Mercury is a defunct division of the American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company. Created in 1938 by Edsel Ford, Mercury served as the medium-price brand of Ford for nearly its entire existence, bridging the price gap between the Ford and Lincoln model lines. Its principal competition was General Motors' Buick and Oldsmobile divisions, and Chrysler Motors' DeSoto and Chrysler brands.
From 1945 until its closure, Mercury formed half of the Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford, which served as a combined sales network (distinct from Ford) for its two premium automotive brands. Lincoln-Mercury also served as the sales network for Continental (1956–1960), Edsel (1958–1960) and Merkur (1985–1989). Through the use of platform sharing and manufacturing commonality, Mercury vehicles shared components and engineering with Ford or Lincoln (or both concurrently), serving as counterparts for vehicles from both divisions.
Following an extended decline in sales and market share for Mercury, Ford announced the closure of the division at the end of 2010. The final Mercury automobile, a 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis, was manufactured at St. Thomas Assembly on January 5, 2011. Mercury remains an active, registered trademark of Ford.
History
During the mid-1930s, under the leadership of Edsel Ford, Ford Motor Company discovered that it needed to expand its brand footprint to match its largest competitors. In 1935, Ford offered only its namesake brand and the cars of its Lincoln Motor Company division. In contrast to the comprehensive line of brands from General Motors (seven) and Chrysler Corporation (four), Ford offered its Ford Standard/DeLuxe V8 range and the Lincoln Model K. In contrast to the Ford V8, the Model K was among the most expensive vehicles built and sold in the United States, rivaled in price by the Cadillac V-12 (and V-16), Duesenberg Model J, and the flagship lines of Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce.
To address the gap between Ford and Lincoln, Ford Motor Company launched its own version of the late 1920s General Motors Companion Make Program, leading the company to expand from two nameplates to five by the end of the decade. For 1936, Lincoln-Zephyr was introduced as a sub-marque of Lincoln, giving the line a V12 car competing against the LaSalle and Buick, the Chrysler Airstream and Airflow, and the Packard One-Twenty. For 1938, De Luxe Ford became a sub-marque of Ford, offering a higher-price V8 car with a model-specific interior and exterior trim.
In 1937, Edsel Ford began work on Mercury; in contrast with Lincoln-Zephyr and DeLuxe Ford, Mercury was developed as a completely new brand. Selected personally by Edsel Ford from over 100 potential model and marque names, the Roman god name had seen previous use in the automotive industry. Along with its use by Chevrolet during 1933 (Chevrolet Mercury), Mercury was the name of seven separate companies from 1903 to 1923 (each failing within two years of opening), including a manufacturer of steam-powered cars in San Francisco, California, and the Mercury Cyclecar Company, a 1913-1914 cyclecar manufacturer at 807 South Scotten Street in Detroit.
In November 1938, Edsel Ford introduced four body styles of the Mercury Eight at the New York Auto Show. Along with a two-door sedan and a four-door sedan, the Mercury was also introduced as a two-door convertible and a two-door trunked sedan; the body design was overseen by E.T. 'Bob' Gregorie. While similar in concept to the modestly restyled De Luxe Ford, the V8-powered Mercury was an all-new car sized between the V8 Ford and the V12 Lincoln-Zephyr.
1939–1940s
For 1939, the Mercury was launched at a starting price of US$916 ($ in dollars); over 65,800 vehicles were sold in the inaugural model year. In response to the popularity of the model line, Ford revised its branding structure after 1940; De Luxe Ford was discontinued as a sub-marque (returning to its previous use as a Ford trim line), and all Lincolns became derived from the Lincoln-Zephyr (including the Continental) as Lincoln retired the Model K.
For 1941, the Mercury underwent its first redesign; in another change, the model line adopted the Mercury Eight nameplate used in sales literature. To consolidate development and production, the Mercury Eight shared much of its bodyshell with Ford, distinguished by its longer wheelbase. To further separate the two model lines, the Eight was given a model-specific grille, exterior and interior trim, and taillamps. For the first time, a wood-bodied station wagon was offered by the brand.