1965 Mercury Park Lane

The Park Lane series of 1964 through 1968 was the full-size flagship of Mercury's model line-up. They had crisp and classy styling characterized by the rear wheel skirts. For 1965, they had rectangular rear fender nameplates, a band of molding located above the rocker panels, and chrome gravel shields. The Park Lane had three body styles to select from, including the 'Marauder' hardtop available in two guises - in two and four doors. The other bodies included a convertible and the 'Breezeway' sedan, with its novel (and fully retractable) reverse-raked rear window.

For 1965 Mercury continued to offer the Marauder option in all three series - the Park Lane, Montclair, and Monterey - for both the hardtop coupe and hardtop sedan. It was offered, but not heavily advertised nor was it mentioned in dealer brochures. Marauders wore a small emblem with a flag on the 'C' pillar to distinguish them from other models. Mercury continued to advertise the big-block FE-series V8s as 'Marauder' engines, which it also shared with other big Fords and the Thunderbird. The 390 cubic-inch V8 was standard, with a 427 cubic-inch Super Marauder V8 replacing a 406 V8 in 1964. A 3-speed and 4-speed manual transmission was offered along with a 3-speed 'Multi-Drive Merc-O-Matic' automatic transmission.

The Park Lane had a 123-inch wheelbase platform. They had a perimeter frame that replaced the previous coil/leaf springs suspension setup with coils acting at all four corners. Power was from a 390 cubic-inch big-block V8 offering 300 horsepower, thanks in part to a higher 10:1 compression ratio and four-barrel carburetor. A three-speed manual transmission was standard. A few examples were made with a four-speed manual box but most customers selected the smooth-shifting Merc-O-Matic automatic. Brakes were hydraulic drums, with power-assist optional.

The Mercury lineup appealed to aspirational middle-class buyers and was positioned between Ford and Lincoln products. The 1965 Mercury's appearance was closely aligned to the bigger Lincolns.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2016