It happened. Mercury is gone.

And I will miss it.
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblog.aspx?feat=1765100&icid=autos_0252&GT1=22026

 

Yep, it was fine line of great cars, but our oldest car company will live on and move forward. Obviously the CEOs from the car industry forgot that the top honcho can't come from a non-car background. A lesson that Ford never had to learn. Tough call, but better now, while the public are used to chaos in this industry.

 

It's sad but for many years Mercury just hasn't sold well. It used to be Mercury was a step up from Ford but they have just been Mercury badged Fords for a long time.

You all in Canada remember the M-100 and the Redieu (spelling). Like Krash said yesterday I don't think values will go up much.

 

No more Mercs to be produced, but plenty left to be displayed, enjoyed and preserved by Merc enthusiasts all over the world.

 

Yes, it is sad.
Much like Pontiac, I think the brand deserved saving. Some investment into vehicles that were more than just badge-engineered Fords was apparently more than they were willing to spend. Instead of looking at Mercury as 'in between' Ford and Lincoln, the suits should have looked at Mercury as the brand that offered 'different' vehicles - vehcles like:
- The European Mondeo
- The European Galaxy
- The Australian Falcon maybe
- A new Cougar - re-bodied Mustang
- An upscale Focus (but do more than put 'Mercury' trim on it)

These are Mercurys I will miss...
The '69 Marauder X-100


'68 Cougar XR-7 GTE


..and of course, the Colony Park (this one's the '78 version)

 

I hate to see it go, but admittedly, it's really no surprise. Mercury's kind of been the orphan child for quite some time. The brand lost it's individual identity years ago and its models were so similar to Ford's, one almost couldn't see the difference. Why buy a Mountaineer when you could buy the exact same vehicle for less with Explorer name plates on there. Years ago, Mercurys were Mercurys and Fords were Fords, but for the last 25-30 years, such was not the case. All they became were Fords with a different grille. Such a shame, but I guess Fomoco will probably be leaner and meaner without it.

 

Rideau, after one of our historic French icons. You'd think I'd remember, but alas, its gone.

Some time in the 19th and 20th century, the Feds started naming everything from Canals, Rivers, townships and even the Governor General's Home after Rideau. It was a marketing brainer to name a Ford after him. Smart.

They had the Montclair too. Another French General. I think Rideau was an architect under Champlain, but I'm not sure.:confused:

 

Alan Jackson's Mercury Blues

But we'll alway have this:

Well if I had money,
I'd tell you what I'd do,
I go downtown buy a mercury or two.
Crazy bout a mercury,
Lord I'm crazy bout a mercury,
I'm gonna buy me a mercury & cruise it up & down the road.

Well the girl I love,
I stole her from a friend.
He got lucky stole her back again,
She heard he had a mercury.
Lord she's crazy bout a mercury.
I'm gonna buy me a mercury & cruise it up & down the road.

Hey now mama
You look so fine
Driven round in your mercury 49'
Crazy bout a mercury
Lord I'm crazy bout a mercury
I'm gonna buy me a mercury & cruise it up & down the road.

Well my baby went out
Didn't stay long,
Bought herself a mercury, come a cruisen home.
She's crazy bout a mercury,
Yeah she's crazy bout a mercury.
I'm gonna buy me a mercury & cruise it up & down the road.
(Ahhh cruise now)

Well if I had money,
I'd tell you what I'd do,
I go downtown buy a mercury or two.
Crazy bout a mercury,
Lord I'm crazy bout a mercury,
I'm gonna buy me a mercury & cruise it up & down the road.
I'm gonna buy me a mercury & cruise it up & down the road.
I'm gonna buy me a mercury & cruise it up & down the road

 

RE: The song....via Wikipedia:

"Mercury Blues" is a song written in 1949 by K. C. Douglas and Robert Geddins. The song, originally titled "Mercury Boogie," pays homage to the Americanautomobile.

 

I don't ever remember the original but I like the tune.

 

norm...alan mulally saved fords a$$. so him not being in the car business may have been beneficial this time he save Boeing too!. mercury's demise is heart braking for me having just purchased one. my dream car,



or better yet .....(if they only actually made it!)

 

Just look at the sill plates. I'll bet it has the blue oval like mine does.

 

Ian, is he the guy that Henry Ford III brought in? I remember reading about him. They wanted more advanced tech in their cars, so HFIII looked at this guy's depth and experience and stepped aside to let him run the joint.

 

I really am sad that the name plate is no more

I feel I saw the death of Mercury back in the early 80's IMO. The Meteor, the Canada only Metoer, always built in Canada for Canada but yet the last year of the Meteor name plate was 79 or 80, only sold in Canada but the last year of production was built in the US....go figure??

1980 to me was the true last year of name plate cars, Pontiacs were not face lifted Imapals and Mercs were not face lifted Fords etc. They were different cars perioud!

I remember Mercury trucks and cars as a kid and in a way "Mercury" was a Canadiana thing ( as well as Pontiacs). They were a meat and potoatos brand of car for the norm BUT several were made (in Canada) that made the top of the line US built ones look like Roast beef potatoes york shire pudding but...where the hell is the gravy?

GMC...I have a Canadian built 65 GMC 910 truck, It's not a General Motors Corperation... It's a "GMC" ..."General Motors Canada" truck. Built in canada, for Canada


But back to the topic on hand, It is a true Bummer to see Mercury fall, but I have to admit that the atemps to keep the name plate going, although at times exciting have been nothing more than a spur of the moment and your tired the next day. Why?..You can through a dog a bone and he gets excited but sooner or later a dog is going to figure out it's just a bone, so who cares.


This makes me miss my long gone Mercs even more.

 

Tedy, I used to drive by the old Buick and later GMC plant in Oshawa, Ontario, and old Sam McGlaughlin's Estate, every day to University. Elegant old plant. Some of the big truck chassis were parked outside, often waiting for custom powertrains and extra equipment. Different era.

When you look at the other big auto firms, they don't build competing lines. Maybe it was time for them to streamline.