Mercury XM-800 concept car to appear at 2012 Iola Old Car Show

Stephen Murphy, curator and restoration specialist at Chicago Vintage Motor Carriage, today confirmed the 1954 Mercury XM-800 concept car from The Richard H. Driehaus Collection would appear at the Iola Old Car Show from July 12-15 in Iola, Wis.

According to Old Cars Weekly's out-of-print book "American Dream Cars," the XM-800 was originally billed as having a lower height than any other production U.S. hardtop, but moreover, it was considered by Ford Motor Co. to be a rolling laboratory. For the public, the car was actually a predictor to the 1956 Lincoln, which borrowed many of its styling cues.

In a past Old Cars Weeklyfeature story written after the car's restoration, it was noted the XM-800 had been relegated to the back of a barn before it was acquired by concept car collector Joe Bortz. Having a garage full of concepts in need or restoration, Bortz parted with the car and it eventually landed in the hands of fellow Old Cars Weekly reader Tom Maruska, who restored it to its present pearlescent white and copper glory.

Maruska regularly attends the Iola Old Car Show, so perhaps we'll witness a reunion.

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XM-800 as previously featured in Old Cars Weekly before its restoration

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Artwork featuring concept cars at GM Motorama