Of course this MGM ended up in Germany. Well, it could have been the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland or some other Northern European country, but the odds are in favor of Germany. Ein Grosser Mercury; just about the ultimate Ami Strassenkreuzer. Corey Beherns found this one Bergen auf Rugen, sitting in a large field.
I can’t tell these ’75-77s apart; can you? Almost like a Mercedes, virtually unchanged for three years.
The wheel covers even have a hint of Benz to them; too bad the center section isn’t body-colored.
Looks like two of them have gone AWOL.
6.6 or 7.4 liters? Gross enough, either way, although the hp ratings were net rather than nett.
Just don’t try to call it a Merkur.
1973 onward these American cars had free railroad ties added front and back too! L0L
I liked these in their day, and I still do! These were worthy competitors to Buick Electras and Oldsmobile 98s.
I had a 78 mgm coupe for my first car in 1999
Man, these things were just grotesque. I hated them then, and still do. – the bloat, the bumpers, the tacky color – everything. It should have been called the Mercury Wretched Excess.
And it wasn’t just the Ford products – the pre-77′ GM’s and the Mopars of the era too. The nadir of US auto design.
Grotesque, indeed.
“6.6 or 7.4 liters? Gross enough, either way, although the hp ratings were net rather than nett.”
More like “Nyet”.
Junk from front to back, side to side, top to bottom. At best, the Big Block Ford (BBF, 385-series) was a worthwhile hot-rod engine; the canted-valve cylinder head design owing an enormous debt of gratitude for it’s existance to the GM “Daytona Mystery Motors” Chevy was forced to sell to Ford in 1963.
Some of the higher-performance 385s had Quadrajet carburetors. Many used Frigidaire A/C compressors, and Delco-style “attached solenoid” starters rather than the traditional “movable pole-shoe” Ford starters with separate solenoid.
If it wasn’t for GM, Ford wouldn’t have had any decent engineers. “Ford’s Better Idea” generally involved using GM parts outright, or engineering concepts pioneered by GM, revised and years behind.
I still love these cars after my dads ’73 Colony Park. And the 460 is 7.5L.
Love them or hate them, there is no denying they represent their time amazingly well. Truly Peak Mercury.
That said, the color on this one is not one I would have chosen if buying one back then. However, as JPC said recently, at some point it is a case of you buy the car and the color comes with it.
Take Two
There are probably some who are better informed on these than I am, but the only way I have ever been able to (sometimes) narrow down the years is by the paint colors which changed some during that run. But I am not good enough on this gold to tell which of maybe 2 or 3 different versions this is.
I can tell that the wheel cover close-up has the wrong center for a Marquis. Ford used these covers on several cars, including Cougars. The Marquis version had a coat of arms for the center.
Those details aside, these may have been the one time FoMoCo really got the Mercury right within the lineup, perfectly splitting the difference between the LTD and the Continental.
Lose the tacky center crest and you’ve got Ford Australia’s trim as used on the Falcon/Fairlane based LTD.
Big cars are greener than small cars. Ask the plants!
There’s probably no car better suited to extravagant decklid pinstriping than this Grand Marquis – it just fits the car’s overall flamboyance perfectly:
Spot on!
I own one of these, a ’77 with which I have a love/hate thing going. I love the old fashioned engineering, utterly conventional, simple, very durable (it’s built like a truck) and ridiculously easy to service. I love the high quality of assembly and materials. And I love the old time vast size, road isolation and soft ride. It’s quite the nostalgic trip to drive.
But it’s homely. The huge bumpers and faux Lincoln formal look make it look positively monstrous. The only thing worse was the Ford LTD of that era. Gone is any vestige of the elegant Mercury look from the 1960s.
Still when mine is polished, and cruising around it gets plenty of admiring comments from boomers, who remember these from their youth.
Picture.
Pic won’t attach, sorry it must be the Mercury fumes….
Try reducing the file size. If a picture is no more than 1,200 pixels in either dimension, it should be able to post.
@Poverty, look at the 1972s and back! They are mahvelous luxury cars with elegant styling! ALL 3 companies made GREAT cars in the 60s to early 70s! (1972). It was a good time to be alive, bc the pop music was great also! So were the pro sports leagues, esp. the NHL!
Until this year, I used to think these Ford/Mercury cars were flat-out horrible, but then I discovered the fact that they weren’t at all. They were dependable and durable horrible-LOOKING cars. Still I cannot imagine having to choose among this size class in 1975. As someone who favored efficiency and functionality, I see nothing here but ugly bloated waste.
Still no De Sade option. Shamelessly stolen from Car & Driver, circa 1982.
Came here to say the same, LOL!! 🙂
Damn, Chris beat me to it as well…