‘EBW 408B’ is a 1963 Candy Apple Red Mercury Monterey Breezeway with the two-door option that more than makes up for in grace what it might lack in practicality.

Not that it is an impractical car, and the way the front seats pivot to facilitate entry means the lack of rear doors could even be seen as a benefit because we doubt anyone will climb in without remarking on their cleverness.

The seller bought it from a good friend a couple of years ago after admiring it from afar for a long time.

He’s thoroughly enjoyed owning this, his second American car, and his time with it gave him sufficient faith in its reliability to drive it to us.

The Candy Apple Red coachwork looks sensational, doesn’t it? But then every piece of art looks better at scale, and few cars provide the same breadth of canvas as a Mercury Breezeway.

And the sheer size of the Monterey allows the colour to breath and to provide plenty of surface area for the light to bounce around; the result is sublime, especially o...