1979 Mercury Durango (Prototype?)
Only the most die-hard Blue Oval fans likely remember the Ford Fairmont Durango, which wasn't a factory-built machine. Rather, Ford designer Dick Nesbitt came up with the idea for a pickup version of the Fairmont, which The Blue Oval opted not to put into production. However, National Coach, a custom-car builder based in Gardena, California, did wind up building around 212 examples of the car/pickup, and we've seen a couple surface in recent years, though this is the first time we've come across a Mercury Durango.
This 1979 Mercury Durango is currently being auctioned off at Hagerty, and it reportedly pre-dated the Ford version. This particular example left the factory as a Zephyr, and then underwent its major transformation. It's believed that this was actually a pre-production prototype for the National Coach Works' Ford Durango, in fact, which would make it a pretty cool slice of automotive history, if that is indeed true.
Like the Ford Durangos that followed, this Mercury Durango traded its rear roof section, back seat, and trunk for a fiberglass pickup bed, along with a tailgate and revised rear end, in general. It also has plenty of brightwork to accompany its tan exterior paint and multi-color graphics.
Power comes from the naturally-aspirated 302 cubic-inch Ford V8, mated to a three-speed automatic transmission.
Whether or not this Mercury Durango is the prototype that started it all remains to be seen, but the tea leaves certainly suggest that it is.
https://fordauthority.com/2026/03/extremely-unique-1979-mercury-durango-heading-to-auction/
I found the link to this article at:
https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-ford-fairmont-durango-wasnt-factory.html
Make it a 5-speed and I would use that as a parts/grocery getter, plants and garden stuff, run the kids down to a local pond kind of truck.
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