FEATURE STORY 

By woodie owner Steve Garretson


During the first week of January 2003, I took my 1949 Mercury Wagon out for a spin. As I got the car ready for its first trip of the new year, I glanced down at the speedometer which read 99,947 miles. As the car rolled out of the driveway, I thought not long before 100,000 miles! When I got home, I remembered that the car’s original owner and restorer had said something about the speedometer being original to the car.

The next week I got a hold of Alex de Ulloa who had sold me the car in 1992. I asked him about the speedometer and yes, even though the speedometer had been restored, the mileage was correct. Now it was time to plan a birthday party to celebrate Mr. Merc’s 100,000 miles on the road.

We planned the party for Saturday, February 22nd. The morning of the 22nd I took the car out for a spin. With the speedometer reading 99,952 miles, my plan was to get up early and drive to “Donut Derelict’s” in Huntington Beach. Donuts is 18 miles from my house according to mapquest, and it is the prime hangout in Orange County for everyone who loves cars. Every Saturday morning starting at 5 AM cars from all over Southern California start lining up in the parking lot. Cobras, Shelby’s, Model A’s, the Batmobile, Dodge concept cars… you name it and it’s been to Donut Derelict’s. As I was speeding down the freeway at 5:15AM, I noticed the miles speeding by. Oh no, was my speedo accurate. What if I had miscalculated the distance! Fortunately, I arrived with 99,970 miles showing on the speedometer. After coffee and walk around with Woodie friends, I was off for home to prepare for the gala event!

My wife and I got the house ready for the party and I polished and cleaned our Black Beauty. With 99,993 miles showing, I took the mercury out for one last spin. Arriving home, I was able to back the car up the street so she would sit in the garage with exactly 99,999 miles on the odometer. Time to party!! The Woodie club guests all arrived and I asked Alex’s who had restored the car for me to take us around the block for the final mile. We took four laps and with just the right amount of turns ended up in front of our house with the car turning exactly 100,000 miles. Pictures were taken and we all toasted the Mercury. Someone asked about the next 100,000 miles. I responded that I had a BRAND new car, and the odometer even showed it! With 000,000 miles, we all remarked how gorgeous she looked. If Henry or Edsel had been there, they would have seen a Mercury that is as fine (I’d say finer) as any car produced by Ford in 1949. 

Yesterday, I just sat in the Mercury. Admiring the chrome, the beautiful dash and the odometer which read 000,000, I just day dreamed about the new adventures that lay ahead…

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