3864 Actress Martha Hyer

[Jeff Stork]

Came upon this great piece about Hollywood actress Martha Hyer and her fabulous mid-century home in the Hollywood Hills and in the driveway- her black Continental Mark II. She still had the car in 1959 when she drove it to a party at Merle Oberon's and while she was away, her house was robbed. Her art collection had been written up in LIFE magazine and apparently aroused too much interest. Does anyone know her VIN?

Here's the link- the house is way cool and the photos are great:

https://paradiseleased.wordpress.com...yer-residence/

[RL Chilton]

That was a cool story. Thanks for posting.

And that will be another mystery for Pat. But, my guess is he already knows what # car that is.

[Mark II Seeker]

Jeff,

Thanks for an interesting post.

I particularly liked the attributes of her home "a perfect metaphor for her carefully cultivated on-screen persona – cool, poised, sophisticated and elegant " might explain why she owned a Mark II.

At the risk of controversy - she was a true beauty but certainly no Grace Kelly in my opinion.

[Jeff Stork]

On the contrary, I think she's a lot like Grace Kelly.

[Pat Marshall]

And that will be another mystery for Pat. But, my guess is he already knows what # car that is.

I wish I did! After seeing this thread I checked my records and found nothing and the Mark II Encyclopedia's listing of original owners had nothing about Hyer, either. I did some internet searching and so far haven't found any other clues about this car.

She was very pretty, but Grace Kelley has my vote! Hyer was beautiful, Kelley-STUNNING!

[Jeff Stork]

Her last name is Hyer, not Hyler.

[RL Chilton]

Pat-

Also, in conjunction with the spelling of her last name, she was married from '51-'54 to Ray Stahl. Although I don't believe they had children, there's a possibility that the car could have been in his name or her married name.

Also, at the end of the studio system, there's a possibility that the car could have been bought by the studio in which she was "owned". Not sure, probably Warner Bros., as her next husband was Hal Wallis.

More clues for the fodder, perhaps.

[Pat Marshall]

Spelling - "Hyler" was just a spelling error in my posting. Thanks for your vigilance.

Husbands Name - There are no records either in the MKIIE, the MKIIF or my source database for original owners named Stahl or Wallis.

Studio Owned - We have no documention of any studios purchasing Mark IIs. Quite a few Mark IIs were owned by Studio Owners, Directors, and Producers. While it is possible (probable?) that the studios paid for some of those IIs, we have found no instances of studio names appearing on dealer invoices.

I think we're going to have to luck-out to get the VIN on this car since I don't believe we'll find direct documentation. Possibly we might find a reference somewhere to something unique about the car (special interior, Original Dealer, etc) but that's a long shot. More likely, but still out there, would be if it comes up for sale, or if the owner joins the Forum and has the background, or someone pops up with knowledge of the car.

We have added this car to our Gallery - Known Mark II’s With Unknown VINS.

[Chuck Lutz]

Oh comm'on guys, how hard can it be! 1956 or 57 Mark II probably Black in color ....

[RL Chilton]

How many of those were there, Chuck, 171 or so off the top of my head.

. . . I'm sure Pat can account for 40 or so of those. So, hey, you're right, we've narrowed it down!