During a recent visit to Arizona’s Desert Valley Auto Parts (“DVAP”), I captured photos of several noteworthy cars from the 1960s and 1970s, some of which I’d like to share with you in the coming weeks.
For starters, I stopped in my tracks when I saw a 1965 Mercury Montclair sedan. It had artistic (if not ostentatious) side spears on the front fenders, but the car’s most distinctive was its unique roofline / silhouette. The car featured what was known as a “Breezeway” rear window that would roll down for increased cabin airflow. It worked similarly to the back windows seen in some station wagons, the Honda Del Sol, and even modern-day pickup trucks.
The full-sized Montclair rode on a 123-inch wheelbase, and it used a four torque-box perimeter frame as well as a coil-sprung suspension both front and rear. A promotional brochure said, “The Mercury Montclair series proudly takes its position in the popular middle segment of the medium-price class. In the Lincoln Continental tradition, it is smart in style, big in comfort and performance, with a full measure of interior luxury.”
The brochure went on to itemize standard equipment which included paddle-type door release handles, full-length body side molding, deep-loop nylon and rayon carpeting, Biscuit design Lamay fabric and vinyl or all-vinyl upholstery, interval selector windshield wipers, electric clock, deluxe wheel covers, heater-defroster, bright drip-rail moldings, curb moldings, deluxe steering wheel, turn signals, crank-operated vent windows, “floating” accelerator pedal, and front seat belts.
The DVAP car had a straight body and rust-free trim. An Arizona registration sticker in the front windshield bore the year 1964, which meant the car likely spent its entire 60-plus-year lifetime in the Grand Canyon State.
The brochure said, “With the Breezeway roof, there’s a power-operated rear window that gives you full-range control of the interior air flow. Since the rear window is protected from the weather, it requires less cleaning to remove ice and frost.”
Interior features included blue vinyl upholstery, manual-crank windows, textured aluminum dash panel, air conditioning, push-button radio, and clock. A placard affixed to the dash said “Gus Montano” — likely the name of the original owner.
A cursory Google search produced an obituary from 2003 for a Gus Montano of Florence, Arizona who passed away at age 86 in 2003. If the Montclair was his, he was 48 years old when he bought it new.
The ’65 Montclair came standard with a 390ci Marauder V-8, but it could be configured in multiple horsepower ratings which ranged from 250 to 425 horsepower. Available transmissions included a three-speed manual, a four-speed manual, and a Merc-O-Matic three-speed automatic.
What’s your take on the Breezeway design? It was kind of “out there” for sure, but then again, the same could be said about so many automotive designs of the space-age-inspired 1960s.
