Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. This is a battle of giants, a showdown for the ages, a rumble to remember. You don’t often see such a sparring of two worthy adversaries like this.
On the right you have the 1969 Buick Electra 225.
Spanning 126.2″ between its hubs, this Buick is the top of the Electra fleet. With a 360 horsepower, 430 cubic inch V8, she’s sure to light a fire when called upon.
Can’t you see yourself basking in the sun, driving down the highway, surrounded with the richness of this interior? 8,300 people realized they couldn’t live without doing so.
Having a hood ornament bravely leading the way is always a fantastic way to give a man (or woman) a little extra zip in their day.
On the left we have a formidable challenger, a competitor whose sheer vitality and voracity is often overlooked. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the 1969 Mercury Marquis.
Don’t let that soft baby blue color deceive you. This Marquis is packing a 320 horsepower, 429 cubic inch V8 – or it could be optioned up to 360 horsepower. While this Marquis does tip the scales at 50 pounds more than the Buick, that is only a few gallons of fuel difference – not enough to make either sweat with worry.
Understatement is the forte of this Mercury, produced at a time when understatement and subtlety were in high fashion. 2,300 intuitive people recognized the discreet vibes of this Mercury, choosing to blissfully cruise in a Mercury for their perpetual summer.
This is a square-jawed looker if ever there was.
We are taking bets on this CC Smackdown. Place your bets below.
Both are very nice. I think I like the Electra’s sheet metal better, but it’s hard to resist the Marquis’ Continental-influenced styling.
There’s just something about the understatement of the Buick. My father may have loved his 69 merc, but to my milennial eyes, the Buick has a better face, one of the best sweepspears of any year, and looks better leaving.
Tough choice. I’m leaning ever so slightly to the Marquis because of the Lincolnesque look and the nostalgic fact that I learned how to drive in a ’68 Marquis,
I’m betting 5.9$7 on the deuce-and-a-quarter.
Eric VanBuren is going to have trouble on this one. And so do I. The Buick’s lines look really right on the convertible, and the 69-70 Electra is the last one that has both the size and quality to make it a contender as a legitimate no-excuses mega-cruiser.
But the Mercury Marquis really hit a home run in 1969-70 too, and this may be my favorite Marquis of all of them. This is one of the very few times when a Mercury could match up against a Buick with a straight face. There used to be an old guy in my neighborhood who had one of these in deep maroon, and it was a beautiful car.
I call it a draw. Edit – No, I have to pick the Mercury if it’s for me. As nice as the Buick is, GM stuff of that era just doesn’t hit the pleasure centers of my brain the way the Mercury would. My first car was a 67 Galaxie 500 convertible, so the Mercury is more like home to me.
It is not easy but I have to say Buick, skirts and fins for the win. No the fins are not fins in the traditional sense but when lined up next to the LeSabre and Wildcat from 1969 I can’t not see them as fins.
It is an interesting view of the Buick and Merc from the rear. A lot of similarities that I hadn’t put together until seeing them side by side.
Of course I wouldn’t refuse the Merc.
I’m going to side with Eric. Fender skirts and fins, and a more appealing side profile on the Buick.
I’d certainly like to see more of the red and black Mopar, a 1956 Desoto I think, on the other side of the Merc.
Stay tuned. I have a load of pictures of that Desoto.
I’m more interested in the Camaro.
…Buick, BTW. Their engines were top-notch.
For some reason this reminds me of Richard Scarry’s Great Pie Robbery where Sam and Dudley get stuck in a tunnel:
What is that place? Those sectioned cars coming out the wall are the automotive equivalent of shrunken heads on a stick. To me that says bad things happen here, run away fast.
While that 50’s Buick is most certainly wall art, I think the T and the Capri are actually normal-sized cars, it just *looks* like they’re set into the wall. If you look closely you can see back tires on both.
Very interesting assortment of cars overall!
Ok, whew, that’s a relief…
Ewe, I am not a fan of either. I like the earlier and later deuce and a quarters but the ones with the loop bumper just don’t do it for me. The Merc is also pretty ugly in the front, though I really like the rear with the full width tail lights. Can I get a ’69 Bonneville vert instead of one of these?
I’ll take The Deuce.
Handily the Buick for me (but, I don’t think the standup hood ornament is correct). Buick styling was hard to beat for a big car from about ’65 through 1976.
The Mercury has a very handsome front clip (those are open headlight cover doors for those that don’t know). But, after the front clip, I’ve always found the body to be sort of “meh”, and the pictures don’t capture the sort of odd concave rear end, both side to side, and top to bottom.
The Buick was likely the better handler of the two, and these were the years when GM really had its act together.
To answer the old question, “Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?”, I’d have to answer with a resounding yes.
At the front the Mercury, when the headlight “doors” are closed looks like a fairly expensive car. But, the Buick shades it (in the side view) with those discreet fender skirts. To me, those skirts give the Buick a “mature” look, while the Mercury (from the side) looks almost youthful. In the rear views the Buick barely shades the Mercury. It might have been a closer call if the Buick had been wearing the lighter shade of blue.
BTW, was there ever a Marauder convertible?
There was not a Marauder convertible, but it would have been pretty cool. The best looking big Mercury of the era, even if it pushed the envelope on the lounge lizard / gold chain look.
The only significant difference between a Marauder and a Marquis is the roof design, a Marauder convert would look just like a Marquis with a shorter wheelbase (121″ vs 124″).
The Maurader also incorporated a unique rear quarter panel that had fake vent details and incorporated fender skirts. One is pictured among the comments. The rear quarter really changes the side look of the car.
Edit: you posted it!
I forgot about that. I suppose they could have done it by hanging those quarters on the Galaxie convertible shell. I can why they didn’t, convert sales were way down and another unique shell would have been un-economic.
It’s close but the Mercury wins with concealed headlights.Long time Mercury fan here.In reality they’re both too big and thirsty for me,next size down please.
I can’t be objective, ’cause I took my driver’s test in Dad’s full-size ’69 Mercury. It’s the only vehicle I ever topped out (indicated 120, so who knows) and the one I borrowed as I started my dating years (big bench seats).
In the name of fairness, I’m filing a protest. I demand that the Merc be equipped with Kelsey-Hayes Mag-Stars (a factory option) instead of those hideous ’66 Galaxie wheel covers. That would even-up the wheel deficit against the lovely Buick Road-Wheels.
And will someone please fix the vacuum lines to the lights on the Merc?
While I respect the Buick, I have a long-time nostalgic attachment to the blue oval, as others have opined previously. Make mine the Merc.
As they stand, in convertible format, I have to give the nod to the Buick. The shape just looks better in droptop form, and in general, the ’69 Electra was a looker. That trim sweep was instrumental in giving a sense of motion and interest to the fundamental squareness of the car. I like the interior better too.
If we were comparing hardtops, I think the result would be different. A ’69 Marauder X-100 with the tunnel roof, blackout deck and mags is pretty close to full-size coupe perfection for me. Love the hidden lamps too–they’re just not quite enough on their own to outdo the Buick in this particular battle!
I’ll take the big Buick any day of the week and six times on Sunday. Anyone who has ever driven both would probably agree.
If it was 67 instead of 69, I’d take the Electra over the Marquis any day. But, by 69 the Marquis has the edge….
Both nice cars but comparing these to each other the Buick has a clear advantage in that it has the factory wheels vs. the Mercury with hubcaps. Those wheels were sharp and always gave Buicks a classy look. The headlight doors on the Mercury were usually stuck open when they got older. The ignition on the Mercury looks like an after thought in response to the locking steering column mandate.
I had never noticed that ignition housing on these. Ford waited until the last minute to add the column lock, which I do not believe was mandated before 1-1-70. I know that the 69 Ford mounted the key way down low in the dash. But the Ford dash was made in very high volumes and could justify a redesign. Did Ford design the low-volume 69-70 Mercury dash without a place for a key knowing that the rule was coming? That would be my guess.
All true 1970 Fords had the column lock from the start of production. Only the early Maverick & so-called ’70 Falcon didn’t have it.
Based on the styling and the name, I’m going Buick.
Is that a ’41 ~ ’46 Chevy truck way over on one side ? .
I’ll take that .
Or , the ’37 Ford Sedan .
The Buick is sweet .
-Nate
Given what else I see in the background I would have ignored these barges.
I was thinking the same thing. I’ll take either the Kaiser or the 1937 Ford.
The Kaiser isn’t just any Kaiser, but likely the only black Kaiser Dragon left.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1953-kaiser-dragon-a-problem-is-simply-an-opportunity-in-work-clothes/
My first thought was to think what progress the automobile made in the 25 years between the mid 1920s and 1951 when that Kaiser was made.
Oh boy.. This is a toughie.
I like the looks and the engine in the Buick but the interior of the Merc has a bit more character and that 429 isn’t anything to laugh at either.
I’d go Buick but by a thin margin.
I would also take the Buick Electra, I always thought the front end’s of the 1969-70 Mercury Marquis’s looked too bug eyed for me although I love the styling of the rest of the car, I wish they’ve kept on making the convertibles for the 1971-72 Mercury Marquis’s (which was IMO the best era of the Marquis’s), I always thought Mercury got it right with the styling of the whole 1971-72 Marquis’s, for the Buick Electra I’ve thought the best era was the 1969-70’s in the styling department.
I would really rather have the Buick. The Electra has the full console door panels like a Cadillac where the Mercury looks more like what was on the Galaxie. I also remember back in the day, the GM products handled better than a Ford product of course the Mercury was usually quieter.
My folks went through two ’71 Marquis, a sedan that was hit while parked, which was replaced with a coupe. That may be why I feel the 71s hit the sweet spot in overall styling, and Mercury missed a styling coup by discontinuing the convertible. Best case would have been a 71 vert, with the Marauder taillight treatment. Nonetheless, even the the ’69 seems leaner and more masculine in its styling compared to the Buick, though the Buick seems to show better attention to detail in the interior. In the end, though, the Thunder-Jet 429 takes no prisoners, delivering the decision to the lovely Merc.
full width taillights give the Mercury the win for me, I like the dash better too.
Anyone notice the 1970 Toronado nose is identical to this Buick?
Good call on the Toro nose.
Great pics Jason. Where did you shoot these? Were they recent? I’m in Missouri also. I currently own a 69 Electra coupe and would really like to check out that drop top.
These were taken at a spot along I-70 near Sweet Springs in Saline County. He’s always got a variety of iron there, such as the ’53 Kaiser Dragon (linked above) and the ’56 DeSoto parked next to the Mercury. There is another article with cars from there; I think I called it “Pitstop along I-70” or something similar to that.
I took these over a year ago.
Mercury for me. Buick shapes were in a slight dip in 1969. Very slight, but enough.
Put me down for the Mercury. I agree with XRMatt the tail light treatment and the instrument panel were cool back in the day and still appeal to me even now.
I like the Lincolnesque front clip on the Merc, and the snazzy interior patterns and the two armrest front seat, so its the Marquis for me. The `69 and `70 Buicks really never did anything for me.
It’s the Mercury for me. I just can’t warm to the face of the ’69 Buick, though I’ll admit the body certainly has its charms. But the Mercury just looks more integrated (or would if the lights were fixed), fresher, more seventies; somehow it looks a generation newer than the same-year’s Buick.
It is a tough choice, but I will go for the Marquis. Of the ’69 & ’70 models, to me the ’69 Marquis looks better than the ’70, while the ’70 Electra is over the ’69.
However, the decision would be much simpler if there was a ’69 Chrysler 300 in the mix…
I have to say I like both, I am not a big Mercury fan but I really like the face of the 1969-70 models! I also like the interior styling of the Mercury.
The Electra 225 shouldn’t have those wheels as they were still only available as a factory option on the Wildcat and Riviera only in 1969. In 1970 they were offered on the LeSabre (with the same style center caps as the 1966-70 Wildcat/Riviera models but now featuring a Buick tri-shield emblem). They were still not offered on the Electra 225 in 1970 but if someone wanted, they could have ordered chrome plated wheels along with LeSabre center caps and fit them on an Electra 225.
But the wheels currently installed on this Electra look like those used in 1971 and later which lack 1/2″ of offset to fit correctly a pre-1971 model (the center caps are also for 1971 or newer models and wouldn’t fit on the 1966-70 wheels). If that car had the optional disc brakes, there’s no way these wheels would fit at the front as they’d rub on the 4 piston calipers so 1967 1/2-1970 wheels would be required. They do fit on cars with drum brakes but they get pretty close to the brake fins too and the tires are more likely to rub on the frame or on the inner fenders when turning.
Also the stand-up hood ornament was used in 1965-66 on the Electra 225 but not until 1975 after that. This one is a simpler hood ornament from a 1980’s or 1990’s model.
Very nice picture. As to which one, I’ve never been a fan of Buick late 60s body side sculpturing – I thought it was unbecoming even when new.
Two great engines though – and interestingly enough both were available in larger displacements (455 and 460).
I’d give a hair win to the Merc, though the baby blue color would have to go……..
I’m a long-time Fordista, so Mercury for me, please.
It IS a toughie on these. I would have to go with the Merc, based on personal experience with a ’70 Marquis Brougham I owned in the later ’70s. I also agree on the fact the Buick ornament has to be an add-on, and that the 429 was a really nice engine. My ’70 really started running sweetly at about 70, but would also burn rubber for a half-block if you stood on it hard. Mileage? Around 14-15 highway.
Merc for me, but I certainly wouldn’t say no to that Duece-and-a-quarter.
I love my merc convertible 1969