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 Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2020