1960 Mercury Monterey

The world was still healing from the Great Depression when the Ford Motor Company implemented Edsel Ford's idea for an entry-level premium brand dubbed Mercury, bridging the price gap between the Ford and Lincoln models. During its existence from November 4th of 1938 until January 4th of 2011, Mercury vehicles shared manufacturing commonality with Ford or Lincoln (or both concurrently). The Mercury Monterey, produced from 1952 through 1974, was around for 22 of Mercury's 73-year existence and during that time it served as the flagship, mid-range, and entry-level offering of the full-size Mercury product range.

In 1957, the full-size Mercury line was redesigned and grew larger, resting on an exclusive 122-inch wheelbase. For the first time, the bodies were exclusive to Mercury and not based on Lincolns or Fords. Design features included a concave vertical bar grille, A chrome 'M' located between the bumper and grille, 'V' shaped taillights, and cowl vent intakes.

The 1960 Mercury Monterey was among the longest and widest on the road, with a wheelbase of 126-inches and an overall length of 219.2 inches. The exterior was similar to the 1959 design, with a honeycomb grille, a wraparound bumper that contained the signal lights, a ribbed rear panel, and three chrome bands on the upper rear fender. Styling changes were made t the roof treatment and the windshield, with the four-door sedan having a wraparound back window, and there were flared fins and large vertical taillights integrated into the bumper.

The overhead-valve, 312 cubic-inch displacement V8 engine had five main bearings and a Holley two-barrel carburetor helping to produce 205 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the Merc-O-Matic and Multi-Drive optional. Other options included a 383 CID four-barrel V8 with 280 horsepower or a 430 CID V8 with 310 horsepower. Body styles included a 2- and 4-door sedan, convertible, hardtop coupe, and hardtop sedan. Prices ranged from $2,630 for the two-door sedan and rose to $3,075 for the convertible.

Mercury produced just over 102,500 examples of the Monterey in 1960 accounting for nearly 40-percent of its total production. The four-door sedan accounted for nearly half of those production figures, with 49,594 built. The second most popular Monterey body style was the 2-door Sedan with 21,557 examples built. The convertible was the most exclusive with 6,062 built.

The Monterey would continue as part of the Mercury line, albeit with numerous changes along the way, through 1974, after which it - and the other full-size range - were consolidated into the Marquis line.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2020