Tough to think of this as nearly “fifty years old,” but time marches on. I borrowed and enthusiastically drove my father’s (with the 429) during my last year of high school, though I believe my teenage driving shenanigans ran a distant second to Paul’s.
Aside from color, not too different from this ’71 Monterey I spotted last year here in Virginia. One of several sets of car pictures I have waiting to be written up, so hopefully this year…
From personal experience and exhaustive histories here at Curbside, there were indeed Mercuries in Canada that IIRC were pretty much a match for the Stateside ones.
True, that at twenty paces you could easily mistake one for a Meteor, but they did exist.
That may have been somewhat true before 1969, but then the Marquis came along. From 1969-76, a non-hideaway big Merc in Canada was a Meteor.
There were some differences in the Marquis, though. The Canadian base models had 390 engines standard, as opposed to the 429. From 1971 to about 1976, there was a Marquis Deluxe that was the US base Marquis. There was a base Canada-only base Marquis which used the Monterey dash and interior in 1971-72.
When I was a kid, that dash was a real head scratcher.
I have always looked at this grille and seen a cheap version of the Marquis, but this shot makes me appreciate it for the clean look that it has. I have never been much of a 71-72 Mercury guy, but I am liking them more now.
This was my first car, but mine was a 1968. Being from Minnesota, it was rusted all the way through in some places before I got it in 1975. Rust was one of its weaknesses–before I was through with it, the floor under the driver’s seat and in front of it had rusted through, too, and I could see the road going by, like Fred Flintstone. Items placed inn the trunk had to be placed in a large box so they didn’t fall out.
In 1972, Dad bought a new AMC Ambassador. He hated it.
So in 1973. he traded it in at Hanshumaker Motors in Delphos, OH. Conveniently, that dealership sold both AMC and Mercury.
He ordered a ’73 Monterey sedan the exact shade of green as the one in this picture. He and my stepmom kept the car until it would not pass PA inspection sometime in the late 80’s.
With a BC plate, do we know it isn’t a Meteor?
I wondered the same question. Maybe the guy bought that Monterey in the U.S.?
Here the 1971 Meteor brochure and a brochure pic of a 1971 Monterey coupe to compare.
http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/Ford-Canada/Mercury/1971-Mercury-Meteor-Brochure/index.html
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Mercury/1971%20Mercury/1971%20Mercury%20Full%20Line%20Prestige%20Brochure%20(Rev)/image8.html
Oh no! The badge would be over the missing headlight cluster!
I think we have been cheated. Show the body and its curves and not just a glimpse of its face.
Tough to think of this as nearly “fifty years old,” but time marches on. I borrowed and enthusiastically drove my father’s (with the 429) during my last year of high school, though I believe my teenage driving shenanigans ran a distant second to Paul’s.
Someone’s got a roadworthy ’71 in BC? Terrific!
Aside from color, not too different from this ’71 Monterey I spotted last year here in Virginia. One of several sets of car pictures I have waiting to be written up, so hopefully this year…
The poor man’s Park Lane?
From personal experience and exhaustive histories here at Curbside, there were indeed Mercuries in Canada that IIRC were pretty much a match for the Stateside ones.
True, that at twenty paces you could easily mistake one for a Meteor, but they did exist.
That may have been somewhat true before 1969, but then the Marquis came along. From 1969-76, a non-hideaway big Merc in Canada was a Meteor.
There were some differences in the Marquis, though. The Canadian base models had 390 engines standard, as opposed to the 429. From 1971 to about 1976, there was a Marquis Deluxe that was the US base Marquis. There was a base Canada-only base Marquis which used the Monterey dash and interior in 1971-72.
When I was a kid, that dash was a real head scratcher.
I have always looked at this grille and seen a cheap version of the Marquis, but this shot makes me appreciate it for the clean look that it has. I have never been much of a 71-72 Mercury guy, but I am liking them more now.
This was my first car, but mine was a 1968. Being from Minnesota, it was rusted all the way through in some places before I got it in 1975. Rust was one of its weaknesses–before I was through with it, the floor under the driver’s seat and in front of it had rusted through, too, and I could see the road going by, like Fred Flintstone. Items placed inn the trunk had to be placed in a large box so they didn’t fall out.
In 1972, Dad bought a new AMC Ambassador. He hated it.
So in 1973. he traded it in at Hanshumaker Motors in Delphos, OH. Conveniently, that dealership sold both AMC and Mercury.
He ordered a ’73 Monterey sedan the exact shade of green as the one in this picture. He and my stepmom kept the car until it would not pass PA inspection sometime in the late 80’s.