1979 Mercury Durango

Description

OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE

You might be familiar with the story of the 1980-81 Ford Durango, a low‑production coupe‑utility born from a collaboration between Ford Motor Company and National Coach Works of Los Angeles. Conceived as an informal, small‑scale answer to the newly downsized Chevrolet El Camino, the Durango was never an official Ford production model, nor was it formally positioned as the successor to the discontinued 1979 Ford Ranchero. Instead, National Coach Works transformed the Ford Fairmont Futura two‑door coupe by removing the rear roof section, back seat, and trunk, then fitting a fiberglass pickup bed, a redesigned rear fascia, and a fold‑down tailgate incorporating both the taillamps and license plate. Because the tailgate housed these components, every Durango carried a warning advising against driving with it lowered.

All Ford Durangos were equipped with Ford’s 3.3‑liter (200ci) Thriftpower inline‑six and a three‑speed automatic transmission, mirroring the simplicity of the Fairmont donor car. Production is generally estimated at just 212 units, with only a small number known to survive.

This 1979 Mercury Durango reportedly predated the Ford version, and it took a more upmarket path. The Mercury-badged Durango is among the rarest vehicles ever to wear a Mercury logo. Built as a Zephyr at on 28 August 1978—making it only the 956th Mercury Zephyr produced that year—it is believed by the seller's representative to be the possible pre‑production created by Jim and Billiam Stephenson that went on to serve as the prototype for National Coach Works' Ford Durango.

Several factors support this: its unusually early build date, its foundation on the upscale Mercury Zephyr Z7 rather than the comparable Ford Fairmont Futura, its use of Ford’s more powerful 302ci V8 instead of the inline‑six, and a number of additional unique features (see Additional Notes below).

This 1979 Mercury Durango is now represented at no reserve by a Broad Arrow Specialist in Georgia with a clean California title in the current owner's name.

Highlights

• Offered by the Rocket City Collection

• Possible pre-production prototype of the Ford Durango

• Believed 212 Ford Durango conversions by National Coach Works

• Based on the upscale Mercury Zephyr Z7

• 302ci V8 and three-speed automatic transmission

• Factory air conditioning

Factory Equipment

• Power steering

• Power brakes

• Tilt steering wheel with cruise control

• Power windows

• AM/FM radio with cassette

• Zephyr Z7 equipment includes:

  • Unique wraparound taillamps

  • Full-length bodyside molding

  • Bright full wheel lip molding

  • Bright window frames

  • Pleated vinyl seat trim

  • Luxury level door trim with “woodtone” appliques and bright accents

  • Deluxe steering wheel

  • Instrument panel with high gloss

  • “Woodtone” interior appliques

  • Deluxe seat and shoulder belts

  • Deluxe sound package

Service and Documentation

• March 2026:

  • Rebuilt driver's front power window

  • Repair tailgate wire harness and replace fuses

  • New valve cover gaskets

  • Replaced power steering pump

  • Replaced steering rack

  • Engine oil and filter, lube chassis

Known Imperfections

• Air conditioning is inoperable

Ownership History

This 1979 Mercury Durango is offered by the Rocket City Collection.

Additional Information

• A Facebook post to the 1981/82 Ford Durango group & registry by Billiam Stephenson on 6 October 2022 states:

“Jim Stephenson, who designed this car is my father. We had a shop in Pacoima, California, back then where the prototype for the production car was made. He (and I) also worked at Barris Kustom for many years and we built quite a few custom cars for George Barris at our shop in Pacoima back then.

“We sold the rights to produce the car to "National Coach." They primarily made Shuttle Buses for Airports, etc.

“It's possible that the original Durango is still out there somewhere. It was a light yellow color from the factory and the fiberglass bed and tailgate for the prototype was made at G&K fiberglass by George and Katy Goudie in Sylmar, California, (where we lived at the time). They also made Funny Car bodies back then for some of the top drivers at the time.

“Others involved in building the prototype car include George Price, Bob Moore, and my brother, Jim Jr.”

Could this then be the Mercury Durango prototype? Billiam Stephenson posted later:

“The only thing I can offer is it's the right color but the prototype did not have any big stripes or decals on it, but those could've been added by National Coach or an owner.

“You might want to compare the tailgate hinges to known production cars. We fabricated those ourselves and they are probably a bit different than the those made at National Coach.”

• A Broad Arrow Specialist is working as an agent on behalf of the seller of this listing. As such, the purchase transaction will be facilitated by Broad Arrow, including vehicle payment, applicable taxes required to be collected by the seller or Broad Arrow, and title/ownership reassignment. Broad Arrow is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hagerty.

Contact: Ramsey Potts Phone: 912.508.4096 Email: rpotts@hagerty.com