By The Numbers

Let's do a bit of numbers crunching, shall we.

While there are a number of factors involved in choosing a path forward, they all revolve around a similar theme. That being our 1948 Mercury Sedan must be rebodied in some form or fashion in order to reach the next level. Whatever that level may end up being. So at this stage perhaps it's numbers crunching time. Leaving all emotion out of the equation, if that's possible, we know that Math doesn't lie. So let's take a closer look at the numbers.

Fordor Sedan

  • 1948 Mercury Sedan (as shown) ~ $50K
  • Chassis Refresh - repaint, reseal, brakes, prepare chassis for donor body ~ $10K - $15K
  • Donor Car - depending on condition ~ $10K - $20K (We have one in mind @ $20K that would be perfect for this swapportunity)
  • Body Swap ~ $10K - $15K (Remove the body from its original chassis and install it on ours. Simply a guesstimate for evaluation purposes)
  • Total Invested ~ $85 - $100K
  • Potential Sale ~ $120K - $150K (This is a difficult one to guess since a situation such as this has never actually taken place before. At least not to our knowledge anyway, not at our imagined level anyway)
  • Potential Profit ~ $35K - $50K (Again, this is a difficult, if not impossible one to guess since a situation such as this has never actually taken place prior. We're simply guesstimating as a means of showing potential Partners/Investors the opportunity presented before them)

Let's Break It Down

Heck, who are we kiddin'. There's no way not to be at least the slightest bit biased in this process. Of course we'd much prefer to see this rare beast reborn as nature intended it to be. A full metal Fordor Sedan. How could we not want to keep it original.
After all it's got to be better to be "one of one" as opposed to being one of six. While the Sedan might not have the "eye candy" factor of a wooden bodied Station Wagon, you'll be pretty much guaranteed from here on out to go to ANY Car Show in the Country and not see your twin. That's not something you could say with a Woodie clone. Not to mention it would be much easier to locate your car in the grocery store parking lot. So there's that.
Keep in mind these numbers are simply "guesstimates", for the sake of generalized comparison. No one ever knows the cost of anything until the card is swiped and the account has been altered. Until then it's all an educated guess. But you have to start somewhere.
Although there is one thing that's pretty much a given and has been proven on a handful of occasions. That being that whenever a Marmon-Herrington AWD chassis has been added to a "standard" '46-'48 Mercury (or Ford) the value increases astronomically, anywhere from another $100K to $150K!
And in the case of the record breaking 1947 Mercury Marmon-Herrington AWD Station Wagon that sold in 2021 for a staggering $346K, that was an increase of somewhere in the neighborhood of $270K. Yep, had it not had the Marmon-Herrington AWD Conversion that was basically a $75K Woodie Wagon. And granted, while that chassis was fully restored, it's still the same chassis as the one currently under our '48 Mercury Sedan. Let that sink in for a bit.
In conclusion, we're only bringing up these numbers as a means of a "ballpark" comparison. There's no way to know for certain how any scenario, especially in the Collector Car world, will play out. Especially when experiencing a first time ever situation such as the opportunity presented here. At least not to our nor anyone else's knowledge anyway. Beyond a doubt, your results may vary. But more than likely in a positive way.

 

Woodie Wagon

  • 1948 Mercury Sedan (as shown) - $50K
  • Chassis Refresh - repaint, reseal, brakes, prepare chassis for donor body ~ $10K - $15K
  • Donor Car ~ $50K - $70K (We have the ultimate Woodie in mind currently available that would take our chassis, once refreshed, and move it to the head of the class and over the top!)
  • Body Swap ~ $15K - $20K (Remove the body from its original chassis and install it on ours. Simply a guesstimate for evaluation purposes)
  • Total Invested ~ $125 - $145K
  • Potential Sale ~ $170K - $210K (This is simply based on the handful of similar sales that have taken place in years prior)
  • Potential Profit ~ $45K - $65K (Again, there are no guarantees in life but based on the handful of prior Marmon-Herrington AWD Conversion sales throughout the years, we feel extremely safe in our guesstimate)