Mercury
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Ford Motor Company introduced Mercury for 1939. The mid-price make fit neatly between the economical Ford and the extravagant Lincoln, and it broadened the company's product range to better compete with General Motors and Chrysler. In the decades that followed, Mercury offered distinctive sedans, station wagons, muscle cars, and minivans. But the 21st century brought slowing sales and shifting priorities, and Mercury was discontinued in 2011.
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1914 Ford Model T Touring Car Parked on Street
Formed in 1903, Ford Motor Company introduced its landmark Model T in 1908. Ford's moving assembly line, which hit its stride in 1914, further reduced the T's already low price and put it within reach of working-class Americans. The Model T transformed automobiles from expensive playthings into everyday tools, and it made Ford one of the world's most influential manufacturers.
View ArtifactFord V-8 Deluxe Three-Window Coupe, 1936
Ford introduced a "Deluxe" version of its Model A in 1930, with additional paint colors, extra trim and upgraded interiors. Deluxe Ford cars continued through the decade. Meanwhile, Lincoln introduced its more affordable Zephyr for 1936. As the two brands moved closer toward the market center, the time was right to fill the gap with an entirely new brand.
View ArtifactPortrait of Edsel Ford, circa 1939
Edsel Ford understood the need to compete with GM's strategy. More than anyone, he championed Ford Motor Company's expansion into the medium-priced market in the late 1930s. It likely would have happened sooner if not for Edsel's need to convince his reluctant father. Even after Henry gave his approval, he took little interest in the project.
View Artifact"Mercury" Neon Sign, October 1938
Company officials considered more than a hundred possible names for the new brand. Ford variations like "Fordocrat," "Forduke" and "Zephord" were in the running, as were names resonant with Ford Motor Company history like "Dearborn" and "Edison." Mythological options included "Athenian," "Hermes" and "Hercules." But the final choice was Edsel Ford's, inspired by the messenger of the Roman gods: "Mercury."
View ArtifactFord Motor Company Designer E.T. Gregorie, October 1940
Mercury's styling was the overall responsibility of Bob Gregorie, whom Edsel Ford had appointed chief of Ford Motor Company's new design department in 1935. Years later, Gregorie described the first Mercury as "a variation of the Ford," with "more pleasing body lines." Edsel insisted that the new car have a family resemblance to Ford-branded models.
View ArtifactFord Motor Company Engineer Larry Sheldrick Making a Radio Broadcast, December 19, 1933
Larry Sheldrick oversaw engineering for Mercury. The new car was given a larger version of the popular Ford V-8 engine. Mercury's motor measured 239 cubic inches versus 221 for Ford's. It was rated at 95 horsepower, which was ten more horses than the Ford unit. Mercury rode on a 116-inch wheelbase, four inches longer than the Ford chassis.
View Artifact1939 Mercury 8 Town Sedan
Mercury arrived in four body styles for its 1939 debut: a two-door convertible coupe, a two-door sedan, a two-door coupe sedan, and the four-door town sedan seen here. Mercurys were priced around $1,000. Contemporary Fords started at $640, and Lincolns at $1,320. Ford Motor Company's three-brand lineup covered 95 percent of the price brackets in that year's automobile market.
View ArtifactMercury Sedan at End of Assembly Line, Ford Motor Company, 1938
Ford Motor built more than 76,000 Mercurys in the 1939 calendar year -- a successful launch when compared to established competitors. General Motors turned out over 158,000 Oldsmobiles and 170,000 Pontiacs that year. Hudson built 82,000 cars, while Nash made 65,000 and Studebaker produced 92,000. Mercury topped 80,000 annual cars in the final years before World War II paused production.
View ArtifactThe Winners - 1940 Gilmore-Yosemite Economy Run, February 1940
Early advertisements emphasized Mercury's fuel economy. Those claims were backed by hard data. Early in 1940, a Mercury sedan was driven 306 miles from Los Angeles, California, to Yosemite National Park in an economy run sponsored by Gilmore Oil Company. The unmodified Mercury logged 23.76 miles per gallon -- an impressive best-in-class performance for the time.
View Artifact1949 Mercury Customized Convertible
Mercury kept its long, low and well-rounded look for the next three model years. Customizers loved these cars. They lowered the bodies a bit more, smoothed the seams with lead, and created "lead sleds" that graced the covers of car magazines. This modified '49 Mercury was a product of Barris Kustom Industries, one of the best customizers in the business.
View ArtifactMercury XM-800 Concept Car, 1954
Manufacturers wowed auto show crowds in the 1950s with futuristic concept cars, and Mercury was no exception. The Mercury XM-800 featured a sculpted fiberglass body with hooded headlights and bumper-integrated exhaust ports. Though the white-and-copper sedan never went into production, several of its styling ideas appeared on later Mercury and Lincoln automobiles.
View Artifact1954 Mercury Monterey "Sun Valley" Sports Coupe
The Mercury Monterey Sun Valley was the brand's most distinct offering for 1954. The front half of its roof featured a green-tinted plexiglass window that offered panoramic overhead views. The scenery wasn't free, though. Monterey Sun Valley models cost $110 more than standard-roof Montereys. Fewer than 10,000 were sold that year, and the special roof was discontinued after 1955.
View Artifact"Pictorial History of the Mercury Car," 1955
Mercury entered its fifteenth year of production in 1955. The occasion called for this pictorial review of the brand's history to date. The poster clearly shows the car's origins as a dressed-up Ford, and its gradual development of a distinct identity by the mid-1950s. No shift was as dramatic as that between the 1948 and 1949 model years.
View Artifact1959 Mercury Sales Brochure, "Mercury '59 America's Liveliest Luxury Car"
By 1959, Mercury's appearance was again more Ford than Lincoln. Models were available in three series: the entry-level Monterey, the midline Montclair, and the premium -- and slightly larger -- Park Lane. Mercury also offered a Country Cruiser station wagon for 1959. Prices ranged from $2,654 for a two-door Monterey hardtop up to $4,206 for a Park Lane convertible.
View ArtifactBrochure, "Comet Performance for '65"
Comet premiered for 1960 as an upscale version of Ford's compact Falcon. It became a Mercury model for 1962 and a mid-size car for 1966. The Comet Cyclone appealed to performance enthusiasts with its high-horsepower 289-cubic-inch V-8. Comets proved themselves in drag races, promoted in this brochure. Ford's big-block 427 V-8, rated at 425 horsepower, became a Comet option for 1967.
View Artifact1968 Mercury Cougar Coupe
Ford's wildly successful Mustang kicked off a "pony car" craze in the mid-1960s. Mercury joined in with its Cougar, launched for 1967. Slightly larger than Mustang, Couger offered a quieter ride and a more premium feel consistent with the Mercury brand. This 1968 model features the XR7-G package with special badges and trim.
View ArtifactDan Gurney Driving Mercury Cougar, Green Valley Trans-Am Race, Texas, April 1967
The "G" in XR7-G stood for racing driver Dan Gurney. Racers like Gurney and Parnelli Jones ran Cougars in the newly formed Trans-Am Series, which was created especially for pony cars like the Cougar and Mustang, as well as the Chevrolet Camaro. This photo shows Gurney on his way to a victory in the 1967 Green Valley Trans-Am Race.
View Artifact1968 Mercury Advertisement, "Mercury's Got It. The Newest Idea in Hardtops from the Beautiful Woodlands of Dearborn, Mich."
Like any brand, Mercury made its share of missteps. For 1968, top-of-the-line Park Lane hardtops and convertibles were available with full-length, walnut-grained vinyl panels along their sides. Though popular on Colony Park station wagons, the faux-wood decals proved otherwise on sedans. This advertisement at least had some fun with the concept, describing the "beautiful woodlands" in decidedly suburban Dearborn, Michigan.
View ArtifactLincoln-Mercury 1973, Built Better to Ride Better
American automakers struggled in the 1970s. New safety and environmental regulations cut horsepower while adding design challenges. Mercury's 1973 models featured energy-absorbing extensions on their bumpers. An oil crisis that year sent gas prices soaring, and big cars fell out of favor. Mercury responded with the Bobcat for 1975 and the Lynx for 1981 -- both rebadged versions of Ford subcompacts.
View ArtifactMercury Grand Marquis Nameplate, 1980-1990
Mercury didn't give up on full-size cars. Grand Marquis debuted for 1975 as a premium version of the Marquis sedan. Built over four distinct styling generations, Grand Marquis became the last of Mercury's traditional four-door, rear-wheel-drive sedans. It also became Mercury's longest-running model, with 36 years of continuous production before it was retired.
View ArtifactLyn St. James with Mercury Capri T-Shirt, 1983
Lyn St. James earned six IMSA GT class victories with Mercury cars. Her long association with Ford Motor Company began in 1981, when she convinced the automaker that its efforts to attract female customers would improve if the company sponsored a female racing driver. It was a smart deal that made winners of St. James and Ford/Mercury alike.
View Artifact1994 Mercury Sable Aluminum Intensive Sedan
Mercury introduced the mid-size Sable for 1986. Like its cousin Ford Taurus, Sable sold well. Eight years later, 20 experimental Sables were built with lightweight aluminum bodies. Though no one could know it at the time, 1994 was the start of a long sales decline for Mercury. The brand sold 483,845 vehicles in 1993. It never matched that figure again.
View ArtifactMercury Front Grille Emblem, 2000-2005
By 2010, Mercury sales represented less than one percent of the U.S. market. Ford Motor Company executives decided that resources would be better spent on Lincoln. After a shortened 2011 model year, and after nearly 75 years in production, the Mercury brand was discontinued. But the vehicles it made, from Comets to Cougars and Montereys to Marquis, would not be forgotten.
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