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1955 Mercury Monterey

The Mercury Monterey was named after a city, just like Chevrolet had done with its Bel Air. Both were wealthy California cities, with Monterey being one of the state's oldest towns. Applied to the Mercury line, it represented the entry- and mid-level designations throughout its existence, and offered in two- and four-door, station wagon, convertible and hardtop configurations. Introduced in 1952, it served as the premium model through 1954, and when the Montclair was introduced in 1955, the Monterey was relegated to the intermediate position. The Monterey remained part of the Mercury line through 1974.

The 1955 Mercury
Mercury enjoyed a record-setting year in 1955 with over 3290,000 vehicles sold. This was the same year that they split from Lincoln (Lincoln's 1955 model lineup included the Custom and Capri, meaning both Mercury and Lincoln had 'Custom' models).

The entire Mercury line was redesigned in 1955, with similar styling used throughout, distinguished by the level of trim and accouterments. The passenger cars rested on a 119-inch wheelbase while the station wagons measured 118 inches. The overall length of the passenger cars measured 206.3 inches, with the station wagons measuring 201.7 inches. The Custom Series was the 'entry-level' model powered by a 292 cubic-inch, overhead-valve V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor and 188 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The previous year, Mercury had introduced a 256 CID V8, the company's first all-new engine since 1939. It has solid-skirt alloy pistons and delivered 11 horsepower. Prices for the Custom Series ranged from $2,220 for the two-door sedan and rose to $2,690 for the station wagon.

The top-of-the-line model was the Montclair which had a narrow band of chrome under the side windows, rested slightly lower to the ground than the other Mercurys, and was powered by a 292 cubic-inch V8 with 198 horsepower. The hardtop coupe was priced at $2,630, the sedan at $2,685, and the Sun Valley and Convertible were priced at $2,715.

The 1955 Mercury's embraced the industry's trend towards longer, lower and wider stances, with wraparound windshields, vertical taillights, and a bumper-integrated grille. They had a canted hood over the headlights, a design cue sourced from the Mercury XM-800 concept car from 1954. Although the styling was new, it did retain a strong resemblance to the 1954's design.

1955 Mercury vehicles had larger brakes and an independent ball-joint front suspension.

The 1955 Mercury Monterey
The 1955 Mercury Monterey wore the name 'Monterey' in chrome on the front fenders of the sedan and hardtop, and on its rear doors of the station wagon. Next to the nameplate was a round medallion. Chrome rocker panels and a bright band of molding below the windows further distinguished it from its Custom Series sibling. The two-door hardtop was priced at $2,465, the sedan at $2,400, and the station wagon at $2,845.

The 1955 Monterey was powered by the Y-block 292 cubic-inch V8 from the Thunderbird, delivering 188 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. It had a four-barrel carburetor, 7.6:1 compression, a cast-iron block, and overhead valves. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, while an overdrive and Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission was optional.

The most popular Monterey body style was the sedan with 70,392 examples built, followed closely by the hardtop coupe with 69,093 units built. The Station Wagon was the most exclusive with 11,968 examples built. Since the station wagon was offered only on the Custom and Monterey line, the Monterey wagon represented the top-of-the-line body style. The total of 151,453 Monterey's built in 1955 represented approximately 46 percent of Mercury's total automobile production.


by Daniel Vaughan | May 2022

Related Reading : Mercury Monterey History

An automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company, Mercury was founded in 1939 with the purpose to market entry-level-luxury vehicles that were slotted in between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles. All Mercury models are today based on Ford platforms. The Mercury name is derived from messenger of the gods of Roman mythology. In the beginning years, Mercury was known for....
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1955 Mercury Monterey Vehicle Profiles

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1955 Monterey
$2,845-$18,050
1955 Mercury Monterey Price Range: $2,398 - $2,845

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1955 Mercury Models
$2,630 - $2,710

Monterey

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
151,453
118.00 in., 119.00 in.
8 cyl., 292.00 CID., 188.00hp
$2,398 - $2,845
105,369
118.00 in., 119.00 in.
8 cyl., 312.00 CID., 210.00hp
$2,550 - $2,975

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