Hoffmann/Rodriguez Mercury on the Market

One of our favorite cars at the Grand National Roadster Show was Paul Hoffmann’s ’40 Mercury coupe. Built by accomplished metalman Rudy Rodriguez, the car reflects both his craftsmanship and his incredible eye for design. ’40 Merc coupes have long been fodder for customizers, but this one may be the best ever when it comes to line and proportion.

In Rudy’s own words:  “I guess I wanted to build something that wasn’t really a traditional custom car at all. I wanted to build my idea of what a factory prototype show car would look like, a car the factory would have sent to the Paris auto show in 1940. There’s more about the stock 1940 Mercury that I like than dislike. There’s more to leave alone than there is that needs changing. The stock roof line can be reworked to make the car look just as elegant as any French Talbot-Lago or Delehaye of the era. The original Mercury side trim breaks up the lines and the door handles look like sculpture. The front end, well, who could improve on that? Everyone gets so carried away removing and shaving things that we often forget that we’re starting with a near-perfect design”

Rudy is being generous, the design of Mercury’s original ’40 greenhouse is far from perfect. But in his capable hands it has somehow become both voluptuous and sinister.

There are more photos and build pics at Rudy’s Fullerton Fabrication website.

Paul is ready to start a new project and has put the Mercury on the market. While we don’t plan to turn our own website into a Hot Rod Classifieds, we’re passing the news on with the hope that this awesome ride lands in the garage of someone we know. You can contact Paul at: vanhoofer@yahoo.com