First I have heard of this deluxe Monarch model. https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/mercury/monarch/2029278.html
Yeah, I've only read about these. All other Monarchs I've seen (including the one I owned once upon a time) were just ordinary Monarch 4-doors, except one 2-door with a McCulloch-blown 302 for sale at the Towe Auto Museum in Sacramento back in the Summer of '98.
great find, had heard of them but never seen one this close;awesome file for the car but a tight niche market car
^^ Exactly. When first introduced, for the Granada and Monarch, you had the regular plain-Jane models, then the more deluxe 'Ghia' models. Well, I guess that wasn't good enough for some, so Mercury came out with the GRAND Monarch Ghia, with even more luxury features (padded vinyl top, leather upholstery, nicer door trim panels, thicker, more luxurious carpeting, etc....). But then they just decided to stick a 'Lincoln' badge on it - Lincoln Versailles. At least for the first year, there wasn't much difference between a Versailles and a Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia.
And I had a chance to buy a '77 Versailles with a 429-8v engine, for $1500, but I couldn't come up with about $300 for the down payment in time, and it got away.
I remember seeing one of these at Hershey or Carlisle a few years back and was surprised at how nice it was. It was loaded to the gills like this one and it struck me of how tasteful it was compared to a Versailles. I like this thing and I wouldn't mind having it.
Excellent question! I knew the Versailles had 4-wheel discs standard (popular swap into older Mustangs is the disc-brake rear axle from a Versailles...). Wasn't sure about the Grand Monarch Ghia. Did a bit of checking. All I could find for the '76 model year were full-line Mercury brochures - no specific Monarch brochure. One page though did seem to indicate that the rear-disc brake set-up was 'available' on the GMG....... That would lead me to believe that it was optional, and not standard. Found something else that was surprising. There's NO 'Grand Monarch Ghia listed in the '77 Monarch brochure - only the regular 'Ghia'. So it looks like this was a one year only deal until the Versailles came out.
KK, that brochure page lists "Power four-wheel disc brakes" among the standard features of the Ghia model. It also mentions a "sophisticated hydraulic power system", is that hydro boost brakes instead of vacuum? That Ghia trim is very classy I think.
Yeah, that's hydroboost. Four-wheel discs do have excellent stopping power, but it takes a lot more pedal force than 4-wheel drum or front disc/rear drum, so instead of a vacuum booster, they used the hydroboost.
We have an '88 Isuzu Trooper with 4 wheel disc and vacuum boosted brakes. That truck's pedal has the best feel of any brake pedal of any vehicle I've ever owned and the brakes haul the 3700 lb truck to a stop great. Isuzu was apparently early on the scene with 4 wheel discs on a truck.
