a '40 couple well on its way to being Matranga clone to a fellow HAMBer. Hope he jumps in on this post.

 

That is such a ***y car. Love those voluptuous curvy lines. Just like a beautiful woman.

 

x2!

 

I wish I woulda had the coin to buy that car because I woulda been doing the same thing!


Best Car Ever!

 

The Matranga Merc got Me all giddy. Had to go and find a 40 merc for My self. I am in the metal work stages on My Merc. Like to have it rollin in the spring. If time and money hold out. oooooo chrome dash. Thanks for the pics, helps stir the mind.

 

A good friend of mine from Las Vegas knows Nick Matranga pretty well.
So some time ago he suggested me to print a photo of the matranga Mercury and send it to him. So he could have it signed on his next visit to Nick...

Last week the signed photo was in the mail... will be on my wall in my office soon...

Thanks David!

 

Since I started this post I have been able to find a few more photos of the Matranga Mercury in different publications....

Very nice angle.. wish I had a better scan of this photo...




Very nice interior show showing the wonderful door upholstery.



Another great angle with thanks to GeneRator for finding this one in a 1963 Car Craft magazine




And this photo of the interior has been seen before... but this particular scan was made from an original Marcia Campbell photo from the Mark Drews Collection...




Marcia's stamp on the back of the photo...




And this is one of the two photos of the Matranga Mercury that I kolorized...

 

After all these years, I still don't know how to top it...

 

I remember reading about this car many years ago...

When the roof was chopped, the windscreen ended up like a gun-slit, the car was impossible to drive. Someone came up with the idea of cutting the screen up higher into the roofline to make the gl*** wider and improve vision. The result is the car as it appears in the pics.

The car was sold to a guy who used to race it on the street. It had a hot 4 x 4 flathead in it, but he lost control of it one night crossing railway tracks in the rain, and the car was totalled. Even the chrome dashboard was buckled in the accident.

(That's almost word for word from the original article, my memory is getting scary, now if I could only remember where I left my car keys!)

Cheers, Glen.

 

That photo is a great thing to have Rik. Thanks for the interior shots. Can never have too much reference.

 

A signed pic... now thats cool

 

How are the doors and side windows done? I hear about 5/8 or 3/8 hand formed channel. Is that replacing the structure and the gl*** rolls up into it? How is the car that the FrenZ posted done with the side gl*** rolled down? My son has landed a pretty rough '41 Chevy and he likes the "hard top" look that the Matranga nailed. I know it isn't a Merc but most of the Chevy's shown are Carson topped or have the side gl*** filled.

 

Rik, hows Dave merc coming along,is it still at Dave's shop in CO? if you know Dave it will be spot on right. Iam still looking for a 39 merc sedan.

 

With the p***ing of Nick Matranga I thought people might want to see this thread with all the pics and story on his 40 Merc.

 

This one is from issue # 47 of The Rodders Journal.

 

Wow, Rik! Fabulous work and congrats!

 

I cannot believe I never saw this thread!!!!Thanks Rikster for putting it out there and thanks IL Gimmi for bringing it back up!This is my favorite car ever and now that I have said it on three different threads I promise I wont again!!!!LOL

 

Rik, I Love your colorized version of this photo. Here are a few pics I took of the clone that was owned by Duncan Emmons.

 

He had the bad*** original 'FONZ' look, which us youngsters tried to copy! high cuff Levi,s, leather jacket, and ducktail [DA] hair.

 

R.I.P. Nick Matranga.
May you will always be that cool cat standing next to the coolest car in the day.

 

>>>>>,Rikster; Great pictures and a AWESOME History Lesson ,,thanks for it,,
Not to change the subject here ,,but i have a question ,,back in '57 when my folks went to So Cal on vacation ,,i went to Dean Jefries' shop ,and saw his white '48 Merc convertable ,,i've searched for a picture of it ,,including your great website ,,and there just isn't any ,,that i could find ,,i remember seeing it in the small car mags ,,maybe '58-'59,,,i understand he sold it in '57 ,,and bought a Porsch ,,,
any chance you might find a pic of it ,,??? i know it was just a mild custom ,,but it was pretty cool for the time ,,
thanks for all your doing ,,you're a fantastic source of info,,
bill

 

pm?

 

Amazing pics and a great history lesson. Still THE best Merc custom. Period!

 

Btt

Anyone having some more picture ?

 

btt