DT Driving from Monterey to Bremerton with the Lemons "Hell on Wheels" Rally

What could be more fun than 1,900 miles in some crummy old car in the middle of August? Doing it with a bunch of other weirdos you just met...and aren't quite sure about yet. Last year I had the opportunity - uh, the failure of judgment - to participate in part of the very first Lemons Rally, the so called "Hell on Wheels" drive from Monterey to Reno, down to Vegas, Death Valley, Bakersfield, and then back up the California coast. I wasn't able to run the full length last year so for 2017 we are going for broke. My E34 M5 was the conveyance of choice in 2016; this year my Dad and I cruising in something simultaneously newer but somehow more Lemony - a Ford P71 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. All the way up to Seattle-ish and back. What could possibly go wrong! That isn't a question.

Almost A Cobra Jet: 1967 Mercury Monterey Convertible

The 6th generation Mercury Monterey was built on the Ford Galaxy platform and sold from 1965-1968 as a sedan, convertible and fastback.  All came from the factory with FE-series big block V8s, but the really cool ones had the hot 428 mated to a 4-speed manual box. Find this 1967 Mercury Monterey Convertible offered for $25,500 in Dallas, TX via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

Temperature's Rising: 1954 Mercury Sedan

The 1954 Mercury sedan was slightly massaged version of the Mercury introduced in 1952, which isn't a bad thing at all because the Mercury is a sweet looking classic with an overhead valve Ford Y-block V8 up front.  Find this 1954 Mercury Sedan offered for $8,999 in Eastern CT via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

10k: 1968 Mercury Monterey Fastback- Original Owner, Low Miles

 The 6th generation Mercury Monterey was based on the Ford Galaxy platform and sold from 1965-1968 as a sedan, convertible and fastback.  We prefer the fastback, not because it looks like a the Walmart parking lot version of the Mustang fastback, but because it was raced in NASCAR and reminds us of a time when gas was cheap and babies crawled around on transmission tunnels.  This one-owner 1968 Mercury Monterey is for sale in Denver, CO for a bargain price of $9,000.  (Thanks to tip from DT reader Paul M.)