![]() ![]() In 1945, Lincoln and Mercury were combined into a single Lincoln-Mercury division while functioning as one division, the two brands kept their separate model lines. During the war-shortened 1942 model year, the Mercury Eight introduced the first semi-automatic transmission ("Liquimatic") by Ford Motor Company.įollowing World War II, Ford Motor Company dropped the De Luxe Ford sub-brand and Lincoln-Zephyr was absorbed into Lincoln. ![]() To lower production costs of the popular vehicle, the Mercury Eight shared much of its bodyshell with the Ford V8, but it sat on a four-inch longer wheelbase. ![]() Over 65,800 cars were sold for 1939, at a starting price of $916 (approximately $15,771 in current dollars).įor the 1941 model year, the Mercury officially adopted the Mercury Eight nameplate used in sales literature. To minimize production costs, a 239 cubic-inch version of the Ford Flathead V8 engine was used in place of developing an engine specifically for the division. An all-new car, sharing no body panels with any Ford or Lincoln, the Mercury was six inches wider than the 1939 Ford with a 116-inch wheelbase (four inches longer). Early yearsįor the 1939 model year, the Mercury made its debut with a namesake vehicle line. The body designs of the new car (referred to as the "Mercury Eight") were completed by E.T. The Chevrolet Mercury was produced in 1933, becoming the Chevrolet Standard from 1934-1936. Started as a distinct company in 1937 by Edsel Ford, the Mercury name was selected from over 100 potential model and marque names. Eventually, both approaches would be taken by the company For 1938, Ford introduced the De Luxe Ford model line it was largely differentiated from the standard V8 Ford by upscale trim and a distinct hood and grille. Inside Ford, there was debate whether a medium-priced car should be a Ford model or a new marque entirely. To bridge the massive price gap between the standard V8 Ford and the V12 Lincoln Model K, the Lincoln-Zephyr was introduced in 1936 as a competitor for the LaSalle, Chrysler Airstream, and the Packard One-Twenty. ![]() Aside from the Cadillac V-16, the Packard Eight and Duesenberg Model J, the Lincoln Model K was one of the most expensive vehicles in the United States.Īs a solution, from 1936 to 1939, Ford began its own version of the Companion Make Program introduced by General Motors in the previous decade. While General Motors and upstart Chrysler Corporation both had a comprehensive line of brands (in terms of price), by 1935, Ford sold only its namesake brand and the cars of Lincoln Motor Company. Historyĭuring the mid-1930s, despite the continuing success of its new V8-powered product line, Ford Motor Company was in danger of being left at a competitive disadvantage to both of its largest competitors. Although the final vehicle of the division was produced in 2011, Mercury remains an active and registered trademark owned by Ford Motor Company (to at least 2025). The final Mercury automobile, a 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis, rolled off the assembly line on January 4, 2011. At the time, Ford sold Mercury vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, U.S. Production of Mercury vehicles ceased in the fourth quarter of 2010. In the summer of 2010, Ford Motor Company announced the discontinuation of the Mercury division as it consolidated its marketing and engineering efforts on the Ford and Lincoln brands. During the development of the Edsel, this practice ran in reverse, as the vehicles were derived from Mercury chassis underpinnings. To various extents, nearly all Mercury vehicles would be rebadged. Marketed as an entry-level premium brand for nearly its entire existence, Mercury was created in 1938 by Edsel Ford Forming half of the Lincoln-Mercury Division, the brand was intended to bridge the price gap between the Ford and Lincoln vehicle lines In a similar context, Buick and Oldsmobile played the same role within General Motors while the Chrysler Division did so within Chrysler Corporation (following the end of DeSoto and the creation of Imperial)Īlthough the initial Mercury Eight was a distinct design, for much of the existence of the division, Ford would rely on common underpinnings (from Ford or Lincoln, or both) to save on development costs. Mercury is a defunct division of the American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company. ![]()
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