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 Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020