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HomeMercury

Mercury

1971 Mercury Cougar front
Letters to the Editor

Reader insists that the 1971 Mercury Cougar ‘wasn’t ugly at all’

September 12, 2024 Steve 3

KH stopped by to respond to our story, “Collectible Automobile sheds little light on why 1971 Mercury Cougar was ugly.” It wasn’t ugly at all. It looks much better than all the other “cookie cutter” […]

History

Lincoln-Zephyr was a first step in Ford surpassing Chrysler

August 30, 2024 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 4/11/2022) The 1936-42 Lincoln-Zephyr is a more important car than is commonly assumed. Not only did it offer notably advanced styling and engineering, but it also represented the Ford Motor Company’s first meaningful […]

1979 Mercury Capri
Data Dive

When did the Ford Motor Company begin to ‘phone in’ the Mercury brand?

August 13, 2024 Steve 20

An Indie Auto reader recently inquired as to when the Ford Motor Company began to “phone in” the Mercury brand. Also asked: Why did Ford do this and was it ultimately a sound decision? Since […]

1971 Mercury Cougar XR7
Media Analysis

Collectible Automobile sheds little light on why 1971 Mercury Cougar was ugly

August 6, 2024 Steve 17

When I saw that the 1971 Mercury Cougar was on the cover of the latest Collectible Automobile issue, I was particularly curious about one thing: Did Semon Knudsen have much influence on the car’s huge […]

1967 Mercury Comet Caliente convertible
Design Notes

Did stylistic penny pinching undercut the 1966-67 Mercury Comet?

May 22, 2024 Steve 11

As mysteries go it’s a small one, but I have long been curious as to why the 1965-67 Mercury Comet switched from horizontal to stacked headlights. The new look wasn’t in alignment with any of […]

1972 Buick LeSabre 4-door hardtop
Links

Popular Science pans premium cars for cost cutting and impractical styling

May 6, 2024 Steve 3

Popular Science’s Jan P. Norbye and Jim Dunne criticized the quality and practicality of four 1972 premium-priced big cars. They road tested the Buick LeSabre, Chrysler Newport Royal, Mercury Monterey and Oldsmobile Delta 88. “It’s […]

Data Dive

The 1965-73 Ford LTD may not have impacted Mercury very much

April 11, 2024 Steve 10

(EXPANDED FROM 1/28/2022) Indie Auto commentator Geeber recently discussed how premium-priced big cars did better than their lower-priced brethren as the 1970s progressed. His comment, which is worth reading in full (go here), spurred me […]

1957 Lincoln four-door hardtop
History

Could the 1956-57 Lincoln have saved a dying Packard?

April 4, 2024 Steve 11

(EXPANDED FROM 7/30/2021) Stéphane Dumas has been displaying his broad knowledge of web-based sources of automotive history for quite a few years. As a case in point, back in 2015 Dumas posted a comment over at […]

1972 Chrysler New Yorkers
Data Dive

The 1969-73 Chrysler wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t a success

March 12, 2024 Steve 16

(EXPANDED FROM 10/21/2022) A few years ago J P Cavanaugh (2020) received pushback from some Curbside Classic commentators for calling the fuselage Chryslers a “Deadly Sin.” As a case in point, Moparlee (2020) wrote, “I […]

1954 Hudson Hornet Hollywood hardtop
Design Notes

One of Hudson’s fatal mistakes was the 1951-54 Hollywood hardtop

December 20, 2023 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 5/31/2021) A few years ago I stumbled across the Hudson Motor Car Fan Club. Its Facebook page didn’t offer much historical analysis but did have some cool photographs. I was particularly taken by […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 3 4 5 »
  • Is Jaguar smart to run away from its design heritage?
    October 8, 2026 20
  • AMC Pacer clay model
    Why does Joe Ligo’s PBS series sanewash AMC’s mid-70s recklessness?
    October 6, 2026 20
  • 2026 Ram pickups
    A pyrrhic regulatory rollback and how poorly the 1978 Matador coupe sold
    October 2, 2026 12
  • 1962 Chrysler 300
    Did the 1962-65 Chrysler 300 ‘dilute’ the letter series?
    September 29, 2026 7
  • 1968 Ford Mustang
    Three rules led to a stultifying level of conformity in 1960s U.S. car design
    September 24, 2026 12
  • 1976ish Toyota Corolla
    Data on imports sheds light on their dramatic gains from 1964-80
    September 18, 2026 5
  • 1974 Chrysler New Yorker
    1974 Chrysler New Yorker was a tragedy that played out on four levels
    September 16, 2026 16
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
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