This evocative B/W shot of a ’65 Marauder was shot in Portland and posted by a new Cohort, Curtis Perry. If it weren’t for the Chrysler minivan across the street (and that other photographer), it could have been taken in another era. It reminds me of cars and settings that were so common in the 70s. This one really takes me back….
I’m a huge fan of Curtis’ work. Glad he’s posting to the Cohort.
nice car, I didn’t realize how sporty these cars looked until I’ve seen this photo, I’ve always overlooked the mid 60’s big Mercury’s in favor of the late 60’s/early 70’s big Mercury’s due to its boxy styling, now I can look past its boxy styling
My 2nd favourite Mercury.
Beautiful crisp shot. Nice car.
I will admit not being a Mercury fan. Absolutely no tears shed when the brand was killed. Having said that, other than the original Cougar, this is probably my favorite, style-wise. The look was definitely more Lincoln than Ford, yet the Continental was a completely different unibody car. This was the start of a transition that IMO led to the death of the brand. The influence of the LTD has been discussed before. The big thing for me was the lack of mechanical difference other than wheelbase starting with the new 1965 platform.
Nikita: larger engines standard [390], better trim, 410 not available in the Ford IIRC, different dashboards, better ride, four torque boxes in the suspension rather than two andvery different styling from the Ford. These were not the 61-64 Mercuries. Car Life’s car of the year for 1965. Ford finally had good business plan for Mercury from 65-70.
I learned to drive on a 66 Mercury Montclair. It was my first automotive love. The ride and quiet on the road have become the benchmarks for what I find important in buying a car. After 50 years.
Beautiful styling, great details [tail lights, turn signals, roof lines and grille] and decent marketing for once. Finally a direct competitor for Pontiac Buick Olds and Chrysler.
The 66 has been accused of “stealing” it’s tail lights from the 63 Pontiac when they were just chromey versions of lights Lincoln had first offered on the Continental Mark II.
Thanks, Paul. The 65 and 66 Mercuries have been long neglected in the old car hobby.
Don’t forget the ’65 was also available with the reverse slant Breezeway rear window, something totally foreign to Ford and far more differentiation than GM had at the time between Chevy, B-O-P.
During this era they were still different enough to be a viable, upscale cousin to Ford, and in the ’70’s the Grand Marquis was also a significant cut above. Wasn’t until the Panther era that the differences started to disappear, eventually taking the brand with it.
Nice night image! It’s always a special treat to find an old car in an old neighborhood and imagine jumping back in time…