It snowed all day on Halloween this year in Chicago. In fact, not only did the snow accumulate, but it remained overnight for the first day of November. I’m guessing that few Chicagoans saw this coming from a couple of weeks prior, but it was still heartening to see families with young children in my neighborhood trudging through the precipitation on October 31st in costumes (including a giant, inflatable pink unicorn! sorry, no pictures of that…) for an activity that could more accurately be labeled “Trick or Sleet“.
Regardless, when I saw all the snow on the ground and in the trees a couple of Fridays ago, I expected to see a little salt on the sidewalks and streets, but I saw none. In the often-mercurial style of Chicago weather, by the time I had left the office for the day, all of the snow had melted and the resulting water had mostly evaporated.
The first 2019 appearance of Frosty the Snowman. Friday, November 1, 2019.
With all of that said, there still seems to be a fair amount of Curbside Classics out and about in the cool, (mostly) dry fall weather here in the Windy City. Our featured ’84 Grand Marquis (two-door!) appeared that same Friday during rush hour. I have a special affinity for Mercury’s Grand Marquis, and for this generation of Ford’s Panther-platform full-sizers in general, as these were the last cars my late grandparents had owned in a series of four consecutive examples. Immediately following their two-car stint with Chrysler M-Bodies (a 1980 Lebaron sedan and an ’83 New Yorker Fifth Avenue), they next brought home a beautiful, ’85 Ford LTD Crown Victoria in Dark Walnut Metallic with red pinstripes and luxurious brown velour interior. That car was a looker and Exhibit A of how brown can look stunning on a car.
Grandpa and Grandma then switched to Mercury with their next purchase, an ’89 Grand Marquis in a tan color with a beige interior. The last Grand Marquis they owned was a c. 1998 model with a celery green exterior and interior. (Grandma loved that shade of green and often used to mention the DeSoto that she and Grandpa had owned that had been a similar color.) My grandparents’ last two full-sized Mercurys featured different expressions of Ford’s “aero” styling themes of the day, but of all their Panthers, the earlier ones with their chiseled-granite styling endure in my mind’s eye, hands-down, as the best looking.
Speaking of “granite” (and please pardon the pun in my title), I thought it was an especially fitting thing that our featured car was in traffic near the twenty-story “Center Building” (seen on the right in the above photo) of the BMO Harris Bank Building complex in the West Loop district in downtown Chicago. This beautiful structure, with its facade of brick and granite, seemed to perfectly complement the linear shape and details of our featured car. Even the vertical lines of the Mercury’s front grille seem to echo the colonnade on the face of the Center Building. Originally constructed in 1910, the Center Building appears as the most imposing and monolithic of the three buildings that comprise the BMO Harris Bank complex, much like the Grand Marquis carries exponentially more gravitas than any of the cars around it.
This dove gray Mercury is a rare bird, indeed. Something like only 13,700 two-door sedans were produced for 1984, being positively dwarfed in sales by the four-doors, at 117,700 units. Even the Colony Park wagons did better than the two-doors, with 17,400 moved off of Lincoln-Mercury lots that year. If it’s any consolation to FoMoCo’s perennial underdog marque, the two-door Mercury outsold its Ford LTD counterpart that year by about 1,100 units (roughly 8%). For added comparison and contrast, the barely-higher 19,500 sales figure for Chevrolet’s Caprice Classic two-door that year illustrates that the market for full-sized coupes had all but disappeared by the mid-’80s.
When my grandparents had owned their various Panthers, starting when I was elementary school-aged, no one could have convinced me that two-doors or the Mercury nameplate would be (basically or literally) extinct by my adulthood. While I, myself, have no desire to own a vehicle like our featured car, I can certainly appreciate its overall look, stance, and obvious and apparent pride-of-ownership. I miss the variety of seeing cars like this Grand Marquis interspersed with all the other diverse kinds of vehicles in traffic.
Lest I spend too much time lamenting the kinds of cars that are no longer common on most roads, I’m going to start taking a good look around at those I see parked in my neighborhood and try to find something I like about them. If I’ve learned anything about consumer tastes in popular vehicles over the past ten years or so, it’s that things can and do change very quickly. Like the mercury in my thermometer has dropped recently, so has the number of occurrences of sightings like this Grand Marquis.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
Friday, November 1, 2019.
Great photography and a well cared for car. Panther two doors are very rare around these parts.
Thanks, Dean. I’m trying to remember when I had last seen a Panther two-door prior to this one. I’ll just say that it has been a really long time.
yes they are very rare everywhere in the united states ,,I own a mint 84 two door mgm..its only driven in summers to shows only ..family owned since new ..people often say ive never seen a two door version mgm
Another wonderfull post by you Joe.I`m a big fan of your writings here.
Helloween has become very popular in Germany as well and for the first time this year I also saw children in different costumes in my street hunting for sweets. (A pink unicorn wasn´t there, though 😉 Interstengly, there used to be a tradition similar to halloween (except this horror stuff) in the past here. It´s called Martin`s Day, which is today on 11th november. But with the rise of Halloween this become less popular, like the featured car in your post. Even if I have no personal relationships with Panthers, I have a soft spot for them. Maybe, because they were together with the GM b-bodys the last “classic” us cars, or maybe just because a got a ´86 LTD police car as matchbox toy back then. However, nice to see this car still running on the streets.
Thank you so much! And now, I just learned something about St. Martin’s Day.
That pink unicorn was the first costume of it’s type I ever remember seeing – it was partially inflatable. I wondered how the adult inside of it could see and breathe!
Kudos on the excellent sighting. These 2 doors were never common. I really wanted to like these but found the 2 door version a little awkward. I think your final shot captures this car’s very best angle, so nice work!
I get your fondness for the dark brown 85 your grandparents owned. My mother bought a triple navy version and it was another very attractive combination. Ford put a lot of brightwork on these that looked best on dark colors.
I had a grandma who claimed that the day of the month that saw the first snowfall would be the number of significant snows the winter would bring. I never tried to confirm the truth of this, but if she was right you are in for 31 of the things this year. 🙂
Yes, I’ve heard that also. Plus, another wife’s tale is the number of fogs in August equals the number of snow falls.
I do know the wooly worms are all black this year and the persimmon seeds have spoons (if cut like a hamburger bun) instead of a knife or spoon.
And it is sleeting here right now.
JP, I always really enjoy your throwback pictures! And I agree about the brightwork. It was just enough on these early Panthers.
And let us hope that the major snowfall on Halloween is not a predictor. It blizzarded (is that a word?) today, as well. Not to complain about something I can’t change, but I’m not ready for that kind of snow. I’m still lamenting the end of Daylight Savings for the season.
Saddest thing about yesterday’s snow is that it likely popped the late fall 2019 CC bubble for Chicago and ushers in six months of hibernation for our old rides.
I came close to buying a twin to the featured car in the late 80s but was scooped by a co-worker.
I always thought that these were good looking cars, at least the Mercurys were, with that 2 door being a rarely seen model. Nowadays, it’s the wagons that are (extremely) rare, though Fords more so than Mercurys. Probably what held me back, momentarily, and allowed my co-worker to get this car was that grey on grey color combination. The same car with the brown over brown combination looks more appealing and for some reason that brown color was applied to Crown Victoria 2 door sedans much more often than the equivalent Mercury,
I have never driven one of these early Panther platform cars, but currently own an 09 Crown Victoria, I am told that they are as different as salt and sugar.
Great pictures and story! I remember that Celery Green color Mercury offered well! As for the 2-door Grand Marquis, I actually see one somewhat regularly, as a house I frequently drive by has a burgundy-colored one as part of their collection of about 6 Panthers.
Brendan, thanks for jogging my memory! I had forgotten about the “Southie Stalwart” ’85 Grand Marquis you had written about a month ago.
I do like that celery green color, but I wonder if I could live with it on a daily basis.
I like that light coloured vinyl roof on the light coloured car. It looks light blue or grey to me. This car looks to have presence to me. Very nice find. A car that has not shown its age.
These are lovely cars. They always call to mind the SNL sketch were they demonstrate the smooth ride of a Grand Deluxe II with the preforming of a circumcision while driving over the rough Manhattan streets. Great parody of the diamond cutter ad
Hello Tom C,
Sorry to correct you, but the SNL skit was about the “Royal Deluxe II”, and the car was not a panther Mercury Grand Marquis. It was a Mercury Cougar 4 door that was based off the former Mercury Montego.
My grandfather was staying with us in the summer of 1985 when I had to go the dentist for a cleaning. My mom drove us in her tan Oldsmobile with me in the back seat and my grandfather in the front seat. She pulled into a parking space next to a two door Ford Crown Victoria that was black with a black vinyl roof and red velour interior and wire wheel covers. Seventeen year old me aspired to own a 3 Series BMW so a Ford like this was not on the radar. My grandfather looked over and said what a handsome car that was. If I continued to work as hard in school as I had been, then I would be able to afford such an elegant car. I can still hear his words in my head when I look at that Mercury. He was right; it was a sharp looking car.
Thanks Joseph for the feature. I like these models more than the similar Crown Vics.
In fact I could not resist buying one for cheap a few years back as I told all of you in 2016…https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1985-mercury-grand-marquis-ls-my-2400-winter-beater/
There are still a few of these driving around up here and I keep wondering if my former LS is still plugging along somewhere in the Edmonton area.
Joseph, another amazingly beautiful written post. You capture the essence of every car you write about, and how you inter wind it into your personal life history is fantastic!
There’s one of these panther coupes in my New Jersey town which I see all the time. It’s the LTD Landau Coupe (or maybe it’s the LTD Crown Victorian Coupe). I’m gonna say it’s the Landau Coupe cause I believe it’s either a 1979 or 1980 as it has those horizontal opera lamps. It’s all original in black (I think it’s 2 tone black and silver) with a red interior. It’s actually very good looking, even though I think the proportions are off a bit but the landau roof does all a bit of pizazz !
Anyway, I’ll try to capture a few pics and post them here.
Looking forward to your next post !!
NJcarguy, thank you very much. I put a lot of thought into my essays for Curbside Classic, so I’m glad that comes through. And, yes, please post pictures of that two-door LTD (that I really hope is two-tone!).
I’m going to keep my eye out for it! I believe the owner is a retired gentleman cause i usually see it driving around town during the day and parking at the diner for the “Early Bird Specials”.
The print ad brings back great memories of the Formal Roof option. The Formal Roof was only offered on the 4-door. I often wondered if a Formal Roof would fix the pin-headed look of the 2-door. It’d be a great project if someone had a rust-free 2-door in need of replacing the vinyl top.
Drew, before you mentioned the Formal Roof option, I’m not sure I remembered that was even a thing. After I read your comment, I had to mentally flip back and forth between the factory / as-designed, sloping roof and the brochure picture. I think the formal roof does definitely add a certain je ne sais quoi.
Another great post, Joseph. I always enjoy the extracurricular information you pass along as I like old buildings and history almost as well as old cars.
I worked at a Lincoln Mercury dealer when these cars were new. They were quite rare, as had been said many times today. I only remember one specific example. A middle aged lady requested one because she was a wheelchair user and she could slide the folded chair in the back seat floorboard while sitting in the driver’s seat. The only vehicle I can think of in today’s market where that would work would be small extended cab pickup. It would be difficult with a full size truck as they are so far off the ground.
Fantastic write up! I loved reading this. My first car was a 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis 2-door that my father gave me $600 to buy. Overall, the car was in good shape, save for a vinyl top that had faded to turquoise & contrasted with the dark blue paint. I was going to try to do a COAL on it a couple years back but time has not been on my side.
Around the year mark of owning the car, I was hit by a drunk driver in a Grand Am. Both cars were totalled but I saved the hood ornament and nameplate and have stored them in my center console of all the cars I’ve owned since.
I had an ’87 Mercury Biz Markie 4-door in triple navy with the turbine wheels. It was my first big American RWD car, and at the time (mid ’90s) I just loved its floaty ride and relatively good torque.
I later inherited a ’90 Crown Victoria in the same gray color scheme as the car in this post. It was tighter all around, but much less fun and not reliable despite lower mileage.
For me 85 and up with fuel injection would make this much more desirable.
The other thing is thinking how gorgeous these would have been with the headlights, taillights, and slightly rounded sheet metal of the last of the box Panthers.
Thanks, everyone. As long as my reflexes are still solid, I hope to be snapping pictures of cars like this one on-the-fly and writing about them here.
Great write-up and pics as always Joe. While I don’t always have time to comment on your posts, I agree with others here that your photos and articles are an asset to CC. This particular Grand Marquis is quite the find. The 2-door Panther’s always seemed much more rare on the ground compared to it’s B-body competition. While I am a 2-door guy, I have to say the 1977-90 B-bodies and the 1979-91 Panthers were among the first cars I started to like the 4-door versions better. I will say that the formal roof-line of the 1980 B-bodies really ruined the 2-doors lines for me compared to the 77-79 models. So, I find this less formal Panther roof-line a bit better looking. That said, I am not a big fan of Ford and Mercs overly angular and fussy styling features. I had an ’88 Grand Marquis with the softened styling in black with minimal trim. For me, that was the best looking of the boxy Panthers.
Thank you, Vince. I am also a fan of the 1977 – ’79 GM B-Body coupes, especially the Buick LeSabre and “bent glass” Chevy Caprice and Impala.
Thankfully, when I was this Grand Marquis in traffic, the lights cooperated to allow for a few pictures.
I remember Car and Driver’s remark for every annual Grand Marquis review: “Still no De Sade option.”
Haha!! Linnea, I still consider that a wasted opportunity.
Looks positively petite in modern traffic. (Former owner 1987 MGM LS formal top four door sedan, dove grey over medium grey.)
Haven’t been on CC Classic for a couple days – last night I just happened to be reading Wikipedia pages on the Crown Vic & Grand Marquis (caught in an internet tangent) – I was surprised to learn that the big Mercury consistently out sold the big Ford throughout most of the 1990’s & 2000’s, then this morning I see your great Mercury in the loop pics.
I preferred the first generation Grand Marquis over the first gen Crown Vic. I think Mercury did a better job updating throughout the ‘80’s & ‘90’s, but my favorite Panther is probably the six window grill-less ‘92 Crown Vic, which just happens to be the last car my dad own before he switched over to only minivans.
Interesting on the minivan switch.
An old bachelor History teacher at the high school I attended purchased a brand new grille-less Crown Vic during our freshman year and by the time we graduated he was driving a Town and Country minivan.
Interestingly he had a reputation as a lead footed driver.
Does your mother know you posted this delectable car porn on here? Because the sighting of a 2-door Panther gets me almost as excited as seeing Central Florida model turned actress Michelle McCurry in her au naturale! I have lusted for one of these for many, many years! The ultimate for me would be to find a 1986 or 1987 version with the SEFI 5.0, in a two tone blue with turbine wheels, factory sunroof, and every option one could hope for!
I know–I’m kind of a sick man and I need help. But fellow Panther fans, can you really blame me?
hi I stumbled on this article ..great story and picture ..great grandmarquis 2 door ..looks classier than these cheaply built plastic crap cars around it ..so folks reading this I own a rare black with red interior mgm coupe ls fully optioned with all options including get this ..special order police pkg see my uncle was plant manager at st louis where these cars were built..my dad ordered it through my uncle was shipped to florida by train and delivered in ftpierce florida at the dealer…he owned it for 5 years never used it as daily driver and I graduated high school in 84 got my very first licence in this car and ive owned it for 31 years now and has only 61000 miles and still showroom..i will never sell it its always garaged with the 68 shelbyand a few others ,,its been a wonderful car ,,turns heads at car shows and I have all the documentation with it ..I miss the 80s ..so I relive them in this car…
I thought I was the only person on the planet in love with 2 door panther body style. Here is my 79 Ford LTD that has 51K miles with a 351 Windsor engine!