conceptcarz.com

Mercury Colony Park

Mercury Colony Park
Mercury Country Cruiser
The top-of-the-line full-size station wagon, the Mercury Colony Park was offered by Mercury between 1957 and 1991. Sharing the same woodgrain paneling on the bodyside and tailgate as the Ford Country Squire and the Edsel Bermuda wagons, the Colony Park was a pillarless hardtop model until 190 when it was switched to pillared styling for 1961. In 1957, Mercury grouped all of its station wagons into their own series.

The Colony Park featured Ford's two-way Magic Doorgate in 1966. The Doorgate was designed to fold down like a conventional tailgate and also swung sideways much like a door. The 1967 Colony Park showcased Ford's dual-facing rear seats.

For 1969 the full-size Mercury wagons were restyled and were no longer considered a separate series, and the Colony Park became a member of the Marquis series. In this same year, the Magic Doorgate was revised so that it could be swung sideways without having to roll the window down. For the 1973-1978 generation, the Colony Park got as large as it ever would be before Mercury downsized it for 1979.

In 1992 the Colony Park station wagon was dropped from Mercury's lineup and the Grand Marquis was redesigned with aero-styling. Unfortunately, minivans and SUVs took precedence at this time over full-size station wagons. The Chevy Caprice and the Buick Roadmaster Estate were the last of the full-size stations wagons and production ended in 1996.

By Jessica Donaldson