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1963 Mercury Meteor

The Mercury Meteor nameplate was part of the company's lineup for only a brief period of time, lasting from 1961 through 1963. During that time, it served as Mercury's lower-priced full-sized vehicle available in '600' and '800' series trim. All full-sized 1961 Mercury automobiles rested on a 120-inch wheelbase. Powering the Meteor was an overhead-valve V8 displacing 223 cubic-inches and delivering 135 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. The top-of-the-line full-size Mercury was the Monterey that was powered by a 292 CID V8 with 175 horsepower.

Both the 1961 Mercury Meteor and Monterey had similar styling, distinguished through its taillights, trim, and interior accouterments. The Commuter station wagons also had a similar appearance to the Meteor, but with two taillights instead of six, and instead of being rounded, they were semi-rectangular. The Meteor 600 taillights were oblong, while the Meteor 800 and Monterey had six circular taillights, three on either side. Body styles on the '600' and '800' included a 2- and 4-door sedan, while the 800 added a 2- and 4-door hardtop.

Combined production figures of both the 600 and 800 reached 53,122 examples in 1961, compared to 50,128 of the Monterey. While the Meteor outsold the Monterey, the Monterey had better consumer recognition, with its nameplate stretching back to the early 1950s. For this reason, the Meteor name was moved downmarket to a new line of mid-sized cars based on the popular Ford Fairlane, which was based on a long-wheelbase version of the Ford Falcon chassis. The 1962 Mercury model lineup included the compact, Ford Falcon-based Mercury comet, the mid-size Meteor, and the top-of-the-line, full-sized Monterey. The Comet had a wheelbase size of 109.5-inches for the station wagons and 114-inches for the other body styles. The Monterey had a 120-inch platform and the Meteor was positioned between these two, measuring 116.5 inches.

While the Meteor shared its underpinnings with its Ford Fairlane sibling, its styling was similar to the full-size Mercurys. Differences included bumper integrated signal lights, full-length body side moldings, and a fine pattern vertical bar. The base trim level body styles included a two-door sedan priced at $2,280 and a four-door sedan listed at $2,340. The sedan was more popular with 9,183 examples produced compared to 3,935 of the two-door sedan.

Above the base trim level was the Custom Series that added additional chrome trim around the side windows, rocker panel moldings, gravel shields, roof side panel brightwork, and lower rear quarter panels. Bodystyles remained the same as the 'base', with approximately $90 more added to the base price. 23,484 examples of the four-door were built and 9,410 of the two-door. The engine powering the Custom was a 292 CID V8 with 170 horsepower.

The top trim level on the Meteor line was the S-33 Series, offered solely as a two-door sedan, with a factory base price of $2,500. The total production in 1962 was 5,900. The styling was very similar to the Meteor Custom two-door sedan, with the addition of unique wheel covers, front bucket seats, vinyl interior, and a storage console between the two front seats. Power was from a 390 CID V8 delivering 300 horsepower.

The final year for the Meteor nameplate was in 1963, and changes to the Mercury line were mostly reserved to trim changes. The Meteor remained positioned between the entry-level Comet and the full-size Monterey. Two additional body styles joined the Meteor, including a four-door station wagon and a two-door hardtop coupe. A four-door station wagon joined the Meteor and Meteor Custom, and the Meteor Custom wagon was referred to as the Mercury Country Cruise. It wore simulated wood-grain trim on the exterior and had a base price of $2,890.

The base Meteor engine was an overhead valve six-cylinder unit with a cast-iron block, Ford one-barrel carburetor, four main bearings, and just over 100 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, and a four-speed manual and Merc-O-Matic automatic optional. A 260 CID two-barrel V8 with 164 horsepower was also optional equipment.

Mercury produced 9,183 examples of the base four-door sedan that had a factory price of $2,340. The two-door sedan, listed at $2,280, had 3,935 units produced. 2,359 of the station wagon was built.

The Meteor Custom trim level added similar brightwork to the prior 1962 model year, along with special interiors and carpeting. The sedan listed for $2,430 and 14,498 examples were produced. 2,704 of the two-door sedan were built, with a factory base price of $2,370. The two-door hardtop coupe sold for $2,450 and 7,565 examples were built.

The top trim level on the 1963 Meteor was the S-33 Series, which had three horizontal chrome bars on the front fenders, special medallions on the rear quarter panels, and rear fender insignia. The sole body style was a two-door hardtop coupe with seating for six and a base price of $2,630. 4,865 examples were built.

The total production of the 1963 Mercury Meteor reached 50,230 units and accounted for just over 16-percent of Mercury's total production. The Comet had over 40-percent of Mercury's total production, with over 122,720 examples built. Due to the slow sales, Mercury management decided to discontinue the Meteor at the close of the 1963 model year.

The 1964 Mercury model lineup consisted of the Comet 202 and 404 Series, the Caliente, Cyclone, Monterey, Montclair, and the top-of-the-line Park Lane.


By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2020

Related Reading : Mercury Meteor History

Introduced by the Lincoln-Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company, the Mercury Meteor was featured from 1961 through 1963. The name was applied to low-end full-sized vehicles for 1961 and for 62 and 63 the name was used to denote Mercurys mid-sized sedans before being discontinued. The Meteor remains more an asterisk rather than as a well known Mercury product since the vehicle was introduced....
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Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1963 Meteor
$2,885-$20,666
1963 Mercury Meteor Price Range: $2,335 - $2,885

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1963 Mercury Models
$2,080 - $2,750
$2,840 - $3,900

Meteor

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
50,230
115.50 in., 116.50 in.
6 cyl., 170.00 CID., 101.00hp
6 cyl., 116.00hp
8 cyl., 221.00 CID., 145.00hp
8 cyl., 260.00 CID., 164.00hp
$2,335 - $2,885

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