The Mercury Monterey is a series of full-size cars that were manufactured and marketed by the Mercury division of Ford from 1950 to 1974. Deriving its name from Monterey Bay, the initial Mercury Monterey served as the top-of-the-line two-door sedan model for 1950 and 1951 to compete with the hardtop models of Oldsmobile and Buick. It came with a vinyl roof covering, upgraded upholstery, and other features. The hardtop was introduced for 1952. During its production, the Monterey would be offered in multiple body styles, ranging from coupes, convertibles, sedans, hardtops, and station wagons.
Over its 22 years of production, the Monterey served variously as the flagship, mid-range, and entry-level offering of the full-size Mercury product range. The only Mercury nameplate to be in continuous production throughout the 1960s, the Monterey was positioned above the Medalist, Custom, and Meteor; later, it was positioned below the Turnpike Cruiser, Montclair, Park Lane, and finally the Marquis.
Following the 1974 model year, Mercury discontinued the Monterey, consolidating its full-size range down to the Marquis and Colony Park station wagon. For 2004, the Monterey nameplate was revived, becoming the counterpart of the Ford Freestar minivan; it was produced through the 2007 model year.
Early history
The Monterey (model 72C) was introduced in 1950 as a high-end two-door coupe as part of the Mercury Eight series in the same vein as the Ford Crestliner, the Lincoln Lido coupe and the Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri coupe in order to compete with the hardtop coupes General Motors and Chrysler had introduced the previous model year. Montereys had either a canvas covered convertible for $2,146 ($ in dollars ) or vinyl for $2,157 ($ in dollars ). Standard features included leather faced seats, simulated leather headliner, wool carpets, chrome-plated interior garnish moldings, two-toned dashboard, special black steering wheel, fender skirts, dual outside rearview mirrors, full wheelcovers & gold winged hood ornament. For $10 more ($ in dollars ) all leather seats were an option. Two special colors were offered, Turquoise Blue with dark blue top and Cortaro Red metallic with black top. Black with yellow top was also available. Few Montereys were sold.
1952–1954
As Ford began to position Mercury as a mid-priced competitor to the Pontiac Chieftain, Buick Special, Studebaker Commander, Hudson Pacemaker, Kaiser Virginian, Nash Statesman, Dodge Meadowbrook and Dodge Coronet, all Mercury vehicles received a styling and engineering redesign for 1952, such as 18% more window area. Monterey became a separate series and Mercury's top model line over the mainstream Custom nameplate, a convertible and four-door sedan were included in the new series lineup. The heater and vent controls were changed to levers and placed on a plane set perpendicular to the dash behind the steering wheel, inspired by flight controls in large aircraft. The listed retail price was US$2,370 for the convertible ($ in dollars ). Eleven exterior colors were offered and seventeen two-tone color combinations were provided, and the standard list of equipment included broadcloth upholstery, full carpeting, and electric clock, luggage compartment light and chrome window surroundings. Optional equipment included a heater and windshield defroster, radio with antenna, and fog lamps.
A station wagon was first introduced as a Mercury for 1953 including an optional "woodie" appearance, the same year a Siren Red Monterey Convertible became Ford's forty-millionth car produced.Flory, J. "Kelly", Jr. American Cars 1946–1959 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Coy, 2008), p.515. 1954 saw the introduction of the new overhead valve Ford Y-block V8, as well as the bubble-top Monterey Sun Valley, named for Sun Valley, Idaho, which had a Plexiglas front half roof which was similar to that of the Ford Crestline Skyliner. The color choices expanded considerably to offer fifteen single choices and thirty nine two-tone selections. The 1954 Montereys also received other alterations, such as new, lower taillights. The Mercury XM-800 concept car, first displayed at the Chicago Auto Show early in 1954, débuted as the Mercury Monterey XM-800.“Mercury’s New Monterey.” Chicago Tribune, 21 February 1954.“Mercury Sends Experimental MX-800 to Show.” Chicago Tribune, 14 March 1954.“1st Showing in Chicago…The New Mercury Monterey XM-800.” (Chicago Auto Show Display Ad) Chicago Tribune, 14 March 1954.
1955–1956
For 1955 the car lost its status as Mercury's top model, replaced by the Montclair. The same year, it gained the Y-block from the Thunderbird, producing with the standard transmission or 198 with the Merc-O-Matic. It used independent ball-joint front suspension. Brake size was increased. The Monterey was positioned above the base model Custom series for the 1955 model year.John Gunnell, Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946–1975, Revised 4th Edition, page 515 Optionally available was a dual 4-barrel carburetor setup that provided starting in 1956. All Mercury's for 1955 offered a canted hood over the headlights previously introduced on the Mercury XM-800 concept car from 1954. The 1955 four-door sedan was US$2,400 ($ in dollars ) and sold 70,392.
1956 brought another new engine, the 312 cu. in and all Mercury sedans underwent an exterior revision, trading its crest badge for a "Big M" emblem. The side trim was revised to a full-length multi-tier chrome spear, with two types of two-tone paint combinations, offering the traditional approach of a roof color over a different body color, and "Flo-tone" where the roof and lower body were painted in one color and the upper body painted in another color. There were a total of thirty-one two-tone combinations and twenty-eight "Flo-tone" combinations. As was the case with the Montclair, the pillared low-roof four-door Sport Sedan (new to the Monterey series after its mid-1955 introduction as a Montclair exclusive) was replaced by the Monterey Phaeton four-door hardtop during the model year.
The update brought several functional revisions, including a 12-volt electric system which allowed the installation of power operated accessories to be installed including air conditioning, standard dual exhaust to improve engine performance, and an automatic self-lubrication system (for the steering and front suspension). Mercury added its own version of the Ford Lifeguard safety system; a deep-dish steering wheel was standard, along with safety door locks, tubeless tires, and a breakaway safety glass rearview mirror. In addition, childproof rear door locks, seatbelts, and a padded dashboards were introduced as free-standing options. The 292 V8 was replaced by a 312 cubic-inch V8, producing 225 hp.
1957–1958
The fullsize Mercury was redesigned for 1957 and grew considerably larger as well, riding on an exclusive wheelbase, elevating Mercury above the new Edsel product line. A new frame design allowed a lower floor which made the car look lower and longer. Interior features included a front seat track stop to keep the front seat back from breaking loose, a new design for the safety steering wheel, a new radio, and memory power front seats. The station wagons were divested from the Monterey series, with the Commuter, Voyager, and Colony Park lines and becoming their own series called the "Country Cruiser" in 1959. The 312 Ford Y-block gained 20 horsepower to go with the added weight, and the Lincoln Y-block V8 became an option. Early 1957 Montereys had two headlights however later examples were fitted with four with the turn signals positioned in the headlight alcove above the headlights. Optional turn signal indicators were installed above the headlights to signify to the driver that the lights were functioning.
1958 brought an all-new engine: the MEL V8. With the new engine came the Multi-Drive three-speed automatic transmission. As tailfins became to gain favor with competitors, Mercury sought to downplay the appearance and offered similar appearances but with much less dramatic bodywork.
For 1957, Mercury offered mechanically activated pushbutton transmission controls in response to the Chrysler TorqueFlite pushbutton controls introduced in 1956. The Mercury control buttons initially offered five buttons and was called "Keyboard Control", with a long button on top labeled "Drive" with four smaller buttons below labeled "Brake", "Neutral Start" which would allow the engine to start with the ignition key, "Hill Control" and "Reverse" with later versions separating the "Drive" button to "Performance" and "Cruising" for 1958 and relabeled as "Multi-Drive". A separate push/pull lever was included below the control buttons labeled "Park" which would lock out the control buttons until the Park button was pulled to release it. The control panel was installed to the left of the steering wheel. In 1959 the keyboard control was discontinued and used a steering column gear selector lever.
1959–1960
For 1959, the Mercury Monterey (and Montclair) grew in size, adopting a 126-inch wheelbase. The Mercury-derived Edsel Corsair and Edsel Citation were discontinued; for the first time since 1940, Mercury used its own chassis and body.
The Monterey was offered in five bodystyles, including two and four-door pillared sedans, a two-door convertible, and two-door and four-door Cruiser hardtops. Taking its name from the discontinued Turnpike Cruiser, the Cruiser was given a large compound-curved rear window (styled as a fastback). To improve interior access and driver visibility, the forward-swept A-pillar was made nearly vertical.
Initially designed for potential production as both an Edsel and a Mercury, the Monterey inherited several design features from the division. The dashboard grouped all instruments and controls centrally around the steering wheel, with thermostat-style climate control (air conditioning was optional), power driver seat (with memory position), and a pre-set speed warning (a precursor to cruise control) offered as options. The "Big M" badging was replaced by lettered Mercury badging across the hood; a scripted "Mercury" badge was added to the interior.
Serving as the base-trim Mercury sedan, the Monterey received a 210 hp 312 cubic-inch V8; the previous 383 cubic-inch V8 (producing 280 hp) was optional. A 3-speed manual was standard on the 312; a 3-speed automatic was offered as an option (the only transmission offered on the 383).
For 1960, the Monterey underwent a facelift; along with visually reducing exterior trim (and tailfins), the update shifted its appearance closer in line to the newly introduced Mercury Comet compact sedan and the shared Ford Galaxie platform. The headlights were now integrated into the grille, which was expanded upwards and no longer used the headlight pod appearance which had become dated.
1961–1964
For 1961, Mercury underwent a major transformation of its model line. In a transition from 1957 to 1960, Mercury again shared a bodyshell with a divisional counterpart, shifting from Edsel to Ford, with the Monterey becoming the equivalent of the Ford Galaxie. The Montclair and Park Lane were discontinued, shifting the Monterey from the base-trim Mercury sedan to its flagship, slotted above the newly introduced Mercury Meteor (as with the Comet, intended as an Edsel before the discontinuation of the division). One of the first examples of downsizing, by adopting a common chassis and body with Ford, the Monterey lost six inches of wheelbase, nearly two inches of width, and over 4 inches of length; dependent on powertrain, the 1961 Monterey shed over 300 pounds of curb weight. At 120 inches, the Monterey was given a 1-inch longer wheelbase than the Galaxie.