Mercury Montclair
Encyclopedia
The Mercury Montclair was a full-size automobile produced by the Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company
from 1955 to 1957, the M-E-L Division of Ford Motor Company 1958 to 1959 and by the Lincoln Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company from 1964 to 1968. Its appearance followed the concept show car in 1954 called the Mercury XM-800
.
The vehicle name was introduced in 1955 and applied to Mercury's premium automobile line. Ford historians are at a loss as to where the name originated; the consensus is that it's taken from the upper class community of Montclair, New Jersey
. For 1955 and 1956, Montclairs featured Mercury's best appointments, extra chrome trim, and different two-tone paint combinations to set them apart from other Mercury products.
The Montclair model line also included the Sun Valley
, which featured a Plexiglas "bubble" over the front half of the roof section. While futuristic cars were often featured with clear glass tops in the 1950s, consumers rejected the tinted glass roof Sun Valleys (only 1,500 were produced in 1955) because of the heat buildup in the interior of the vehicles. Following lower sales of the Sun Valley for 1956, the version was discontinued for 1957.
In 1957 the Montclair name was pushed down market by the introduction of the Turnpike Cruiser
. In 1958 the Turnpike Cruiser became a Montclair trim level, and Mercury assigned its premium model the name Park Lane
.
In 1961 Mercury dropped the Montclair and Park Lane in favor of Meteor
and Monterey
; in 1962 these were replaced by the Monterey and Monterey Custom, and the Meteor name transferred to Mercury's new intermediate line based on the Ford Fairlane.
The Montclair and Park Lane models were resurrected for 1964 as trim levels on full-sized Mercurys and remained in place until replaced by the Monterey Custom in 1969.
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
from 1955 to 1957, the M-E-L Division of Ford Motor Company 1958 to 1959 and by the Lincoln Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company from 1964 to 1968. Its appearance followed the concept show car in 1954 called the Mercury XM-800
Mercury XM-800
The Mercury XM-800 was a concept car created by the Ford Motor Company brand, Mercury, first introduced at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show. The XM 800 then traveled the US auto show circuit throughout the 1954 season. Although it was promoted by Ford as an "advanced design, engineered to go into volume...
.
The vehicle name was introduced in 1955 and applied to Mercury's premium automobile line. Ford historians are at a loss as to where the name originated; the consensus is that it's taken from the upper class community of Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. For 1955 and 1956, Montclairs featured Mercury's best appointments, extra chrome trim, and different two-tone paint combinations to set them apart from other Mercury products.
The Montclair model line also included the Sun Valley
Ford Crown Victoria Skyliner
Ford's 1954 Crestline Skyliner was replaced in 1955 by the Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner, based on the new 1955 Ford design. It shared the flashy chrome "basket handle" which stretched the B-pillar across the roof of the 1955 Crown Victoria model but added a smoked acrylic glass window over the...
, which featured a Plexiglas "bubble" over the front half of the roof section. While futuristic cars were often featured with clear glass tops in the 1950s, consumers rejected the tinted glass roof Sun Valleys (only 1,500 were produced in 1955) because of the heat buildup in the interior of the vehicles. Following lower sales of the Sun Valley for 1956, the version was discontinued for 1957.
In 1957 the Montclair name was pushed down market by the introduction of the Turnpike Cruiser
Mercury Turnpike Cruiser
The Mercury Turnpike Cruiser was the flagship model of the Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company that was produced from 1957 to 1958. The Turnpike Cruiser was produced in two body styles: a two-door and four-door hardtop were offered...
. In 1958 the Turnpike Cruiser became a Montclair trim level, and Mercury assigned its premium model the name Park Lane
Mercury Park Lane
The Mercury Park Lane was a fullsize automobile produced by the Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company from 1958 to 1960 and by the Lincoln-Mercury Division from 1964 to 1968. During this time, the Park Lane resembled the Monterey, but with a higher trim level.The Park Lane was introduced in...
.
In 1961 Mercury dropped the Montclair and Park Lane in favor of Meteor
Mercury Meteor
The Mercury Meteor was an automobile model produced by the Lincoln Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company from 1961 to 1963. For 1961, the name was applied to low-end full-sized vehicles; for 1962 and 1963, the name was applied to Mercury's mid-sized sedans, in a marketing attempt to appeal to...
and Monterey
Mercury Monterey
The Monterey was introduced in 1950 as a high-end two-door coupe in the same vein as the Ford Crestliner, the Lincoln Lido coupe and the Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri coupe. The reason was to offer a more luxurious coupe as the FoMoCo still not had any hard top. The Mercury line got a styling redesign...
; in 1962 these were replaced by the Monterey and Monterey Custom, and the Meteor name transferred to Mercury's new intermediate line based on the Ford Fairlane.
The Montclair and Park Lane models were resurrected for 1964 as trim levels on full-sized Mercurys and remained in place until replaced by the Monterey Custom in 1969.