The Mercury history

Coinciding with the discontinuation of the Edsel Corsair and Citation, Mercury produced its own body and chassis (for the first time since 1940). The division pared several slow-selling model lines, including the Turnpike Cruiser and Voyager; the two-door Commuter was in its final year.

For 1941, the Mercury underwent its first redesign; in another change, the model line adopted the Mercury Eight nameplate used in sales literature.

To compete with Fluid Drive (Chrysler) and Hydramatic (General Motors), the 1942 Mercury offered Liquamatic, the first semi-automatic transmission offered by Ford Motor Company.

The Lincoln-Zephyr reentered production following the war, dropping the Zephyr nameplate; the Continental (and the V12 engine) ended production after 1948.

In 1949, Ford Motor Company launched its first all-new post-war designs for all three of its model lines.

For 1952, Mercury redesigned its model line, with two nameplates replacing the Eight.

In 1953, the expansion of the model line proved successful; after emerging from a war-depressed market, Mercury nearly doubled in sales, ranking eighth.

In 1955, Mercury underwent a redesign of its model line.

The divisional structure of Ford was revised; Lincoln-Mercury was split (largely to accommodate the formation of the Continental division) In 1956, Mercury renamed the Custom the Medalist (to avoid confusion with the Ford Custom).

For 1957, Mercury redesigned its model range, with a 122-inch (3,100 mm) wheelbase sized between Ford and Lincoln.

For 1959, Mercury underwent a revision of its body, expanding to a 126-inch (3,200 mm) wheelbase.

Since 1960, other mines have opened in the Soviet block countries, China, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Mexico, and the US state of Nevada.

For 1961, Mercury introduced all-new full-size cars, shifting from a division-exclusive chassis to a 120-inch (3,000 mm) wheelbase version of the Ford Galaxie.

For 1962, Mercury revised its model line, matching it closer to Ford.

For 1963, two different rooflines were introduced on the Monterey as an option.

For 1964, the full-size range underwent a revision; the Montclair and Park Lane were reintroduced above the Monterey, with the Meteor and S-models withdrawn.

For 1965, the full-size models underwent a redesign; while still sharing the underpinnings of the Ford Galaxie, many styling elements were adopted from Lincoln, with advertising marketing them as "built in the Lincoln tradition".

Mercury's most luxurious 4 door model for 1967 was the Brougham, equipped like the Marquis, and available as a sedan or a hardtop.

For 1968, the Mercury model range underwent several revisions.

At the other end of the performance spectrum from the Capri, Lincoln-Mercury began imports of the De Tomaso Pantera in 1971.

For 1972, the intermediate Montego line (based on the Ford Gran Torino) was redesigned with a body-on-frame chassis, creeping into full-size dimensions.

The 1973 model year brought major functional changes to the Mercury line, the fuel crisis notwithstanding; in various forms, all Mercury cars were given 5-mph bumpers.

The model line was met with success, with examples used as personal cars among Ford executives (including Henry Ford II). Following the 1974 discontinuation of its engine, Lincoln-Mercury ended its sales of the DeTomaso Pantera.

For 1975, the Mercury model range underwent a series of transitions.

1976 saw the expansion of the smallest end of the Mercury model line.

As in 1977, the expansion of the model line nearly doubled Cougar sales (though far below its previous rate). Replacing the Bobcat, the Mercury Lynx was introduced as the counterpart of the Ford Escort.

1978 commenced the modernization of the Mercury model range, marked by the introduction of the Zephyr compact, replacing the Comet.

Poorly received by critics and buyers, sales of the model line collapsed (to less than one-third of 1979 levels). Struggling to compete against newer designs, the aging Bobcat and Monarch were in their final years of production.

For 1980, Mercury ended the model overlap between the Marquis and Cougar, as the latter was downsized into the mid-size segment.

1981 saw Mercury revise its model line to combat falling sales.

In 1982, Mercury introduced its first two-seat vehicle; the Mercury LN7 was marketed as a counterpart of the Ford EXP. To distinguish the LN7, the rear hatchback was fitted with a compound-curve rear window.

Selling far under sales projections (less than 5,000 were sold for 1983), the two-seat LN7 was withdrawn in favor of its Ford counterpart.

In 1986, Mercury made a substantial change to its mid-size line as the Mercury Sable was introduced to replace the Marquis.

1987 saw Mercury revise its model lines in a move upmarket.

Following the 1989 model year, Merkur was discontinued as a result of several factors.

After a two-year hiatus, the Mercury Tracer returned for 1991 as the smallest Mercury model line.

For 1992, the Mercury model line would undergo an extensive update, introducing new generations of its best-selling model lines.

The Nine Planets has been online since 1994 and was one of the first multimedia websites that appeared on the World Wide Web.

For 1997, the Tracer was redesigned alongside the Ford Escort; in contrast to the redesign of the Sable, the Tracer differed from the Escort in its grille and badging.

After skipping the 1998 model year, the Cougar made its return, becoming its own model line.

Following the withdrawal of the Tracer and Mystique after the end of 1999, Mercury was left with the Sable and Grand Marquis.

Mercury was known to ancient Chinese and Hindus before 2000 BC and was found in tubes in Egyptian tombs dated from 1500 BC It was used to forma amalgams of other metals around 500 BC. The Greeks used mercury in ointments and the Romans used it, unfortunately for those using it, in cosmetics.

After 2002, Ford ended its joint venture with Nissan to produce the Villager, leaving the division out of the minivan segment.

The larger sedan, the 2005 Mercury Montego, was a full-size sedan (a counterpart of the Ford Five Hundred); while close in exterior footprint to the Sable, the interior packaging of the Montego more closely matched the Grand Marquis.

Following the discontinuation of the Lincoln Aviator, many of its features were adopted by the Mountaineer SUV as part of its 2006 redesign to further distinguish it from the Ford Explorer.

Introduced as a direct counterpart of the Chrysler Town & Country, the Monterey struggled to establish market sales as the minivan segment in North America declined as a whole; after 2007, the Monterey was discontinued alongside the Freestar.

- NASA’s spacecraft MESSENGER was the first to orbit Mercury in 2008.

In terms of overall sales in North America, the Mercury brand held a 1 percent share (compared to the 16 percent share of Ford). After selling under 93,000 vehicles for 2009, Mercury had sold fewer vehicles than either Oldsmobile or Plymouth prior to their discontinuation.

On June 2, 2010, Ford announced the closure of the Mercury line, effective at the end of the year as the company concentrated its marketing and engineering efforts on the Ford and Lincoln model lines.

For the first time, Mercury used the GS and LS trim nomenclature; in various forms, it would be used through the 2011 model year.

To reflect the change completely, the Lincoln division renamed the Lincoln Motor Company (its name before World War II) in December 2012.