Gene Winfield's First 1950 Mercury

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The Merc as it looked when Gene entered it at the 1956 National Roadster Show in Oakland.

Gene Winfield bought his first 1950 Mercury from fellow Century Topper member Pete Hischer in 1954. He felt he needed a car that could represent what he did for a living. When Gene bought the car Gene had already shaved the hood and deck for Pete. When Gene got the car he began by frenching the headlights. The front end was modified by installing a floating grille bar made from two 1951 Mercury accessory bumper guards welded to the end with a handmade 14-gauge steel center section. Further he rounded the corners on the hood, doors and trunk. Over the front wheels he hammer welded 1952 to 1954 Ford front fender flair openings. The stock side trim were removed, and replaced with moldings from a 1951 Lincoln. The hubcaps did also come from a 1951 Lincoln. In the back Gene installed taillights from a 1953 Hudson. Appleton 112 spotlights were installed, the vinyl top removed, before Gene mixed his own lime green color called Lime Mist that he painted on the car.

By 1956, Gene had chopped the top on the Mercury, and angled the B pillars. He had also fit the car with rear quarter panels from a 1951 Mercury. With the new rear fenders in place, taillights from a 1954 Mercury seemed like the natural choice. Gene had also swapped the side molding from side to side, allowing the body to be painted in a two-tone color. The upper body remained the Lime Mist color, while the lower body was painted dark green. In the back, Gene had routed the exhaust through the rear bumper corners that he had finished of with oval flairs. He had swapped the Lincoln hubcaps, and the factory fender skirts had been replaced by fender skirts from a 1951 Mercury that he had extended in the front and modified with leading edge scoops fit with three chrome teeths on each side. This version of the car was shown at the National Roadster Show in February, 1956.^[1]