Marion Crane… Ride or Die.

Marion Crane… Ride or Die. A couple weeks ago I was driving down Rt 101 from Dublin to Peterborough. It was a grey, mild day. Bright enough that rain didn't seem imminent, but the thickness of the clouds kept any rays of sun at bay. As I drove by the intersection of Elm St. I glanced over to see the progress of the new fire station. What caught my eye though was a wicked cool classic car. Retro and reckless vibes immediately registered in my brain. It was a fast glimpse, but I could tell it was from the '60s or early '70s. White sedan. I didn't stop but instead that brief glance immediately planted a scenario in my mind. I imagined it was the car of Marion Crane, the doomed heroine from the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Psycho." Having just embezzled $40,000 from the company she worked for, Marion is frantic to leave the Arizona city she's in when, stopped at a redlight, her boss walks right in front of her in the crosswalk and makes eye contact. You can literally feel the beads of sweat from Marion's brow. Most memorable for me regarding the car is Marion's sheer panic expression as she drives in the pouring rain and the windshield wipers are slapping back and forth in rhythm with her racing heart. Crossing the state line into California, she pulls into a used car dealership intent on exchanging her car for anything that will give her California license plates to help blur her escape path. A few days later I stopped for a closer look at my vintage inspiration. Oh my goodness. A long two-door with moderate fins and a hood ornament, I wandered all around to take these pics. What a beauty! The sign in the rear window informed me that it was a 1962 Mercury Meteor Custom. Asking price is $12,000 with the possibility of a partial trade. The sign directs you right next door to Valley Automotive to talk to owner, Lance, for more details. I know the business and feel comfortable giving a seal of approval regarding fairness. It's actually an off-white exterior with an extremely cool red dashboard and steering wheel. Surely fitting for Marion Crane in her smart wool suit. According to Wiki, the Meteor was produced from the 1961 model through 1963. Relatively short-lived, it was introduced as a base full-sized sedan positioned just below the Mercury Monterey. The Meteor was the counterpart to Ford's Fairlane. The more compact Mercury Comet shared the same interplanetary essence which was sparked by the 1960s real-life space race. The nameplate and the Mercury and Ford space-age fixation continued after 1963 though. "For 1964, the Mercury Meteor was dropped, with Ford Canada reviving the brand. Introduced as a Mercury-bodied car with a Ford dashboard, from 1965 onward, the Meteor line shared its body with the Ford Galaxie, adding Mercury exterior trim. After 1968, the Meteor brand was phased into the Mercury line in Canada, with the stand-alone Mercury Meteor discontinued after 1976. From 1977 to 1981, the Meteor name lived on in Canada as the base-trim version of the Marquis (as a counterpart to the final-generation Ford Custom 500)." Well, as cool as that Meteor is, it turns out that wasn't what Marion Crane was driving as she sped away for an interlude with her lover before later checking in at the Bates Motel. But there was a connection. The film was made in 1960, two years before the Meteor was introduced. Marion actually drove a 1957 Ford Custom 300. I guess I imagined her a little ahead of her time. Fun trivia facts! Marion's license plate read NFB 418, Hitchcock's nod to her killer, Norman Francis Bates. In 1998, Marion's portrayer, Janet Leigh, drove the exact same car with the same license plate in her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis' "Halloween" sequel, "Halloween H2O," playing Laurie Strode's secretary. Marion rides on!