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1964 Mercury Monterey

The Mercury line of vehicles launched in 1939 was named after the mythological 'messenger of the gods.' The early Marauder was a large, V8-engined automobile, that started as a 1963.5 model as a two-door 'fastback' hardtop version of the full-size Mercury. Marauders were offered from 1963 1/2 to 1965 model years, then again from 1969 to 1970.

The 1963-1964 Mercury Marauder marked the first time the name Marauder was applied to a car - after Mercury used the Marauder moniker to denote its brawniest engines in the late 1950's.

The 1964 Mercury full-size vehicles had similar styling to their 1963 siblings with influences from both the Ford and Lincoln models. In the back were six rectangular taillights that were built into the rear deck panel. In the front was a recessed grille with bent vertical bars flanked by four chrome-rimmed headlights. The turn signal lights were built into the bumper.

Body styles included two- and 4-door examples and included a convertible, a 2- and 4-door Hardtop Fastback, a Hardtop Coupe, and a 2- and 4-door sedan. Pricing began at $3,910 for both the Hardtop Coupe and the 2-Door Hardtop Fastback. The convertible was the most expensive, selling for just over $4,000. A total of 2,592 examples of the convertible were built. The most popular body style was the 4-door sedan which saw production reach 20,234.

The base 390 cubic-inch overhead valve engine offered 250 horsepower with two-barrel carburetion. With four-barrels, horsepower rose around 300 horsepower. For those seeking even more performance, there was the 427 cubic-inch V8 that offered 410 horsepower with four-barrel carburetion or 425 hp with the dual four-barrel setup.

by Dan Vaughan

Hardtop Fastback

This car was built and prepared by NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bud Moore for NASCAR champion and Hall of Fame member racer Joe Weatherly. Weatherly was killed in the sister car to this one in a race at Riverside, CA. Moore put this car in the Darlington Race Museum where it remained for over four decades. Moore got the car back in 2006 and sold it to the current owner. This car is one of the few all-original survivors.

Hardtop Coupe

The first generation Mercury Marauders, produced from 1963.5 - 1966, were offered as a trim option on standard Mercury coupes as a response to the popular Ford Galaxie 500 and 500 XL models. With the 'fastback' rear roofline, it was the sportier version of their full-size car.

Powered by Ford 'FE-Series' V8 engines, this prime example has the top of the line 427 cubic-inch Super Marauder V8 with dual four-barrel carburetors, backed by a Top Loader 4-speed manual transmission.

With a base price of $3,147.00, a total of 6,459 fastback Marauders were built in 1964 and certainly few with this performance drivetrain. This prime example, finished in Onyx, was a family car for many years in California, then drag raced for nearly a decade.

This car has been faithfully repainted and upgraded inside, outside and under the hood.

An automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company, Mercury was founded in 1939 with the purpose to market entry-level-luxury vehicles that were slotted in between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles. All Mercury models are today based on Ford platforms. The Mercury name is derived from 'messenger of the gods' of Roman mythology. In the beginning years, Mercury was known for its performance.

The 1950 full-size near-luxury car Mercury Monterey represented a choice that the Ford Motor Company had to make. At the time General Motors and the Chrysler Corporation were producing a plethora of 'hardtop convertibles' and Ford realized that it couldn't convert its year-old bodies into hardtop models at a reasonable cost. Determined not to stand idly by as GM and Chrysler attempted to dominate the car market with its attractive new pillarless coupes.

Ford decided that the only solution was to customize existing two-door bodies into a new line of specialty models. These included the Ford Crestliner, Lincoln Capri and Lido, and the Mercury Monterey.

All of these vehicles were developed from the same formula with grained top coverings that were harmonized with a very limited number of pain colors. Color-coordinated interiors also matched the external theme, while special trim and badging were used both inside and out.

Responsible for the Mercury Monterey's special touches, William Schmidt took over the design work. A choice of either canvas or vinyl roof coverings were offered on the all-new custom coupe, along with either fabric-and-leather or all-leather seats. A deluxe steering wheel was showcased, and bright trim edged the windows on the inside.

The base price of a 1950 Mercury Monterey was $2,146. Mercury's flagship sedan from 1950 through 1974, the classic 'Monterey' was considered to be '4,000 lbs. of Pure Decadence.' Still coveted even today, the sleek lines of those earlier models make the Monterey a popular collectible classic.

Featuring the same chassis and running gear used on all other Mercurys, the Monterey featured a 118-inch wheelbase that ran between coil-and-wishbone suspension up front and leaf springs under a live axle in the rear. Achieving 110 bhp, the Monterey received its power from an L-head V-8 that displaced 255.4 cubic inches.

In early 1951, Ford decided to replace the Crestliner with the first hardtop, regardless of the cost. In 1952 Mercury and Lincoln came out with all-new bodies that were designed to include hardtops.

The Monterey name continued on, but on a premium series of Mercury's in three body styles. The Monterey later shared the same body style with the slightly more upscale Marquis, the Montclair, and the Park Lane. After the 1968 model year, the Montclair and Park were eliminated from the lineup. The Marquis-Monterey body eventually shared the same body as the Ford Galaxie, the Ford Custom, and the Ford LTD.

From 1961 through 1963, the Mercury Monterey was sold in Canada as the Mercury Meteor. Available in three trim lines, the Meteor was sold as the LeMoyne, the Montcalm, and Rideau. After the United States, Monterey was retired, Canadian Meteors were still marketed from 1964 until 1976. They were re-badged Marquis models following the deletion of the U.S. model Monterey in 1974.

The Monterey nameplate was resurrected in 2004 for a minivan, though it was essentially a re-badged Ford Freestar with more features and newly modified cosmetic features. The Monterey comes with a high level of equipment and several styling cues from Mercury. These minivans were made to fill the gap in Mercury's vehicle lineup following the discontinuation of the Mercury Villager. Offered in only one trim level, for 2006 Mercury Monterey was offered in the fully-loaded Luxury edition.

The Luxury edition was featured in front-wheel drive and is powered by a 4.2-liter V6 engine that was matched with a four-speed automatic transmission and anti-lock braking system. The inside of the Monterey featured amazing standard features such as cloth upholstery, dual-zone air conditioning, first and second-row captain's chairs, power sliding doors, tilting steering wheel, and much more.

The all-new Monterey also came with a great safety warranty. Standard occupant-sensing front passenger airbag, heated power-adjustable side mirrors that featured built-in warning/turn signals, perimeter anti-theft system, and Safety Canopy curtain and side-impact airbags. Optional features were Traction Control and Advancetrac electronic stability control.

by Jessican Donaldson