1972 Mercury Monterey

Police Interceptor

429 Cubic Inch Police Interceptor

Heavy Duty C6 Three-speed Automatic

2Z54PXXXXXX

Clear

INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTIONYou are viewing my 1972 Mercury Monterey ex-Missouri State Highway Patrol 429 cubic inch PI (Police Interceptor) police car. It still has its original engine, heavy-duty C-6 three-speed automatic transmission and 3.00:1 standard rear axle. It has virtually all of its original body and interior parts as well. This vehicle has 75,358 documented, actual miles as of the start of this auction.A deluxe Marti Report® also helps to confirm the rarity of this Interceptor as 1 of 753 “P” coded (429-PI) Mercury Monterey Customs built in 1972. The MSHP bought this car in June 1972, from Schanzmeyer Lincoln-Mercury in Jefferson City, MO (also confirmed in the Marti Report), and they paid $3,691.90, it was unit "P-188" ("P" for "patrol") when it was in service, on the roof would have been four, red numbers on white backgrounds (I have the correct, magnetic stickers like the door decals but they are not shown) showing the assigned officer's badge number. Last, this actual vehicle was also featured in a national magazine a few years back (see last photo).Note also that the MSHP assigned their vehicles to individual officers who had the option to buy their assigned vehicle when it was retired. Plus, the MSHP had a strict policy in the early 1970's to retire their cars with between 45K and 49K miles. The second owner bought it from the Trooper’s family with just under 66K miles. So, this his Merc Interceptor has had three owners since it was retired from MSHP service in about 1975. The first owner was the family of the trooper who actually drove the car, the second owner was a collector (both of whom lived in Missouri) and then I bought this car in 2006. This Merc Interceptor's VIN decodes as follows: 2 = 1972 Model Year, Z = Ford’s St. Louis Assembly Plant, 54 = Mercury Monterey 4-Door Sedan, and P = 429 CID (cubic inch displacement), Police Interceptor. It is important to note that, despite sharing many parts with the Cobra Jet engines, the 1972 429 PI engine was a "one-year-only" engine due to the police-specific D2OE-AB cylinder heads. The intake is cast iron and identical to the 429 Cobra Jets except it uses a Ford versus a Rochester Quadrajet spreadbore pattern. The transmission is the "Z" code, C6 "XPL", the strongest transmission Ford ever put into a police car.Other features of this Merc include air conditioning (system intact but not producing cold air), massive, heavy-duty power disc (front)/drum (rear) brakes, and of course the "Police Package" consisting of heavy duty suspension parts, including stabilizer bars, springs, and control arms, and heavy duty brakes, and cooling system, and the “Certified” 140-mph police speedometer.The vehicle runs and drives fine. It requires premium fuel but does not need lead-additives as Ford designed all its 1972 engines to run on leaded and unleaded gasoline. All electrical systems work fine. The dual exhaust configuration is still in place and has that deep, "cop car" rumble.. The tires are Michelin 225/70-15 radials with excellent tread remaining. I added the "dog dish" hubcaps because I liked that look better, however I still have the full wheel covers the car came with from the factory.In September 2008, I had the vehicle professionally refinished in its original “Medium Green Metallic” exterior color. The vehicle has been painted as least on time before, but it was an older job and it needed freshening with modern paint formulations to aid in its preservation. During the refinishing, I noted that there was no evidence any collision damage but there were properly executed metal repairs in the lower quarters behind the rear wheels. The chrome trim is in good to excellent condition, and overall is consistent with a vehicle of this age. The bumpers are in driver-quality condition and are showing some dulling and minor pitting.The interior is in excellent condition (including the headliner), however the dash has two small cracks but it otherwise straight and colorfast. The OEM radio was replaced by a previous owner with an aftermarket 8-track unit some time ago. The "VIZIBAR" light bar is authentic and correct for the MSHP vehicles in 1972, but is not operable and I do not have the mounting straps. The Unity S6 spotlight has a cracked lens. The decals are magnetic plastic, which means they can be easily applied and removed, and are replicas of actual MSHP badges. The antenna is the actual police model that was on this Merc Interceptor when it was in service, but there are no police radios or other police electronics still on the vehicle.This 1972 Mercury Monterey Custom is a genuine police Interceptor, and one of the most recognized Mercs of this era of Ford police cars that still remains in existence. The legendary 429-PI engine is one of the best police powertrains Ford ever produced, and this version of it was used for one-year-only in 1972. It ownership history is well known, and best of all, it still is highly original and in exceptional condition. We all know Ford ended the Mercury brand in 2010, but before that happened we also all knew we had seen the last of the great Merc police cars many years ago. And with only 753 of these exceptional cars ever made, its obviously a very rare car. I sure hope this one finds a good home, is kept intact, and preserved for another 43 years. AUCTION SUCCESS CONSIDERATIONSI have established Buy-it-Now Price and I am also willing to consider reasonable offers for this 1972 Mercury Monterey Police Interceptor. Note that I reserve the right to end this auction at any time at my sole discretion should there be a local sale. Encountering non-paying or unresponsive buyers is a very disruptive event that makes the auction experience unpleasant for both the seller and any legitimate potential buyer(s). Please BE SURE BEFORE YOU BUY-IT-NOW OR MAKE ANY OFFERS that you have done whatever you need to do to STAND BEHIND THE PURCHASE INTENTIONS YOU TOOK ON THIS LISTING. Please note that, EXCEPT FOR THE BUY IT NOW PRICE, no offers will be automatically accepted. Therefore you can reasonably offer what YOU WANT TO PAY and I will respond with ACCEPTANCE or COUNTEROFFER. If you get a counteroffer from me you can then decide to ACCEPT or DECLINE my counteroffer. UNREASONABLE OFFERS will be automatically declined by the Ebay system based on the parameters I used to set up the listing. If you have thoroughly researched surviving police vehicles from this era, I think you will know actual transaction price ranges (given their comparative condition, completeness, and rarity). INSPECTION AND WARRANTY INFORMATIONPlease ask any questions that you may have that may not have been answered by this detailed listing narrative and visual media attachments. My listings are constructed in complete sentences in order to communicate my knowledge of important facts and to encourage independent thoughts and then any questions from interested parties.But respectfully, I do not know what is important to you that may not have been discussed or depicted herein unless you ask me. Any and all relevant and appropriate questions you submit while the auction is running will be answered promptly and as thoroughly as possible by email only to ensure clarity of any correspondences. Given that this is a used police vehicle, please do not have unreasonable expectations as to its current condition or future condition under your ownership. Also given its obvious age, this vehicle represents whatever standards of quality and workmanship that existed when it was built, so comparisons to improved build standards of today's vehicles is not appropriate.Your bid forms the basis for a binding, legally enforceable contract. As such, if you require it, please make all pre-purchase inspections (at the sole expense of the bidder) before committing to purchase the vehicle. Inspections can be done by appointment only by you or your designated inspection service. Although I believe I have described and depicted (with numerous high-resolution photographs and video) this vehicle accurately, please note that this vehicle is sold "as-is, where-is” with no express or implied warranties or guarantees of any kind. PAYMENT AND STORAGEA $1000 deposit is required from the winning bidder, due electronically via PayPal within 24 hours after the auction ends, to hold the vehicle. I will not be accepting trades. Full payment is due within 3 days of auction end via cash, bank-to-bank or wire transfer, or certified bank check (drawn on a major US bank). Clear title in my name is in hand and vehicle can be scheduled for buyer pickup by appointment at anytime after full payment is received and cleared. I can hold the vehicle in indoor storage for 15 days (or longer, if weather or other uncontrollable factors emerge) at no charge to the winning bidder after the auction (the charge is $15.00 per day after 15 days).Thank you for viewing my auction.