1957 Mercury Monterey

The Mercury Monterey arrived in 1952 serving as a replacement for the Mercury Eight and remaining a part of the lineup through 1974. Its name was derived from the Monterey Bay area in California, and during its twenty-two decades of stewardship, would serve many different roles in the Mercury lineup (entry-level, mid-range, and flagship) and offered in numerous body styles including coupes, convertibles, hardtops, sedans, and station wagons.

Mercury's models were redesigned for 1957 and its wheelbase grew from 119 inches in 1956 to 122 inches in 1957. New styling features included a concave vertical bar grille, V-shaped tail lights, a front-hinged hood, upper rear fender and rear deck sculpturing, and cowl vent intakes. Examples built early in the production cycle had two round headlights while later built examples had four.

The standard engine was an overhead valve 312 cubic-inch V8 with a cast-iron block, a 9.7:1 compression ratio, a Holley four-barrel carburetor, and delivered 255 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. Mercury borrowed the 368 CID V8 from Lincoln and offered it as part of its lineup as optional equipment. Lincoln had been very successful during the 1950s in competition, especially in La Carrera Panamericana, and when Mercury wanted to go racing, they selected the 368 CID as their ticket into NASCAR. With assistance from Bill Stroppe in Long Beach, California, one hundred examples of the Mercury Monterey (to satisfy homologation) were taken from the factory in Pico Rivera, California and fitted with them with the M-335 power package (which included two four-barrel carburetors, boosting output to 335 horsepower). Right around the time Stoppe's modified Mercury was nearing completion, the Lincoln 368 engine had become outlawed due to new regulations.

The standard was a three-speed manual while overdrive and Merc-O-Matic automatic were optional. Additional items found on the options list included a Seat-O-Matic, power steering, power brakes, Continental kit, whitewall tires, air conditioning, and radio.

The two-door sedan with seating for six was priced at $2,575, the four-door sedan at $2,645, the hardtop sedan at $2,760, and the hardtop coupe at $2,700. The convertible listed for $3,000 which brought it close to Montclair territory which ranged from $3,190 to $3,430). The most popular body style was the sedan with 53,839 examples built, followed by 42,199 of the hardtop coupe, 33,982 of the two-door sedan, and 22,475 of the hardtop sedan. The most exclusive Monterey body style was the convertible with 5,003 units built, far above the 1,265 convertibles built on the Turnpike Cruise line and the 4,248 Montclair convertibles.

The total Monterey production was 157,498 units which represented fifty-five percent of Mercury's 1957 automobile production.

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