Mercury
Mercury, launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, marketed entry-level luxury cars slotted between regular Ford-branded and luxury Lincoln-branded luxury models. From 1945 to 2011, it was the Mercury half of the Ford Lincoln-Mercury Division. Most Mercury models derived from Ford platforms.
During its early years, Mercury was a performance brand briefly revived in the 2003 Mercury Marauder. Ford phased out the Mercury brand, production ceased in late 2010, and the final Mercury, a Grand Marquis, came off the line in January 2011.
Mercury bridged the great price gap between the highest Ford and the basest Lincoln. The 1939 Mercury Eight had a 3900-cubic centimeter, 95- horsepower, flathead eight-cylinder engine, sold over 65,800 the first year, and was all new, sharing no body panels with either Ford or Lincoln.
The Mercury Division combined with Lincoln into the Lincoln-Mercury Division in 1945 with Ford promoting the brand as a junior Lincoln rather than an upmarket Ford. In 1952, Ford doubled the single-model Mercury lineup, replacing the Eight with the Custom and the Monterey. In 1954, Mercury replaced the Flathead V8 with a Y-Block V8, a larger version of the Ford design. In 1955, Mercury added the Montclair to the lineup. In 1958, the division became the first to sell production cars with 400-horsepower engine output in the Super Marauder V8 as an option in all Mercury vehicles.
During the mid-1960s, to distinguish itself from Ford, Mercury marketed an image of high performance with “S” models of its three 1962 lines. By the middle of the 1960s, the division expanded its full-size line; the Montclair and Park Lane returned to production. At this time, Mercury competed against Buick, Oldsmobile, Chrysler mid-range models, and the American Motors top range
Through the 1970s, Mercury reverted to selling badge-engineered Fords. Mercury’s niche products, like the Cougar XR-7, Mercury’s version of the Mustang, found some real success with buyers, and in 1978 Mercury sales reached an all-time high of 580,000 for that year. The Cougar and Lincoln Mk V set sales records, but mid-size and full-size sedan and wagon sales moved slowly.
As the Cougar turned into a personal luxury car, the Capri became its pony car replacement. Assembled in West Germany by Ford of Europe, the Capri had four- and six-cylinder engines. At times it was the most popular import in the USA.
Mercury 1993 sales reached over 480,000, highest since 1978, but as the 1990s progressed Mercury’s compact car line shrank. As the Ford Focus replaced the Escort, the Sable became the smallest Mercury sedan after the 2000 discontinuation of the Mystique. In 2005, the division re-introduced the Montego as one of the two models to replace the Sable. The Montego also was the first new full-size Mercury since 1992.
By 2010, Mercury sales represented only 1 percent of the North American automobile market compared to Ford’s 16-percent share. When Ford announced the end for Mercury, its sales were fewer than 95,000 units a year, less than for Plymouth and Oldsmobile before their phase-outs.
