A-Z Of Marques No 45: Mercury
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The marque: US Ford brand with a deeply fuzzy identity.
The marque: US Ford brand with a deeply fuzzy identity.
The history: Mercury began in 1938 to give Ford a brand a bit grander than a workaday Ford but not as swanky as a Lincoln. Edsel Ford, son of Henry and FoMoCo president at the time, was fed up with losing buyers to Pontiac and Dodge. Styling was a key Mercury element, but under their skins the cars remained close to their Ford siblings. Ford created the Lincoln Mercury division in 1945, and the 1949 Ford, in "customised" form, became James Dean's mount in Rebel Without a Cause. In 1959, Mercury was briefly bundled with Lincoln and the ill-fated Edsel brand. The hefty Mercury Marauder entered a stock-car race programme as Ford tried to give the brand a sporty identity. In 1967, the Mercury Cougar was a grander alternative to the Mustang. As the 1970s passed, the cars got slower, more ornate and more bloated. Now the bloated end of the market is catered for by the Grand Marquis and the Villager MPV, and Mercury still has no real identity of its own.
Defining model: The '49-51 model, especially in "lead-sled" customised form - lowered, stripped of much chrome and repainted.
They say: Tell us who we are, somebody.
We say: Branding is a mercurial thing.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments