Today's Friday Fun thread will examine another facet of FoMoCo, the Mercury marque. The Mercury brand is positioned between the entry-level, full-line Ford and the luxury, limited level Lincoln. Mercury pretty much apes Ford for most of their models much like Chrysler & Dodge or Chevy/Buick/Cadillac. Here's my Top Ten list of Favorite Mercurys.
1. 1949 Mercury 8. The original chopped & channeled hot rod, the Merc appeared in such films as American Graffiti and Cobra... Arguably the most famous Mercury out there.
2. 1969 Marauder X-100. What's not to like about a car with a 390 HP 429 CI V8? The Marauder was one of Mercury's entries in the "personal luxury" market, a niche group filled with Lincolns and Oldsmobiles.
3. 1967 Cougar. Mercury's twin for the Mustang, it came out three years after the Pony's debut just in time to offer yet another choice in the pony car wars. 1967, of course, saw GM introducing the Camaro and Trans Am...
4. 1956 Monterey. Last year before they restyled it to look like the Chevy Impala; the Monterey was a throwback to a better time of high tailfins, two-tone paint, and nigh invulnerable lead sleds...
5. 1982 Capri. No, not the Miata wanna-be they turned it into in the late 1980s, this would be the 5.0L Mustang's twin from the early/mid 1980s. A little rarer than the 5.0L Mustang, the Capri was instantly recognizable from the giant bubble of glass on the rear deck.
6. 1971 Cyclone. Mercury's twin to the Torino GT and adversary of the Chevelle/GNX/442/GTO quarter from General Motors. And if it was the GT version, it could be had with a 425HP 427 Cobra Jet...
7. 1949 M-47. Yes, Virginia, Mercury did indeed make a pick-up truck. It didn't last long, and it would be well over 50 years before FoMoCo worked up the courage to ask about making it again...
8. 1964 Comet. While the vast majority of the Comets were powered by anemic six cylinder engines, a select few had the twin-carb 427 under the hood. These models actually saw some race time as Super Stock entries.
9. 1973 Cougar. (1971 shown). This one's a sentimental favorite, as it was the first car of a childhood buddy of mine, and many nights were spent cruising around in the big Merc looking for something to happen...
10. 2004 Marauder. Gotta give props when a major manufacturer throws caution to the wind and starts modding a V8-powered grandma mobile. Of course, we won't mention that they were nearly ten years behind General Motors and the Impala SS...
So there's my list of favorite Mercurys. It's a more obscure brand, and the list was significantly harder to cobble together than some of the previous lists, having to delve deep into the company's history for some models.
What did I miss?
That is all.
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8 comments:
I prefer the 1969 Cougar to all the other model years. They just got it right with that one. Same for the 1967 Comet.
The Cougar was a favorite of mine, too. And had some of the best TV commercials.
BTW, there's a thought for Friday Fun Thread: 10 best car commercials. Joe Isuzu has to be on the list.
I had a '74 Capri, the little Euro car with the German 2.0 four. That thing would scream.
Best TV car commercial?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUnEbNgHFco
Somewhere there is an english version.....but you get the idea.
Man I LOVED a buddies chopped and channeled 49 Merc. It was one sweet ride.........
I had two earlier versions of the Capri. One was a 1972, the other a 1975. These were the German built ones with the V6 engine. Nice little cars, but not particularly reliable.
My second car was a 1969 Couger. 351 Cleveland engine and it went like stink. It originally came with four wheel drum manual brakes, so it didn't stop all that well. I converted that to power with disks up front. A job that only a yout with a lot of time and access to free parts would think of doing. That was a fun car.
I'm not sure if it was the '62 or the '64 Marauder that won the pikes peak climb, that same model was then raced on the NASCAR circuit with some success.
I picked up a gold one for a $100 during the gas crunch of the late 70's. Dent free- rust free, low miles, I ran into the ground like dopey teenagers are known to do, pulled the tags and walked away. (Duoh!)
http://popularhotrodding.automotive.com/98345/0901phr-1964-mercury-marauder/index.html
http://image.automotive.com/f/features/13026275+pheader/0901phr_01_z+1964_mercury_marauder+burnout.jpg
I am so relieved you included the 1964 Comet! This is a beautiful vehicle with very classic lines and when it has a bold color, it looks fabulous on the road.
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