Fox Ford has been providing our area with the highest level of sales and service for a stunning 114 years. In a new chapter of that generational legacy, current owner Mark Fox has re-acquired a treasured piece of that history to revive a connection to the past that floods the senses of car aficionados.
From 1948 to 2011, Fox Ford held the local Mercury franchise, and few models were more popular than the Mercury Marquis. That classic is considered one of the most comfortable and luxurious, traditional American sedans ever built.
When Fox began browsing Bring a Trailer, the online marketplace known for vintage and classic cars, he had one car in mind. Of course, that car was a Marquis that could reconnect the dealership with a meaningful part of its past.
Mark’s first lead was a 1978 Marquis in Ohio, but that purchase never came together. Then, in 2024, Kevin Virgin of Fox Ford learned that Jimmie Core, a longtime customer and friend of the dealership, still owned a 1976 Mercury Marquis in Hundred, West Virginia. Mark reached out to Mr. Core and was able to buy the car — and what he discovered next made the find even more special.
The very same car had originally been sold to Mr. Core on Nov. 26, 1975, by Mark’s brother Ronnie Fox and their uncle, Wills Fox, who was 72 years old at the time. Adding another family touch to the story, brother Dave Fox had just completed the rustproofing on the new car before it was sold to Mr. Core. Nearly five decades later, the Marquis has come full circle, returning to the dealership that first sent it out onto the road.
Remarkably, the car needed very little repair. It had been carefully preserved over the years, and even the original transfer slip and window sticker were still inside. After thorough detailing, the 1976 Mercury Marquis Brougham with only 28,474 miles now sits on display in the Fox Ford showroom — not just as a classic car, but as a rolling piece of local and family history.
This summer, Mark and his wife, Shari, hope to take the Marquis out for a sunny little spin — the kind of joy ride that feels more like a page from a storybook than a drive down the road.
