(http://www.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=tbn&q=http://elainemeinelsupkis.typepad.com/religion_news/images/2008/06/24/picture_12.png&ei=CpwGTI7jEIP88AbLxtn8Cg&sa=X&oi=image_landing_page_redirect&ct=legacy&usg=AFQjCNEV-WfY3n2ZCeoQMvrDSLffcEWKrg)
Alas, Mercury will soon be no more.
DETROIT (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. will announce Wednesday that it plans to kill its 72-year-old Mercury brand, according to two people briefed on the decision.
The automaker plans to add models to the Lincoln lineup to give dealers more products to sell, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the official announcement has not been made.
Ford has scheduled a conference call with dealers and a press conference for late Wednesday afternoon. The company said in a statement that the press conference would be an important product and brand discussion.
Mercury, which sells the Milan midsize car and Mariner midsize sport utility vehicle, has been suffering for years from a lack of new products and advertising support from Ford.
Its sales peaked in 1978 at more than 580,000 vehicles but just over 92,000 Mercurys were sold last year.
So far this year, the Mercury brand has captured less than 1 percent of the U.S. market, while the Ford brand has 15 percent.
meh. Mercury made even less sense to keep around than Pontiac. At least Pontiac tried to gain relevance by importing the Aussie muscle cars, but Mercury hasn't tried to do anything unique since the FWD Euro Cougar.
This needed to happen years ago.
Still kind of sad.
I owned a Mercury Capri once :(
What was the point of Mercury?
All you need is a mainstream brand and a luxury brand.
Quote from: 565 on June 02, 2010, 02:24:14 PM
What was the point of Mercury?
All you need is a mainstream brand and a luxury brand.
Mercury was to FoMoCo as Pontiac, Buick and Olds was to GM; a bridge between the plain Jane (Ford/Chevy) and the luxury (Lincoln/Cadillac) marques.
All important up until about 1960 but entirely irrelevant today.
About time. I hate seeing people get hurt by this stuff. But I've thought that Mercury was useless for year.
Quote from: 565 on June 02, 2010, 02:24:14 PM
What was the point of Mercury?
All you need is a mainstream brand and a luxury brand.
Tell that to GM, Toyota, and VAG.
Quote from: GoCougs on June 02, 2010, 03:26:13 PM
Mercury was to FoMoCo as Pontiac, Buick and Olds was to GM; a bridge between the plain Jane (Ford/Chevy) and the luxury (Lincoln/Cadillac) marques.
All important up until about 1960 but entirely irrelevant today.
Well, there might have been room for Mercury if Ford had moved Lincoln up to Cadillac levels as a real competitor to the European and Japanese luxury brands. Instead, Ford decided to keep Lincoln lower on the food chain, more at Saab or Buick levels than Caddy or Lexus, which meant that Mercury ultimately got squeezed in too small a niche.
As my first car was a Mercury I feel a bit saddened by it. However, there seems little point to keeping the nameplate around.
My first and third cars were Mercuries.
But it's true -- Mercury served little purpose. Ford ran Mercury into the ground. It was really a relic of the old Detroit era which is long gone.
RIP Mercury.
Since Ford decided to debase the Lincoln brand by saddling them with thinly disguised Fords, Mercury has had no reason to exist. Traditionally, Mercury was the posh Ford and Lincoln was considered a true luxury car. Problem is, Lincoln hasn't built a true luxury car in decades and, by going downmarket, Lincoln now occupies the niche once held by Mercury.
R.I.P. Mercury
1939-2010
That said,
(http://wallpapers-diq.net/wallpapers/17/Lincoln_Continental_Concept%2C_2002.jpg)
They should have built this on the Falcon platform instead of giving us a tarted up Taurus for $50k.
Quote from: the Teuton on June 02, 2010, 08:51:04 PM
That said,
(http://wallpapers-diq.net/wallpapers/17/Lincoln_Continental_Concept%2C_2002.jpg)
They should have built this on the Falcon platform instead of giving us a tarted up Taurus for $50k.
I heard that the Falcon's platform can't be converted to LHD.......cost effectively, of course.
Perhaps they should completely redesign it for its next iteration if they don't replace it with the Taurus.
We were all talking about bringing over the Mondeo as a Mercury a few years back. It's a little funny that the next Mondeo and Fusion, as well as the Kuga and Escape, and a few other models, will be interrelated in their next generations. So much for Mercury becoming the Euro outlet for Ford with that one, too.
Quote from: the Teuton on June 02, 2010, 09:01:18 PM
Perhaps they should completely redesign it for its next iteration if they don't replace it with the Taurus.
We were all talking about bringing over the Mondeo as a Mercury a few years back. It's a little funny that the next Mondeo and Fusion, as well as the Kuga and Escape, and a few other models, will be interrelated in their next generations. So much for Mercury becoming the Euro outlet for Ford with that one, too.
Lol, about three weeks ago, Ford was saying that Mercury was going to get a Focus rework.
Quote from: 2o6 on June 02, 2010, 09:36:51 PM
Lol, about three weeks ago, Ford was saying that Mercury was going to get a Focus rework.
And the Vue was going to become a Buick. So what?
Quote from: mzziaz on June 02, 2010, 02:10:16 PM
Still kind of sad.
I owned a Mercury Capri once :(
(http://liveimages.carsales.com.au/private/carpoint/7166892.jpg)
?
Sorry about that.
Mind you, they do look nice.
Quote from: omicron on June 03, 2010, 09:21:14 AM
(http://liveimages.carsales.com.au/private/carpoint/7166892.jpg)
?
Sorry about that.
Mind you, they do look nice.
I bet you live next door to the designer of that car!
Quote from: MX793 on June 02, 2010, 05:00:25 PM
Well, there might have been room for Mercury if Ford had moved Lincoln up to Cadillac levels as a real competitor to the European and Japanese luxury brands. Instead, Ford decided to keep Lincoln lower on the food chain, more at Saab or Buick levels than Caddy or Lexus, which meant that Mercury ultimately got squeezed in too small a niche.
Agreed. The current Lincolns SHOULD BE Mercuries, and Lincoln should be basically a new Continental to compete at the high end. I'd say even above where Caddy is now. Lincoln and Caddy used to be at the tiop of this heap, and neither should be trying to be a bargain "near luxury" brand.
Well, looks like my Comet just got more significant.
Apparently you should not name your car company after a planet...
Quote from: ChrisV on June 03, 2010, 01:48:43 PM
Agreed. The current Lincolns SHOULD BE Mercuries, and Lincoln should be basically a new Continental to compete at the high end. I'd say even above where Caddy is now. Lincoln and Caddy used to be at the tiop of this heap, and neither should be trying to be a bargain "near luxury" brand.
Well, looks like my Comet just got more significant.
Apparently you should not name your car company after a planet...
Winged messenger of the gods, I think.
There's a trivia question. How many planets share their names with cars.
Without research I can think of 4, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn.
Volvo shares its logo with Mars.
Quote from: ChrisV on June 03, 2010, 01:48:43 PM
Agreed. The current Lincolns SHOULD BE Mercuries, and Lincoln should be basically a new Continental to compete at the high end. I'd say even above where Caddy is now. Lincoln and Caddy used to be at the tiop of this heap, and neither should be trying to be a bargain "near luxury" brand.
Well, looks like my Comet just got more significant.
Apparently you should not name your car company after a planet...
Lexus sells a bunch of ES350s more than anything else, rebadged camrys, I am not sure this is not a good strategy
True that lexus does have models not based on plebian toyotas though.
The Lincoln LS was a legitimate luxry car that ws not far if at all behind the competition but it suffered from a total lack of any advancement after its initial successful debut.
Probably thank Nasser for that.
It would be great to see a modern incarnation of the continental or mark3 that were way ahead of the world in their time.
Quote from: ChrisV on June 03, 2010, 01:48:43 PM
Apparently you should not name your car company after a planet...
There's a planet named Pontiac? :huh:
Quote from: 2o6 on June 03, 2010, 09:14:45 PM
Saturn.
You don't "get" sarcasm, do you? :hammerhead:
Quote from: Madman on June 03, 2010, 09:30:28 PM
You don't "get" sarcasm, do you? :hammerhead:
What's not to get?
Quote from: EtypeJohn on June 03, 2010, 02:03:05 PM
Winged messenger of the gods, I think.
There's a trivia question. How many planets share their names with cars.
Without research I can think of 4, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn.
At least there were worse planets to name a car company after...
Quote from: ChrisV on June 04, 2010, 09:02:26 AM
At least there were worse planets to name a car company after...
Introducing the 2011 Uranus Super Sport. :lol:
Quote from: EtypeJohn on June 04, 2010, 11:00:35 AM
Introducing the 2011 Uranus Super Sport. :lol:
I think the 2011 Uranus Probe will be a more interesting car :mask:
always sad to see the end of a brand... but the fact is its been irrelevant for pretty much most of my lifetime
My only experience driving a Mercury was driver's ed in a horrible, horrible Topaz.
Quote from: Laconian on June 04, 2010, 11:56:42 AM
My only experience driving a Mercury was driver's ed in a horrible, horrible Topaz.
What sort of rubbish model name is Topaz, anyway? What's next? The Cadillac Quartz? Ford Talc? Darling, I'm sorry about the affair. How about these topaz earrings?
I think not.
Quote from: Laconian on June 04, 2010, 11:56:42 AM
My only experience driving a Mercury was driver's ed in a horrible, horrible Topaz.
Yes, it was a most crappy car for a pretty long time. I owned 2, and neither was anything to write home about, to put it mildly. The decline of Mercury is symptomatic of the decline of the American auto industry in general. For that reason, it's a sad occurrence. But I can't say I'll truly miss their cars.
Quote from: omicron on June 06, 2010, 10:03:39 AM
What sort of rubbish model name is Topaz, anyway? What's next? The Cadillac Quartz? Ford Talc? Darling, I'm sorry about the affair. How about these topaz earrings?
I think not.
I dunno, that seems appropriate for the velour and faux wood veneer 80's.
Quote from: Laconian on June 06, 2010, 01:11:34 PM
I dunno, that seems appropriate for the velour and faux wood veneer 80's.
The fake wood veneer on the station wagons was more 1960s and 1970s. It wasn't popular anymore by the 1980s.
Quote from: dazzleman on June 06, 2010, 01:12:47 PM
The fake wood veneer on the station wagons was more 1960s and 1970s. It wasn't popular anymore by the 1980s.
It was standard fare on 1st gen Caravans. GM was using it on a lot of their wagons through the 80s and even into the 90s (the Caprice wagon, or maybe it was its Buick twin, had the faux wood veneer on the sides).
Quote from: MX793 on June 06, 2010, 01:20:48 PM
It was standard fare on 1st gen Caravans. GM was using it on a lot of their wagons through the 80s and even into the 90s (the Caprice wagon, or maybe it was its Buick twin, had the faux wood veneer on the sides).
Ah, thanks for the information. I didn't remember it much in the 1980s, but it was really big in the 1970s. My family had several station wagons with the fake wood, and we thought it looked so much better with wood than without it back then. I wish I had a picture.
I seem to recall my family's 1970's Pontiac Safari station wagon having blue-green wood decals. Wood harvested from Pandora, no doubt.
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs567.snc3/30951_787566418563_14228342_43561584_505297_n.jpg)
We had one that looked EXACTLY like this.
My mom's Electra Wagon had wood, roughly the same color scheme as Teutons, but much larger. (IIRC, ours was white, not burgundy)
Quote from: the Teuton on June 06, 2010, 01:32:36 PM
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs567.snc3/30951_787566418563_14228342_43561584_505297_n.jpg)
We had one that looked EXACTLY like this.
Wow, your family was really ballin' when it came to cars.... :ohyeah:
Quote from: dazzleman on June 06, 2010, 04:09:04 PM
Wow, your family was really ballin' when it came to cars.... :ohyeah:
That was the last car purchased in the family without my oversight. Since then, it's been much better cars all around.
Quote from: the Teuton on June 06, 2010, 04:38:28 PM
That was the last car purchased in the family without my oversight. Since then, it's been much better cars all around.
So both your parents now drive PlastiCars?
Quote from: dazzleman on June 06, 2010, 06:06:02 PM
So both your parents now drive PlastiCars?
:lol:
No, but they now drive reliable cars that don't have vinyl wood on them. Come on, that Cutlass replaced a Dodge Dynasty. Their track record was terrible.
Quote from: the Teuton on June 06, 2010, 06:25:18 PM
:lol:
No, but they now drive reliable cars that don't have vinyl wood on them. Come on, that Cutlass replaced a Dodge Dynasty. Their track record was terrible.
What do they drive now?
Can't say i'm sad to see it go
Meh. The marketplace changes. The Nethead here has had two Mercuries--a '69 Cyclone CJ 428 automatic and an '85 Lynx wagon five-speed. Both were excellent! The CJ 428 was the first Ford product I'd owned, and it was a real surprise--as a bowtie boy from birth I had just assumed Fords (speaking generically, to include Mercs & Lincs) were Chevies with less cachet and generally inferior to anything with a bowtie on it. The CJ was an accidental acquisition--it was a rebuilt wreck that was all I could get for the POS five-year-old Chevy C10 pickup that nobody wanted except a used car dealer with a lot full of tired used cars and beat-to-shit musclecars that even fewer people wanted. I drove the GTO, the two SS-396s, the 383 Belvedere, and the CJ--which had a lot more miles than the others but had more power and no suspect noises despite the extensive use of replacement parts (Back in the day, manufacturer replacement parts had concealed stick-on labels that were a bitch to remove without leaving traces--this fellow hadn't made any effort to remove the tell-tale evidence, so it was easy to cut a deal when I fretted about whether anyone could possibly have survived an accident that had caused such extensive damage...). This damned car was fixed RIGHT--14.10 after a tune up and it tracked true through the lights. Best I ever got was a 13.80 on a strip that hadn't been prepped in weeks (months? years?). But to get said CJ into the mid-elevens required a time and wallet commitment a man who was building high tension line towers all week long (four tens and an eight on Friday) just could not make--there ain't a lot of shop equipment in motel parking lots...When the Nethead here got the college admissions letter the year after I bought the CJ, I traded it for a new '73 Datsun PL620 (payments of $21.90/month for 36) and lived happily ever after in a pussy pit far, far away...The WifeDude & I traded our extremely disappointing new Honda Accord (which had replaced an even more disappointing new Plymouth Duster she had gotten in college) for a new '85 Lynx wagon ($65.00/month for 36) as it was the cheapest new Lynx/Escort we could find in SoCal that the dealer would trade in exchange for our crop-dusting Accord. Comfortable, economical, practical, great to shift, and tenacious in all corners pushed hard. The weight distribution of the wagon body musta had some synergistic relationship with the FWD--the sum was greater than its farts...One of the cars I've/we've owned that the Nethead here really misses :(
But Mercury lost relevance as the marketplace matured, and you can't "bask in reflected glory" of past achievements forever. Pontiac had more past glory than Mercury ever did, and we see how that saved Pontiac's ass, huh? :( In fact, what remains of Chrysler and General Motors had better wake up and smell the roses imports. Ford has, and they're in a fight-to-the-death to pull ahead of the imports--and that fight for survival could not spare the resources to keep nursing Mercury along. End of story.
From 1950 until about 1977 my dad was a Ford man. This was the era when folks were loyal to a brand to the point of starting a fight with a Chevy man or Dodge man. About the time I starting really becoming aware of cars as more than something we sat in to go from place to place I asked him why he never bought a Mercury. His reply, "A mercury is just an overgrown, overpriced Ford." With very few exceptions, like the 67 and 68 Cougar, I have to agree with him.
(http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads16/merc1261942226.jpg)
(http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/9791435+w750+st0/mufp_0510_01_z+1967_mercury_cougar_xr7+front_view.jpg)
(http://www.lovefords.org/mom/images/1961_mercury_colonypark_001.jpg)
(http://www.lovefords.org/65ford/glamour/1965_mercury_parklane_003.jpg)
(http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/9160027+w750+st0/mufp_0604_02z+1967_Mercury_Comet+Front_View.jpg)
(http://www.rmauctions.com/images/cars/AW09/AW09_r021_01.jpg)
(http://greene-shipman.org/67MontclairFP.jpg)
:(
Quote from: EtypeJohn on June 10, 2010, 01:44:23 PM
From 1950 until about 1977 my dad was a Ford man. This was the era when folks were loyal to a brand to the point of starting a fight with a Chevy man or Dodge man. About the time I starting really becoming aware of cars as more than something we sat in to go from place to place I asked him why he never bought a Mercury. His reply, "A mercury is just an overgrown, overpriced Ford." With very few exceptions, like the 67 and 68 Cougar, I have to agree with him.
The '67 Cougar--at the time the Nethead here liked it better than the '67 Mustang. The '68 Cyclone fastback came out in the Fall of '67 and I liked that better than any other car I could ever hope to afford. But each successive version of those glorious Mercs appealed to me less and less. I hardly noticed when the Comet/Cyclone and the Cougar were discontinued...
Quote from: Nethead on June 11, 2010, 11:11:10 AM
The '67 Cougar--at the time the Nethead here liked it better than the '67 Mustang. The '68 Cyclone fastback came out in the Fall of '67 and I liked that better than any other car I could ever hope to afford. But each successive version of those glorious Mercs appealed to me less and less. I hardly noticed when the Comet/Cyclone and the Cougar were discontinued...
Oh man, the '67 Cougar was one of my favorite cars of all time. I absolutely loved that car as a kid, and I still do. I liked it better than the '67 Mustang.
My uncle had a '67 Mustang (I think that was the year) that was a stick shift. He lost his arm to cancer and had to give the car up because he could no longer drive a stick after that. That would have been a great car to keep.
Quote from: omicron on June 11, 2010, 09:02:49 AM
(http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads16/merc1261942226.jpg)
(http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/9791435+w750+st0/mufp_0510_01_z+1967_mercury_cougar_xr7+front_view.jpg)
(http://www.lovefords.org/mom/images/1961_mercury_colonypark_001.jpg)
(http://www.lovefords.org/65ford/glamour/1965_mercury_parklane_003.jpg)
(http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/9160027+w750+st0/mufp_0604_02z+1967_Mercury_Comet+Front_View.jpg)
(http://www.rmauctions.com/images/cars/AW09/AW09_r021_01.jpg)
(http://greene-shipman.org/67MontclairFP.jpg)
:(
:ohyeah: :ohyeah: :ohyeah:
Beautiful pictures, man. Beautiful.
Quote from: the Teuton on June 06, 2010, 01:32:36 PM
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs567.snc3/30951_787566418563_14228342_43561584_505297_n.jpg)
We had one that looked EXACTLY like this.
LOL
That's my driver's ed car, only in silver and no wood. What a lame Taurus wagon copy.
Quote from: AutobahnSHO on June 12, 2010, 07:54:33 PM
LOL
That's my driver's ed car, only in silver and no wood. What a lame Taurus wagon copy.
Except it was launched four years BEFORE the Taurus.
Quote from: omicron on June 11, 2010, 09:02:49 AM
(http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads16/merc1261942226.jpg)
(http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/9791435+w750+st0/mufp_0510_01_z+1967_mercury_cougar_xr7+front_view.jpg)
(http://www.lovefords.org/mom/images/1961_mercury_colonypark_001.jpg)
(http://www.lovefords.org/65ford/glamour/1965_mercury_parklane_003.jpg)
(http://image.mustangandfords.com/f/9160027+w750+st0/mufp_0604_02z+1967_Mercury_Comet+Front_View.jpg)
(http://www.rmauctions.com/images/cars/AW09/AW09_r021_01.jpg)
(http://greene-shipman.org/67MontclairFP.jpg)
:(
:huh:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Mercury-Villager.jpg)
(http://www.atozautolights.com/images/AutoPhotos/MESA9699.jpg)
(http://thebest-prices.com/slideshow/sedans/images/97_Mercury_Tracer_Blk.jpg)
The last gasp of a cool Mercury:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Mercury-Marauder-1.jpg/800px-Mercury-Marauder-1.jpg)
Too bad they didn't put the 390hp supercharged DOHC 4.6L from the 2003 SVT Mustang into it. That would have made it a sleeper. Sadly, it was no quicker than an Accord V6 of the day. A shame, really.
Quote from: 280Z Turbo on June 12, 2010, 10:58:39 PM
:huh:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Mercury-Villager.jpg)
(http://www.atozautolights.com/images/AutoPhotos/MESA9699.jpg)
(http://thebest-prices.com/slideshow/sedans/images/97_Mercury_Tracer_Blk.jpg)
This is what happens when my back is turned.
Quote from: 3.0L V6 on June 13, 2010, 05:09:12 PM
The last gasp of a cool Mercury:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Mercury-Marauder-1.jpg/800px-Mercury-Marauder-1.jpg)
Too bad they didn't put the 390hp supercharged DOHC 4.6L from the 2003 SVT Mustang into it. That would have made it a sleeper. Sadly, it was no quicker than an Accord V6 of the day. A shame, really.
A fantastic-looking car. Can you pick them up cheaply? It would make a fine tourer with a little tinkering here and there.
Quote from: omicron on June 14, 2010, 07:14:27 AM
A fantastic-looking car. Can you pick them up cheaply? It would make a fine tourer with a little tinkering here and there.
Those are outrageously expensive.
Fortunately they're the same as the Crown Vic, so you just need some aesthetic work (engine swap too?) and you have the same car...
IMHO, a lower axle ratio would be a much more effective mod than even the supercharger in breathing some life into that car.
Quote from: Vinsanity on June 15, 2010, 05:08:27 PM
IMHO, a lower axle ratio would be a much more effective mod than even the supercharger in breathing some life into that car.
What's the stock rear end gear?
Quote from: hotrodalex on June 15, 2010, 08:34:41 PM
What's the stock rear end gear?
2.73, IIRC...same as the standard Crown Vic
Quote from: Vinsanity on June 15, 2010, 09:03:49 PM
2.73, IIRC...same as the standard Crown Vic
From Wikipedia:
The Marauder was fitted with the 4R70W 4-speed automatic in 2003 and received the upgraded 4R75W 4-speed automatic for 2004. The limited slip differential
with a 3.55 rear axle ratio was borrowed from the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, as well as the aluminum drive shaft.
3.55 is better than 2.73, but 4.10 would be even better.
Quote from: AutobahnSHO on June 15, 2010, 05:04:51 PM
Those are outrageously expensive.
Fortunately they're the same as the Crown Vic, so you just need some aesthetic work (engine swap too?) and you have the same car...
The Vic and grand marq have a different rear suspension setup, although both SRA.
It would be cheaper and easier to drop a supercharger on the 240 hp 2V than an engine swap and make a good bit more hp.
Quote from: 3.0L V6 on June 16, 2010, 05:09:08 AM
From Wikipedia:
The Marauder was fitted with the 4R70W 4-speed automatic in 2003 and received the upgraded 4R75W 4-speed automatic for 2004. The limited slip differential with a 3.55 rear axle ratio was borrowed from the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, as well as the aluminum drive shaft.
my bad. I just remember hearing that the gear and axle ratios weren't well suited to the engine's high-revving character