Clearly the biggest problem with Clark Griswold’s Metallic Pea wagon was the lack of 46 years of aging. This Mercury Colony Park wagon takes a perfect distillation of 1966 and ages it to perfection in the Southern California Sun. The beauty’s more than skin-deep too, as this Merc’s interior and spec sheet are nearly perfect.

Obviously, I’m feeling a little nostalgic , but this classic  battle wagon really ticks all the boxes as a perfect cruiser/hauler. The H-code 390 runs 9.5:1 compression, meaning it’ll deliver stump-pulling torque without getting cranky on mediocre pump gas (like my 315hp 10.5:1 390 did). Though in need of a recharge (which really means a leak-fix), the AC system is all there, ready to keep you cool on the way to the beach.

The rear features Ford’s “Magic Gate” three-way tailgate and a reverse-facing “way back” seat. Speaking of seats, these are in uncharacteristically great (and green) shape for the age and typical life a battle-wagon like this endures.

And then…the wheels. If they’re really a $2500 set as the seller describes, they’re actually a bonus: you can sell them for a decent chunk of change and get a proper set of color-matched steelies.

It failed to meet reserve in its first auction, peaking at $3,650.  The seller relisted with an opening bid of $4,000…and got zero takers. It seems the supply and demand curves might intersect somewhere between the two.

For reference, my more powerful, not not as nice Country Sedan went for $3000 (and came with a huge pile of spares), what would you pay for the SS Whirled Peas?