1956 Mercury Montclair

The Lincoln-Mercury Division was formed in 1945, however, it would not be until 1948 that Mercury would shed its image as a rebadged Ford and establish its own unique identity. This separation was temporary, lasting only a few short years, and for 1955 and 1956, Mercury was once again based on the Ford lineup before once again separating itself from Ford for 1957.

The Mercury product strategy for 1956 emphasized two-tone paint treatments, powerful and modern overhead-valve V-8 engines, and a plethora of standard and optional amenities. Mercury advertising declared 'You are ready to start a beautiful new friendship with a car that looks big, rides big, and is big in every way ... your 1956 Mercury.' It goes on to emphatically state, 'Your Mercury gives you not just beauty, but distinctive, exclusive styling; not just higher horsepower, but more useable horsepower; not just higher resale value, but the best resale value in the field.' Additionally, Mercury showcased the performance of its vehicles in NASCAR competition, winning five Grand National victories during the year.

The 1956 Ford and Mercury vehicles shared a number of major body and chassis components including the same engines, but the styling, design, and market were quite different between the two. The mid-1950 Mercury designs were well-balanced and attractive, with longer, lower, and wider styling themes, accented by a bumper-integrated chrome grille, a generous amount of chrome trim, and tall, vertical taillights. The lineup, body styles, and price ranges appealed to the growing number of new-car buyers who demanded more for their money than basic transportation. The 1956 Mercury looked nothing like its little brother, the Ford, and the model lineup included the basic Medalist and Custom series, the up-scale Monterey, and the top-of-the-line Montclair. The top-shelf Montclairs wore 'saddle-trim' applied to the top of the doors where the body colors could be applied, helping to distinguish them from their lower-priced siblings. They wore chrome rocker panels, the 'Montclair' chrome nameplate located on the front fenders, and a round medallion located on the tip of the front fender side trim. All 1956 Mercurys wore a large 'M' medallion on the front of the hood and the word 'Mercury' in block letters on the center horizontal grille bar.

The Montclair body style lineup for 1956 included a four-door hardtop sedan, sport sedan, hardtop coupe, and convertible. A Phaeton body style replaced the Sport Sedan early in the model year. The hardtop sedan had a factory base price of $2,635, the sport sedan at $2,765, the hardtop coupe at $2,765, and the convertible at $2,900. The two-door hardtop coupe was the most popular with 50,562 examples sold, followed by 23,493 of the four-door hardtop sedan, 9,617 of the Sport Sedan, and 7,762 of the convertible.

All 1956 Mercury passenger vehicles rested on a 119-inch wheelbase platform with an overall length of 206.4 inches. The station wagons had a slightly shorter wheelbase, measuring 118 inches. The passenger vehicles rode on 7.10x15 tires while the station wagons were equipped with 7.60 x 15 tires. The engine installed in all 1956 Mercury engine bays was the 312 CID V8 with overhead valves, an 8.0:1 compression ratio, a four-barrel carburetor, a cast-iron block, and delivering 210 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. It was backed by a standard three-speed manual transmission or optional overdrive or Merc-O-Matic Drive automation transmission. A four-barrel version of the 312 CID V8 with 225 horsepower was also part of the options list. Mid-way through the year, a new camshaft was installed on the 312 CID V8, increasing the standard output of both the two- and four-barrel versions by 10 hp. Also available later in the year was the M-260 package which came with two four-barrel carburetors and 260 hp.

Ford introduced its Lifeguard safety program for 1956, and the Montclair came standard with safety door locks, a deep-dish steering wheel to mitigate the driver's chance of hitting the steering column, and a break-away rearview mirror. The dashboard was redesigned with a new three-tier instrument panel. The vast options list included air conditioning, seat belts, a radio, power windows, a padded dash, power lubrication, power steering, power brakes, a Four-Way power seat, and whitewall tires.

The Montclair was part of the Mercury lineup from 1955 through 1960 and then from 1964 through 1969.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2021