1969 Mercury Monterey

For over two decades, beginning in 1952 and ending in 1974, the Monterey name was part of the Mercury model lineup. By the late 1960s, the Monterey had entered its seventh generation of styling with significant revisions introduced for the 1969 model year. The previous year, the Mercury Monterey and Montclair were similar, apart from the Deluxe wheel covers on the Montclair and the full-length body side moldings. for 1969, the Montclair was dropped and replaced by the Monterey Custom trim level. Both the 1969 Monterey and the Monterey Custom rode on an all-new chassis, with the sedans having a 124-inch wheelbase and the station wagons measuring 121-inches (shared with the Marauder).

The 1968 Mercury Marquis was visually similar to the Montclair, except it was a two-door hardtop coupe with a vinyl-covered roof and had a nicer interior. With the Montclair removed from the lineup for 1969, the Marquis expanded to a full model range with five body styles. The Monterey and Marquis had the same list of body styles, including a sedan, hardtop coupe, hardtop sedan, convertible (not available in the Monterey Custom), and station wagon (in the Marquis it was called the Colony Park Station Wagon). The Monterey was priced approximately $700 less than the Marquis and came with fewer standard amenities and chrome trim. The Monterey lacked hidden headlights and came standard with the 390 CID V8 with Autolite two-barrel carburetion delivering 265 horsepower. The Marquis came standard with the 429 CID V8 and 320 horsepower.

The 1969 Monterey and Monterey Custom styling were more rounded than the previous generation with a new horizontal bar grille with a vertical piece in the center. Dual round headlights flanked the grille on either side, with direction lights wrapped around the front fenders. Chrome trim was used to outline the wheel well openings, roof quarter panels, and trunk lid. In the back were rectangular taillights. Standard equipment included wood-toned dash and door panels, heater and defroster, dome light, ventless side windows, and nylon carpeting.

The sedan was the most popular body style, priced at $3,140, with 23,009 examples built. The hardtop coupe was the second most popular, priced at $3,220, with 9,865 examples built. The $3,520 convertible was the most exclusive with 1,297 examples and the station wagon ($3,520) had 5,844 examples built. Of those, 3,639 station wagons were fitted with the optional third seat.

Above the base Monterey was the Monterey Custom, adding additional rocker panel moldings, Deluxe wheel covers, deluxe steering wheel, front-seat center armrest, bright seat side shields, rear door courtesy light, leather door pulls, and woodgrain vinyl appliques. Prices were approximately $200 above the base Monterey and body styles were the same except for the convertible. The sedan was again the most popular with 7,103 examples built. 2,898 were hardtop coupes, 2,827 of the hardtop sedan, and 1,920 were station wagons.

Mercury offered a vast list of options on its 1969 models including air conditioning, rear window defogger, electric clock, AM/FM radio, AM radio Stereo-sonic tape system, dual rear speakers, heavy-duty battery, remote-control trunk release, power windows, power antenna, front disc brakes, power locks, single-key locking system, speed control, title steering wheel, and more. A three-speed manual transmission was standard and a SelectShift automatic optional. Nearly all 1969 Montereys came with automatic transmission. Along with the standard 390 CID V8, the 428 CID and 429 CID V8 were available in various states of tune, with horsepower as high as 360 hp when equipped with the 429 CID four-barrel V8.

by Dan Vaughan

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