What Happened to Mercury Cars?
Mercury Auto Company was born in the 1930s as a competitor against GM, Dodge, and DeSoto at a time when the brand’s owner, Ford Motor Company, was in a position to battle all comers. For nearly a century, Mercury earned a loyal following of drivers for its reliability, performance, and iconic models in the 1970s and 1980s. The brand’s demise speaks more to the economic realities of the modern era than a lack of pedigree or support for the brand, a testament to its enduring quality and appeal.
A Short History of Mercury Auto Company
Mercury cars hit the roads in 1938 as a niche offering priced just above most Ford offerings and below Lincoln, ultimately undercutting GM’s Cadillac. The Mercury car brand was the brainchild of Henry Ford’s son, Edsel, as an homage to the Roman God of dependability, speed, and skill.
The iconic Mercury 8, which cost $916 and had a 95-hp V-8 engine, rolled off production lines in 1939. Just two years later, when the US entered World War II, Mercury was rolled into the Lincoln division to streamline operations.
The Lincoln-Mercury arrangement didn’t stop the brand’s innovative designs or its imprint on popular culture. Mercury was the go-to brand for hot rod enthusiasts; the 1949 Mercury Series 9CM made the big screen as James Dean’s ride in the landmark Rebel Without A Cause in 1955, cementing its place in the hearts of car enthusiasts and movie buffs alike.
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The 1950s saw a string of breakthrough styles and features, including the first fixed sunroof on the 1954 Mercury Sun Valley. Mercury could do no wrong in the decade, debuting the Montclair, Monterey, and Turnpike. The 1960s saw the Mercury Cougar play an important role as Mercury’s version of the Ford Mustang. In the 1970s, Mercury’s top-selling model of all time hit the road. The Grand Marquis would eventually sell millions of units, with more than 580,000 sold in 1978 alone.
The End of the Road for Mercury
Mercury automobiles’ popularity waned in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The brand’s mid-to-upper market pricepoint increasingly overlapped with popular Ford models and Lincoln’s luxury-focused options. Stuck between more affordable and luxurious options, demand for Mercury vehicles suffered a gradual and irreversible decline. Ford didn’t put much effort into maintaining the brand’s unique identity, and later models like the Mercury Mariner were little more than rebadged Ford models.
When Did Mercury Stop Making Cars?
Final production of Mercury vehicles stopped worldwide in 2010, with the last Mercury car ever made, a Grand Marquis, rolling off the assembly line on January 4, 2011. With it came the end of the Mercury brand after seventy years. While there have been some calls for Ford to bring back the Mercury, there’s almost no chance we’ll see a new Mercury Grand Marquis any time soon.
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