MERCURY

The force behind Mercury was Edsel Ford who launched the brand in 1938 as a 1939 model. Mercury filled the gap between Ford and Lincoln to compete with Buick and Chrysler. In the beginning it shared similar styling but no body panels with Ford or Lincoln models. In 1945, Mercury was combined with Lincoln to form the Lincoln-Mercury Division being marketed more as a lower cost Lincoln than an up-scale Ford.

In the 1960s Mercury took on a more performance oriented flare with the S-55, Marauder, Cyclone and Cougar. In the 70s fuel economy became more important so a more compact family line called Monarch was introduced and Mercury also found great success in marketing the Ford of Germany built Capri. The Cougar which went from pony car to an intermediate line was by the end of the decade accounting for 40% of Mercury’s sales.

In the 1980s, Mercurys were looking more and more like re-badged Fords and by the end of the 1990s they began reducing the model line. By 2000, the Grand Marquis was Mercury’s top selling car. It was profitable but sold to an aging market. The brand had lost its identity with younger buyers and on January 4, 2011 the last Mercury, a Grand Marquis, rolled off the line.