1960 Mercury Park Lane

Mercury introduced the Park Lane for the 1958 model year as the premium model line for the division. Body styles included a two-door and four-door hardtop and two-door convertibles - the same body styles as the Turnpike Cruiser - and its chassis was shared with the Colony Park station wagon (and the Edsel Citation and Corsair). The engine was an overhead-valve V8 with a 430 cubic-inch displacement, a Holley four-barrel carburetor, a 10.5:1 compression, and backed by a three-speed Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission. With the Super Marauder engine optional package, horsepower increased to 400 hp. The Super Marauder was discontinued for 1959, and the standard engine was reduced to 345 hp, dropping to 310 horsepower in 1960.

The 1960 Mercury line was introduced on October 15th of 1959, along with the other brands of the same Ford division, Lincoln and Continental, and Edsel. Ben Mills, the individual in charge of the division, had made the decision to introduce them all at once. Despite the dramatic styling, a wide range of engine, body style, and trim options, these line of cars were struggling. Ford soon announced that the Edsel marque was being discontinued.

1960 was the final year for the first-generation product, with body styles remaining the same. The Park Lane was the top-of-the-line Mercury and offered meticulous craftsmanship, luxurious interiors, and plenty of performance. The hardtop coupe had a factory list price of $3,800 and the convertible listed for $4,020. 2,974 examples of the hardtop coupe were built, 5,788 of the hardtop sedan, and 1,525 of the convertible. Minor styling changes included new rear fender skirts, rear-wheel openings, wide rocker panel moldings, 5 chrome accent bars ahead of the rear wheel openings, and new taillamps. Inside was a new padded dashboard. Power brakes, power steering, a non-glare mirror, and windshield washer were all standard equipment. Optional equipment included air conditioning with heater, heater and defroster, rear seat radio speaker, push-button radio, and power windows.

The Park Lane name re-appeared for the 1964 model year and would continue through 1968, again serving as the top-of-the-line Mercury.

by Dan Vaughan

Convertible

The Mercury Park Lane was a full sized automobile produced by the Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company from 1958 until 1960, and by the Lincoln-Mercury division from 1964 through 1968.

The Park Lane was introduced in 1958 as part of the premium line for Mercury. Its wheelbase was 3 inches longer than other Mercury models. Standard power was the 430 cubic-inch 310 horsepower V8 engine. Sadly, the Park Lane name was dropped temporarily in 1961, as Mercury focused its effort on the lower-end Monterey and Meteor lines.

In 1960 the Park Lane was available as a two door hardtop, four door hardtop, or Convertible. This car is one of only 1,525 factory produced Park Lane Convertibles. The model was only produced in 1960. This car is equipped with 3 speed multi-drive automatic transmission, air conditioning, power steering and brakes, AM radio, and remote control side mirror. It was restored in 2008 and took Best in Show at the International Mercury Owners Association National meet in 2008.

Convertible
Chassis number: 0Z55M506441

The Mercury Parklane was introduced in 1958 as the new luxury flagship of the Mercury brand. It rested on a 125-inch wheelbase and had a stretched body incorporating the toned-down styling adopted after the flop of the overwrought Turnpike Cruiser. After expanding to 128 inches in 1959, the Parklane adopted the standard Mercury's 126-inch measure. With its 430 cubic-inch Marauder V8 engine offering 310 horsepower, it was the largest passenger-car engine in the industry. The engine was mated to a Multi-Drive Merc-O-Matic dual-range 3-speed automatic transmission and flexible 2.91 rear axle ratio. With a price tag exceeding $4,000, the Parkland Convertible was the priciest of the Mercurys. Design features included a wraparound Plexiglas rear window and a Panoramic Skylight windshield.

This 1960 Mercury Parklane Convertible is 1 of 1,525 produced. It has been professionally restored to concours-winning standards. It is finished in Medium Javelin Bronze paint, black power top and bronze interior. It has power brakes, steering, power windows and seats, factory air conditioning, day/night inside mirror, dual outside mirrors with driver's remote, pushbutton radio and a bronze top. There are full-size wheel covers, wide whitewall tires, fender skirts, and bright trim.

This Parklane has earned AACA Junior and Senior First Place awards and a Grand National First in 2012 and won the International Mercury Owner's Association (IMOA) National Best of Show in 2015.

by Dan Vaughan

The Mercury Park Lane was produced from 1958 to 1960 and from 1964 to 1968. It was a full-size automobile that was intended to compete with Buick's Roadmaster. It was available as a hardtop sedan, hardtop coupe, and a convertible. For its introductory year, less than 9,000 examples were produced, with the convertible remaining the rarest with only 853 units produced. The convertible, just like the Montclair, had a wraparound rear window. Power was from an overhead valve V8 that offered an impressive 360 horsepower.

The Park Lane returned to the Mercury lineup in 1964 and would remain in production until 1968.

by Dan Vaughan

Mercury, a division of Ford Motor Company, had always been intended to fill the slot between Ford and Lincoln. But being the middle-child isn't always very easy. Mercury's Park Lane was meant to fill a gap as well but seemed to never truly find its place. The Park Lane, specifically, couldn't be figured out. Either it was a higher-priced Ford, or, a less-expensive Lincoln.

Mercury introduced the Park Lane to the public in 1958. The full-size car was part of Mercury's premium line of automobiles. In body styling, the car was similar to that of Mercury's lower-end car, the Monterey. Mercury unveiled the Park Lane as the Buick Roadmaster's competition.

The car was made available in a few different body styles. Mercury made the Park Lane as a hardtop sedan, a hardtop coupe, and also a convertible. It featured a wrap-around rear window and an airplane-styled dash filled with knobs and pushbuttons.

The exterior of the car featured a wide grille and a side-by-side headlamp arrangement. The headlamps were covered by 'eyelids' that extended out a good distance. The Park Lane came with a forward-lifting hood, low-arcing wheel wells, and a sharply-finned tail-end.

The big car came with a big engine. It came with a four-barrel carburetor and a 7-liter, 345 hp, V-8. It also came with a Multi-Drive Merc-O-Matic transmission and a price between $3900 and $4,200.

All-in-all, sales for the Park Lane weren't all that impressive. Only about 9,000 units sold in its first year. The Park Lane struggled to fill the gap. Many people noted its very close similarity to the cheaper Monterey. The only readily recognizable difference between the two was that the Park Lane had an increased level of trim applied to its exterior.

The Park Lane struggled on for another couple of years until it was 'put out to pasture' between 1961 and 1964. Poor sales and all-around lack of interest led Mercury to focus on its lower-end car models, like the Monterey and Meteor 800.

Then, in 1964, the Park Lane name was re-introduced to the public. Again, Mercury was trying to fill a gap between Ford and Lincoln. The problem with being stuck in the middle is the general lack of inspiration and separation. The design and the car's features needed to be something of its own, and not borrowed and merely repackaged. One of those design features 'borrowed' for the Park Lane during the second generation production run was Ford's 'slantback' roof design. This was known as the 'Marauder Package'. This did little to help the Park Lane sell. Mercury needed something different that would help make the Park Lane identifiable.

The attempt at greater visibility within the public's imagination was called the 'Brougham'. The Park Lane Brougham was a Park Lane model offering more luxurious trim appointments throughout the car. First introduced in 1967, the Park Lane Brougham became Mercury's flagship.

The Brougham model enjoyed moderate success, but, in-the-end failed to truly set the Park Lane apart in the mind of the public. Though it was Mercury's top-of-the-line model, it was only a couple hundred dollars more expensive than Ford's Galaxie 500. As a result of this identity crisis, Mercury retired the Park Lane after 1968. For the 1969 model year, Mercury had completely redesigned its line of full-size cars.

Though officially retired, the Park Lane name has continued to live on and has made some encore appearances, but as a sub-model. Mercury's Grand Marquis produced during the late 1980s and early 1990s carried the Park Lane name.

Mercury's rear-wheel driven full-size car never really caught on with the public. Mercury, itself, struggled in the minds of the customers. It was neither a Ford nor a Lincoln. In the same way, the Park Lane was never truly able to carve out its niche in the car market. Customers could either make do with a cheaper Ford, or, splurged and bought a more expensive Lincoln.

The Park Lane's years in production totaled only eight and ended in 1968.

by Jeremy McMullen