DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford Motor Co. will cease production of its 72-year-old Mercury brand by the end of 2010 after years of declining sales.

Mercury's death is the latest in a string of casualties as Detroit carmakers try to cut costs and invest more heavily in fewer offerings. By shedding a mid-range brand that was more and more irrelevant to buyers, the automaker can focus on accelerating sales of Ford and beefing up its luxury Lincoln brand.

Hmmm......so gone from "the big three" is Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac, and now, Mercury. Kinda' sad for us old guys,....and I still miss the independents like Packard, Hudson, Kaiser, Nash and Studebaker!

When thinking of the "Big Three", don't forget DeSoto, LaSalle, and what others?

AMC was into it also

I have lusted for a 54" Mercury Convertible since 1954. I left the country in 53' and didn't come back until late 55'. Went to school on Okinawa (military brat) I have been looking for a Merc convertible since 1975, where have they all gone? I wonder if Desi would like to sell his?

We shipped our 51' Kaiser to Okinawa, what a great car!

I hear Buick is nearing its end also.

Didn't Desi, in the Long Long Trailer, have a '52 or '53 Mercury?
I had a '52 Mercury, my first car.

Buick will be around for a long time. Rumors of it's demise are out of date Buick is very popular in China, with over 440,000 Buicks sold in China last year.

General Motors has introduced three new models in the US in past two years or so, the Enclave, the LaCrosse and most recently the Regal. And I expect there are more on the way. Contrast that with Mercury who's newest vehicle is four or five years old. And Mercury has been a north american only brand.

Sad,very sad.
I am sorry to read that with the Grand Marquis I think the Town car from the Lincoln line is also being chopped out.These funny Mazda looking things they put the Lincoln badge on now are a disgrace to the name plate.
Not anywhere close to what a luxury car should look like.I know,opionions are like -------'s everybody has 1.
Buick would be a great loss to GM as they have been known for being well built,and long term reliable.I hunted for a few months for a good Roadmaster and gave up and bought the Cadi I found.Only to find a 96 Roadmaster aniversary special a month later!:>(

Ivan: The 50's Mercs were great cars. I agree with you on the 54. I am the second owner on a 54 hardtop. Also have a low mileage 53 hardtop and I restored a 53 convertible back in the 90's and still have it. Restored a 51 convertible 2 years ago, started as a hot rod, but I brought it back to original. That's the nicest driving one of them all. Good luck on your search for a 54

I own three Mercurys. Two are what I consider to be the ultimate Mercury muscle car, the 1968 Cougar GT-E with the rare 427 side oiler engine.

It is sad to see the end, but it was inevitable given the lack of competitive new products. You have to give Ford credit for being the most successful of all automakers in the current economic crisis.

When I was in high school (a few years ago) my best buddy had a '40 Mercury coupe, and I had a 40 Ford coupe.

We spent most of our time trying to keep that Merc running or repairing things that fell apart on it (transmission, rear end, etc.) whilst the old 40 Ford was bustin' butt at the local drag strip (Santa Ana)!

But the absolute worst car I ever owned was a 50 Che#@y convertible. It was 'way worse than the Merc!

My first three cars were Mercurys. 47 club coupe, got it for my fifteenth birthday. 52 two-door sedan, stick shift with overdrive. 56 Montclair two door hardtop. All fine cars. I owned two Grand Marquis', 84 and 86. Those cars were as near bullet proof as any cars I've ever owned. When the 84 had 265,000 miles and was looking a little ratty I decided to sell it. A relative wanted to buy and I tried to talk him out of it, told him the old Merc was living on borrowed time, but he insisted. When he sold it about three years later everything on it was still working except the a/c which had rubbed a leak into one of the hoses and lost it's freon. The relative sold the 84 to someone who lives near me and I would see it on the road for several more years. Yes sir, I'm going to miss the Mercurys. Bob

Sad, but to me , nothing along this line is as sad as GM killing Oldsmobile. The Olds was the earliest surviving U.S. marque. Dodge, Chrysler, Cadillac, and to some extent, most other U.S. marques had their beginnings in the Ford shops. Only Olds pre-dated Ford. Offered an "every-mans car" before Ford. And began mass production while Ford was still designing his first model A. Olds even pre-dated Packard. Ransom Eli Olds' first experimental car was eight years before Ford's Quadracycle.
It seems to me that if the U.S. auto makers were smart, they would consolidate the wasteful management from multiple divisions. But continue offering the marques as models within the consolidated divisions. Lincoln could be the top end of the luxury division, while Mercury could be the sporty end of luxury. But then, if they were smart, they wouldn't have blown it in the first place. (Hello Korea and China)
(Disgruntled me) W2

Packard, Hudson cars and pickup trucks, Studebaker, Nash, Rambler, Kaiser, Fraiser, Allstate, REO, Willies, Plymouth trucks, Mercury trucks, M G, Austin Healy, Triumph, Loydwagon, Goliath, Gogomobile, Borg-Ward, Pierce Arrow, Flint, and so on . . . . . . . . .

Well, many brands has been created or bought and later been dropped from the big three other than those previously mentioned - Edsel from Ford in 1959 and back in the T days.. from GM: Cartercar, Elmore, Ewing, Reliance, Rapid, Welch, Rainier, Oakland and Yellow Coach. From Chrysler: Maxwell, Chalmers, and in more recent times Imperial, Valiant, Fargo and Eagle. Some foreign brands were bought and more or less died in Chrysler hands like: Hillman, Singer, Humber, Sunbeam and Karrier from the UK, Simca from France and Barreiros from Spain. Chrysler has created a new brand recently: the Ram.

Bob Robb - strange there were so many problems with the '40 merc, since the mechanics and most of the parts must have been about the same as the '40 Ford?
Guess they were differently handled by the ownere before you and your buddy. Didn't you consider a merc crank with more stroke in your Ford for the drag strip?

Here is what I have been looking for.

http://www.seriouswheels.com/1950-1959/1954-Mercury-Monterey-Convertible.htm

Wayne, I can understand what you are saying about the original Oldsmobile Company. Unfortunately that original company was finished when GM took them over. The same with the other companies that GM took over. After that it was only a play on the original names. What is unbelievable is the original Ford Company is still around, and in the Ford family hands. You have to give them credit for not ripping the taxpayers off like the other companies have done. GM is still ripping us off, their add touting that they have paid back the government loan: what they failed to mention is they paid one loan off with another government loan. Typical GM slight of hand.

Not only that, GM (and others) took bailout money to invest in foreign manufacturing plants. The present rebates on appliances are a ripoff, too, as none are made in the US anymore.

Those schemes are all chump change compared to the banksters, who are borrowing from the Fed at zero percent interest, and investing that money in US Treasuries at about 3% interest, instead of loaning it to worthy borrowers, of which there aren't many now, anyhow.


Dorlyn and Humble Howard in their 1905 CDO.


GM Olds

Roger K,

Oooops! You caught me! My 40 Ford had a 59A Mercury engine!
I forgot about that!

I'm not surprised. The Mercury has been nothing but a Ford for several years now.

Wayne - I certainly agree with what you said about Oldsmobile, however, another very sad loss, whether you liked their cars or not, was Studebaker. That has to be one of the the oldest continuously operating companies of all of the vehicle manufacturers. John Studebaker started making wheelbarrows during the '49 Gold Rush in California and built wagons for many, many years before building automobiles. The story of John Studebaker is a very interesting read for anybody who may have missed it. That book belongs in any automobile enthusiasts library,.......harold

I know what you mean Larry, but I don't really get it. There are other examples of the same vehicle with a differenct name. I don't mean to swear on the forum but, other than the markings, for years the GMC and Chevrolet pick-up trucks were identical as far as I know. Now Cadilac has SUV's and "trucks" that may be better trimmed, but are the same under the paint as the Chevrolet and GMC products, I bet. Ford and Lincoln likewise. Makes it look like there's a lot more to choose from when in reality there is not, I think.

What a beast that 1911 Olds Limited is. A 70 MPH production car in 1911. Dang... Kinda makes you wonder where could they could drive it that fast in 1911.

The rest of the Olds:



http://www.nethercuttcollection.org/

RE: Studebaker

After I graduated from college, I worked at an investment banking firm in Minneapolis.

One of the oldest bond salesmen at the firm told me that he had served in WWII, went to college and then got a job with Studebaker in 1949, starting in their management training program in South Bend. The company was nearly one hundred years old at that time and he told me he figured he would work for Studebaker for the rest of his life.

I kept asking him if he had any photographs or memorabilia from that time but he always said no. Finally, one day he gave me his paycheck stub from September 1954. He told me he started in 1949 at $235/month. The check stub below shows that five years later he was making $488/month. If I recall correctly, he was a district manager for the territory in and around Chicago at that time.

Harold S.

I totally agree about Studebaker, and not only do I like them, I have owned two cars and still have some other Studebaker memorabilia. But that is all another long sad story, and if I go into it, I'll probably start crying in my hot chocolate.

Dan K.
I totally agree with most of what you said. That is why I referred to Oldsmobile as a "marque", and not the company.
Absolutely, Ford is not only the oldest, but the last great U.S. automaker. I still feel they should roll Mercury into a sporty Lincoln, and not kill it. But it is just a trial division, being less than 100 years old. Then, again, Lincoln is less than 100 years old.
MODEL Ts and Ford forever! W2

Well, at least I can take my '73 Mercury to the next "orphan" car show. The "orphan" shows just keep getting bigger and bigger.

Bill R. '25 Fordor

Can I display my Mercury Monterey at an Orphan car show? It's a 2004, and mainly a tarted up Ford, just like Mercuries have been most years.

Anybody need a one owner always garaged '77 Cougar with only 63 K miles? . COLD A/C, gorgeous vinyl top, upholstery and carpet, 5 new radials. Dependable & reliable. Only $3100

My Father in Law was a Studebaker Dealer till they went under, I thought they were a good car. My wife had one of the "Hawks" with a blower, kept
it for years and still wants it back. A girl in a Studebaker ate my lunch in my 1950 Oldsmobile 88, I finally got her stopped and popped the hood and saw my first blown Studebaker. One of the last cars he had as a Dealer was a monster Packard convertible with the reversible seats, sold it to a millionaire in Mexico. Attached is a picture of a couple of relatives in a pushing contest in '42 or so, they were both pretty well drunk, home on leave and got in the "pushing contest" to prove it one way or the other, neither won. Fords and Mercury's were the same car forever, not a nickel's worth of difference in either except for the grill. Most of us owned a '40 Ford at one time, either new or used, a very good car. We used Mercury head gaskets on the Fords, the water passage holes were a hair bigger, and they needed all the help you could give them, all ran hot if I remember right.

I wasn't able to find a color picture of that yellow Merrcury convertible, so this will have to do.

Steve & Ivan - Steve, that's not Ivan's '54 though; it's either a '52 or a '53. I have to agree somewhat with Ivan, because I still remember the very first '54 Mercury I ever saw. It was a kind of mint colored green, and I saw it parked on Schiller Blvd. in Franklin Park, Illinois at just about daybreak while on my Sunday morning Chicago Tribune paper route.

As much as I thought it was the most beautiful ever Mercury, I later learned that both Ford and Mercury had finally given up on the famous old flathead V8 and that beautiful '54 Merc had one of the first Y-block V8's; NOT one of my favorite engines!

I guess to this day, some of my all-time favorite cars would be any '49 thru' '53 Mercury with the ol' flathead V8 and Overdrive. The "fat-fendered" '49, '50 and '51 2-dr coupes were a much different body style then the '52 and '53, but I sure liked them all, even to this day!

By the way Steve, "The Long Long Trailer" was a very memorable movie too!

Grady:
Your memory is good--my '40 Ford wagon still runs hot!!
Bill D

I remember when an automobile said a little something about the owner. My problem now is that on my 2005 Mercury Montego, when in a parking lot, is very difficult to distinguish from a Toyota, Honda....etc.,etc. I have noticed the doors on all the above....I'm almost ready to believe the doors are made by one vendor.
Something to distinguish my car from the next fellow's would be nice. They all look alike, ride alike, etc. The newer drivers see their car as a way to get from point A to point B. The class, style, and grace that used to go with an automobile isn't important to them at all. We all suffer when we have to give up style, grace, and beauty. Bill V

Here is Nixon's Mercury Station Wagon at his library in CA. Sorry that it is blurry.

Yes, the car in the movie was a 1953. That's when the picture was made. I haven't seen it in years, but I recall it was a very pretty car.

I was shocked, but in many ways, not surprised at Ford's decision to end the Mercury line. Its models for years have been just rebadged Fords with fancier trim, mainly interiors. My Dad bought several of them over the years, starting in 1968, ending when he died in 1983. I remember going with my Dad into Greater Houston Lincoln-Mercury's showroom in 1963. The centerpiece of their showroom models was a Rangoon Red 1963 Mercury S-55 convertible that of course had the bucket seats that came with that model, but it, more importantly was equipped with a 405 horsepower, 406 cubic inch engine with 3 two barrel Holley carbs and Borg-Warner T-10 four speed transmission. Ford in its companion 500XL convertible model, built very few with this engine. I can only imagine how rare this car was, and wonder where it went after it was sold.

A little piece of film trivia (this would be better if I could remember the details, or find the book that has them, I think my brother got the book). More than one car was used in the film, "The Long, Long, Trailer". And they were not the same model. Differences can be spotted in the trim.

George House,
Tempting, very tempting.
W2

The flathead Ford/Mercury, not bad ol' engines but the world's most efficient water heaters.

You could fill a book with what I don't know about the flatheads, but I heard of one guy who spun the engine backwards so the intakes were heated by the coolant, instead of the coolant being heated by the exhaust, and he had a much better engine.

Mostly what it would take is regrinding the cam and flipping the ring gear over. The starter would have to be reworked to turn the other way, too.

rdr

The International Mercury Club tells me that only 7,000 54' Merc convertibles were made. Not sure how many are still registered. I am pretty sure that the car used in the "Long Long Trailer" was a 54', it had the power to pull the trailer.

Click here to see this gorgeous Mercury.
http://www.seriouswheels.com/1950-1959/1954-Mercury-Monterey-Convertible.htm

Research first then post! This from Wiki "They have to buy a more powerful car to tow the trailer, a 1953 Mercury Monterey convertible with a 125 HP flathead V8 engine". Soo this brings up the question, "Where are all the 53" Merc convertibles?

The other car used in the movie “The Long Long Trailer” is a Lincoln convertible. Its tricked out to look like a Merc including what looks like tin foil over the tail lights. You can really see a good shot of the Lincoln front end in a quick shot going around a curve throwing up gravel off the front tires. Either they shot it in two locations and another Merc wasn’t available or they needed the more powerful Lincoln to pull that trailer up those mountains. When I did my 53 Merc convertible I patterned it after this Merc, it’s almost a dead ringer except for some factory accessories I added. When I was restoring the car and would get sick of working on it I would watch the movie and get inspired again. Now if I could only find a trailer like that.I'll send pics

Is that a set of dollys under the tonque of the trailer? That is a heck of a load for a modern truck,much less a 50's car.Good Lord.

Stopping it would be a bear.

When Mercury started, it was more of a deluxe Ford. There is more variation in the various Ford models now than there were between Ford Mercury and Lincoln during the 1940's. Apparently, the name doesn't have appeal now that it did in the past.

Norm

Here is an intresting price chart showing why Edsel wasn't really needed when it was launched in 1958 (but Mercury did fit in nicely):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsel#.22The_aim_was_right.2C_but_the_target_moved. 22

I also have a '53 Mercury, but mine's the hardtop coupe. Surprised to see how many others here think the 53 and 54 are beautiful cars.

As far as using a 53 to pull that long, long trailer -- I've always wondered how they did that. Mine is so heavy that it'll hardly pull itself up a hill, let alone pull a trailer.

You"ve to to admit, though, that it's a champion water heater. I was going up a long hill on a tour several years ago on a 100 degree day. Had to turn on the heater for extra cooling. The fellow in the right seat pulled his feet back as far as he could and said, "That's not hot air coming out, that's flames !"

Dick Fischer

I noticed a few people talking about flatheads running warm or hot. This is the secret to a cool a running flathead. I own a few of them, and this is the problem with them: the back of the engine sits down at an angle and over the years all the crud in the cooling systems settles around the back two cylinders, effectively keeping these two cylinders from cooling. Also, the radiator top tank has to be removed and with the years of crud it has to rodded out. Having it boiled won’t do it, you’re throwing your money away. With these two things done, you’ll have a cool running flathead, but you’re temperature gauge may not tell you this. Also with age the gauge might be off. You need to check it with a heat gun. One of mine shows all the way hot when it actually is at 180 degrees.
The other statement about lack of power, if all systems are as they should be these cars especially with overdrive transmission in them will cruise 70 mph all day long, over hills, etc..
Yes there is a dolly under the tongue of the trailer in the movie.

This is the pic of my 53 Merc

Actually, The Packard Motorcar Company merged with the Hewlett Motorcar Company and they are currently making the Hewlett-Packard line of electric vehicles. No kiddin!

Yeah, and Honewell merged with Fairchild to make Fairwell Honeychild.

What Dan says above about crud in the water jackets probably adds to the problem but the main reason the flatheads run hot is because they have long exhaust passages running between the cylinders in a place where there should be water jackets. When they were being raced back in the day the guys would break every other vane out of the water pump inpellers. Supposedly this slowed down the flow of coolant and allowed for better heat transfer. Happy T'ing. Bob

Just checking out your first Mercury, can be cool? And memorable .....

That photo of the Mercury pulling the house trailer reminds me of my father. He was in the Air Force and came home from Iceland in 1955 and married my mother. He bought a used 49 Mercury and they drove to Texas where he was stationed for his last year. They bought a house trailer - probably very similar to the one in the movie. He did auto body work in the Air Force and in the shop he welded up a trailer hitch for the Mercury. After he was discharged, they spent a month touring the western US then stopped back in Texas, hitched up the house trailer to the back of the Mercury and towed it all the way back to Connecticut. I don't think he had that extra wheel under the hitch though. He said it ended kind of like a cartoon - they made it into his mother-in-law's driveway and the car literally just fell apart. That car has always been one of his favorites.

Dave S.

OK

This is a long threaded post , but you have to see this video clip on the original owner of a 540,000 mile Mercury and its still on the road!


http://growingbolder.com/media/technology/vehicles/romancing-the-road-259598.htm l

We met this woman and her car at Ford Carlisle. They shipped her car and flew her in. She was tickled to be there and thoroughly enjoying all the attention. It was a pleasure talking to her.

Harvey,
Dumb me. I was in a frame and map store today and saw you guys in the hood of a 49 Merc. Not sure why....thought this was one of your pix... TOOOO FUNNY