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Mon 21 Jun, 2010 03:37 pm
Ford Motor Company (FMC) announced this month that the Mercury brand will be discontinued, putting an end to another American symbol.
It nearly didn't survive the McNamara years. As Ford president, he was convinced that Ford should be the only brand for FMC and quickly pulled the plug on the ill-fated Edsel line, but was tapped by the Kennedy Administration before he could kill the Mercury label.
My first ride in a Mercury was in my grandfather's early 60's model, which incorporated many leftover Edsel parts and turned out to be a major disappointment for him. I heard my first swear word from him involving that vehicle. My high school sweetheart was partial to Cougars, and we salivated through several new model-year brochures but that was a far as it went. I owned my only Mercury, a 1988 Tracer which was a reliable vehicle, and I recall it fondly.
I was just curious if anyone else was partial to Mercs or, if not, felt a bit of remorse at the demise of any other car brands that lately seem to be falling by the great American wayside.
@tycoon,
I did used to like Mercury Cougars, for their looks. (Don't know anything about how well the cars operated.)
@tycoon,
No. I've never considered any particular car or brand of car to be a symbol of America. There were certainly models I liked more than others, but they just never registered as symbols.
Off topic, but I do sort of wish Willys hadn't been rolled up by American Motors; in turn taken over by Chrysler.
Yep. The first car I drove was a '63 Comet, and I later owned a Cougar ... not a cool one, a dorky one ... like this one, except with 4 doors:
@tycoon,
I've been saying they should have euthanize the Mercury brand for years.
@ossobuco,
ossobuco wrote:
I did used to like Mercury Cougars, for their looks. (Don't know anything about how well the cars operated.)
I have always thought that some model-years of the Cougars were under-appreciated by the public.
@roger,
Not off topic at all. Thanks.
@Ticomaya,
How did you like your Comet, Tico?
@djjd62,
High energy tune there, thanks!
@tsarstepan,
tsarstepan wrote:
I've been saying they should have euthanize the Mercury brand for years.
Yes, you appear to be right about this. The trend recently has been to definitely stick to the core brand. GM is proof of that, shedding Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, and Saturn. I expect they will sell nothing but Chevrolets soon.
@tycoon,
I just looked at the cougars and don't like most of them, huh. But I like this '67, maybe that is what I am remembering:
when I returned home from military service I bought '56 Merc Montclair
@ossobuco,
I'd like to drive that in a parade, with you as the queen.
@dyslexia,
dyslexia wrote:
when I returned home from military service I bought '56 Merc Montclair
Wow dys, look at that aggressive front end. Do you remember what the hood ornament was?
@djjd62,
I love the last line of the lyrics..."...or a baby's arm holding an apple."
My dad had a '58 Mercury and then a '60 mercury that he used like a truck to deliver furniture from his store and cracked the block. I was still in grammar school, but I still recall the swears and took notes.
@dyslexia,
Looks darn close to a real Fairlane.
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