1966 Mercury Monterey

When Mercury redesigned its full-size line in 1965, the Monterey remained the 'base' trim sedan. Its wheelbase gained three inches (to 123 inches) and was four inches longer than Ford. The all-new chassis shed its previous leaf spring arrangement in favor of a coil-sprung live rear axle. The body design was smooth and elegant, with a horizontal bar grille at the front with its mid-section protruding forward slightly. There was a wrap-around front bumper and a pair of round headlights on either side of the grille. The vertically stacked taillights were fully integrated into the bumper and rear fenders. The taillights were restyled in 1966 and 1967, with the lower lenses removed from the bumper in 1966 and spanning from the top of the fender to the bottom of the bumper in 1967.

Body styles included two- and four-door sedans, a four-door Breezeway, two- and four-door hardtop fastback, and a convertible. The hardtops had passive 'flow-through' ventilation. The two-door hardtops received a new roofline with thinner C-pillars in 1966, and the roofline of four-door sedans underwent a minor revision the following year, gaining a more formal C-pillar profile, and the reverse-slant Breezeway roof was discontinued. Although gone, an optional retractable rear window remained available, albeit with the standard roofline.

The 390 cubic-inch V8 engine was carried over from 1964, offering 250 horsepower and paired with a standard three-speed manual transmission. Option transmissions were a four-speed manual, a three-speed C6 automatic, and a 3-speed Merco-O-Matic automatic. Optional versions of the 390 V8 included the 'Super' with 300 horsepower and 'Interceptor' with 330 horsepower. Both of these engines (the 'Super' and 'Interceptor') were dropped in 1966 and replaced by a 410 cubic-inch V8 with 330 horsepower. A 427 cubic-inch V8 produced 425 horsepower and was available in 1965, replaced in 1966 by a 427 cubic-inch V8 with 345 horsepower.

Production

Mercury produced 80,373 examples of its Monterey in 1965, the 'high watermark' of the 1965 to 1968 Monterey. Sales would fall to 65,688 the following year, then to 48,683 in 1967, before climbing upwards to 56,314 in 1968. The most popular body style in 1965 was the sedan with 23,363 examples built, followed by 19,569 of the Breezeway. The two-door hardtop fastback had a respectable number of 16,857 units built.

The two-door hardtop coupe would secure the majority of Monterey buyers in 1966, with 19,103 units sold. This was followed closely by 18,998 of the sedan, 14,174 of the four-door Breezeway, 7,647 of the four-door hardtop sedan, 3,279 of the convertible, and 2,487 of the two-door sedan. Both of the top sellers were similarly priced at $2,915. The most expensive body style was the convertible at $3,235; the four-door hardtop was priced at $2,990; the sedan at $2,850.

The two-door hardtop coupe was the most popular body style on the Monterey in 1967, with 16,910 examples built, followed by 15,177 of the sedan, 8,013 of the four-door hardtop sedan, 5,910 of the Breezeway, and 2,673 of the convertible. Prices ranged from $2,900 to $3,310.

Significant styling revisions were bestowed upon the Monterey in 1969, but before that happened, the list of 1968 Monterey body styles was widdled down to four - a sedan, convertible, hardtop coupe, and hardtop sedan. The sedan was the most popular with 30,727 units built, followed by 15,145 of the hardtop coupe, 8,927 of the hardtop sedan, and 1,515 of the convertible. Prices began at $3,050 for the sedan and rose to $3,440 for the convertible.

1966 Mercury Monterey

The overhead valve, V8 engine powering the 1966 Monterey had a cast-iron block, a 390 cubic-inch displacement, 9.5:1 compression, five main bearings, a two-barrel carburetor, and produced 265 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. An option 410 CID V8 (standard in the Park Lane) had 10.5:1 compression, a four-barrel carburetor, and produced 330 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. The S-55, 428 cubic-inch V8 engine produced approximately 345 horsepower.

The grille of the 1966 Monterey had horizontal bars with the top section divided by the bottom section via a thin vertical piece. The small signal lights, vertically positioned in-line with the round headlights, sat on the outer most edge, wrapping around the front fenders. The name 'Mercury' was written on the trunk lid and hood, and the 'Monterey' nameplate was on the rear fenders.

The interiors were comfortable, luxurious, and well-appointed with carpeting and vinyl upholstery. The convertibles had an all-vinyl interior. A vast list of optional equipment included air conditioning, bucket seats, padded visors, an electric clock, tinted windshield, speed-actuated rear door locks, remote-control trunk lid release, a tri odometer, wheel covers with spinners, and more.

A Mercury Cyclone GT was selected as the official pace car of the 1966 Indianapolis 500 race.

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