The 1959 mercury made a splash with its giant new windshield, the largest ever in a production car up to that time, if I remember correctly. So this scan of a Spanish language ad, where the staples have been removed, reveals it in its full glory. Impressive!
Even in its non-exaggerated form, it was mighty impressive.
My CC on the ’59 Merc :
Curbside Classic: 1959 Mercury Monterey Cruiser Hardtop Coupe – Mercury Spreads Its Wings And Crashes
Ah yes, the famous double-windshield – designed to provide twice the visibility. Alas, another gallant but failed attempt in the ongoing refinement of the automobile.
Great for viewing traffic lights but called for some big ass Sun visors…😉
The revival of the dual-cowl phaeton body style was not as successful as Mercury had hoped it would be.
Even with the single-cowl model, that is one big windshield!
The 1959 Mercury was a strange, weirdly styled car, in a year full of them. Something must have been slipped into the Detroit water supply this year. No wonder the bland Rambler from Kenosha had a banner year.
Mercury was often dismissed as a “tarted up Ford”, but not for this year. It didn’t share much with its Ford (or Edsel) siblings.
I can only imagine how much it cost to replace it.
Mercury, Lincoln, Edsel…but no Ford? Or was this a four-page ad and the Big American Ford was on the other 2-page spread with the Taunuses, Anglias and trucks?
I cannot imagine cleaning that thing from the inside!
But at least the dash is pushed well forward, without the big shelf you often get today. It would be comparatively reachable without the services of a friendly orang-utan.
Printing anomaly aside, the ’59 Mercury is an incredible car! First you look at that windshield, then you look at the dashboard, then you look at those tail lights and rear fender “grooves”–it blows your mind!
At age 11, when I first got my illustrated “American Car Spotter’s Guide 1940-65”, this was one of those cars that, when I first saw it, I said, “This CAN’T be real! They actually BUILT THAT!?!” The ’59 Mercury, along with the ’59 Dodge and Cadillac, and the ’50 Studebaker produced the same reaction.
One of my favorite taillight treatments, along with the 60′ Mercury, the 60′ Chrysler and the 62′ Pontiac Bonneville.
MAD magazine had a cartoon showing the rear of a ’59 Mercury, with those sharp-edged “V’s” slicing the arms of pedestrians who brushed past it. An angry looking monster car (front and rear) in a year of monster cars!
Here’s where most of them ended up c. 1972:
I still remember the first one I saw in person out in the wild (at least after I was old enough to be paying attention.) It was in the mid to late 70s, and was a really rusty but still running yellow & white 2 door hardtop. It was the kind of car I had to ride my bike around a few times just to take everything in.
The 59 is still just a bit much for me, and I like the 60 better. It is a strange combination of conservative and way-out.
Waaay too big for my taste! And no tint band at top edge! Imagine the heat build up in there in those days where air conditioning was much rarer in mid-range cars.
Mopar had cool compound curve windshields, but those also did not have a tint band at the top as standard. Maybe not even as an option.
I just recently noticed that tint bands at the top of windshields seem to all but disappeared. Probably due to all the sensors mounted up there, and the increased popularity of pull-out flaps and/or second visors for simultaneous front/side coverage.
So Lincoln and Edsel use the masculine “El” while Ford uses the feminine “La?” Hey, they’re all three proper names, so what the heck? Smoke was coming out of my ears, so I had to look this up. It must be because the Spanish word for “corporation” (la corporación) is feminine, and the word for “automobile” (el automóvil) is masculine. Bit of a digression, I guess…
My favorite 1950s cars; 58-59 Mercury.
Best was the toned down 1958.
Sad to see all those horrific Continental spares bolted to the back on those cars. Mercury stylists didn’t need that crap wrecking their fantastic rear styling.
Yeah. And I’m not a fan of those optional horizontal reflector lights in the lower rear panel (shown on the car above). They make an already complex design way too busy. Oh, and those dopey fender skirts that everyone feels the need to add on. These tacky add-ons are never shown on cars featured in the brochures by the way.
What is this strange human desire to always go overboard and “gild the lily”?
Gross:
Not just humans.
No, no-nee no!
the 1960 models (like mine) were space ships too, bubble canopies and all…
Visibility must have been top notch in that thing. Compared to vehicles today where the visibility is getting worse each year it seems.
Someone above hit on this too, but I can’t imagine the pressure cooker that thing must have been in the hot climates on a sunny day!
Internal reflections and distortions on these panoramic screens were a bit of a problem, but I still love them. For the sake of passive safety a lot of active safety (like being actually able to see out) has been sacrificed…
Most drivers today look at “anything”, except “out” the windows.
Visibility is a safety factor, at one time cars like the 59 Mercury solved the problem. I’m disappointed at todays vehicles with tiny windows and many blind spots. How many accidents are caused by poor visibility? I drive a 1961 Oldsmobile and love the visibility, no blind spots anywhere. In many ways the older cars are far superior to the new ones.
The same image was used in Mercury’s 1959 brochure, so here’s what it looked like without the page break in the middle of the windshield:
The 1959-60 Mercury windshield may have been bigger, but GM’s corporate windshield for the same model years was classier in my opinion with the more rounded A-pillars and not quite as much wrapping into the roof.
These and GM’s 59’s must have pushed glass manufacturers to their limit.
Only a decade before, flat glass and 2 piece windscreens were the industry standard.
If you think that those were a difficult stretch for glass, check out Tornado 74?5,or 76? 🤔. One special model (not sure of name) had a wrap around rear glass treatment that was something you have to see to believe. Actually believe 61s was three separate pieces somehow glued together. Must have been a problem. Think it was a 1 year deal.
Rick,
it was the 1977 Toronado XS with the hot wire-bent rear glass, same technique was used on the ’77 Impala sport coupe.
I believe the XSR had T-tops added to the mix.
But the ’59 and 60 Mercs struck me as a very sad design, one that would be stylistically obsolete before the new cars were paid off.
Imagine how much damage that did for their brand identity!
Thanks for the clarification and photo, which reminded me of just how ugly I thought that particular model was, though overall, I kind of liked that generation of Tornado. As stated in my original post, I grew up in the 50s and fully loved the excessive use of chrome and FINS. Other than Chrysler, both pretty much disappeared after 59. Ultimate dream cars for me still are final 61 DeSoto and 61 Imperial LEBARON, with FINS actually higher than 59 Cadillac! Hippies were called Flower Children. Guess I’ve always been a chrome and fin child! 😉 Go figure 🤔!
A review of production of 1959-1961 GM models shows that the 4 door hardtops with the giant wrap around read windows were the poorest sellers. It could be that manufacturer’s backed off on those designs because of the low sales figures. Today we love those designs as being so unique.
I sell a lot of used auto glass and there were no glued together pieces ever. All was one piece.
Notice also the parralel wipers then Mercury adopted, no more pickaboo but Mercury returned to the old style wiper for 1961 except the Comet.
Friends of parents had black 58Turnpike Cruiser with actual vents above sides of windshield. Not sure if they were functional, but added to chrome trim. Also had a different roof treatment (coupe)with 🤔 name plate involved in that (more chrome 😀). Being a big fan of excessive OTT 50s chrome laden land YACHTS, I LOVED that car! 🏆
The 59 face lift further enhanced the look, although not sure if Turnpike Cruiser was continued. The 60 restyle was beautiful in a completely different direction. Other family friends had a 60 Park Lane coupe white over blue with smooth roof styling. Mercury has since gone through numerous styling cycles. Who can forget McGarretts black beauty from Hawaii 5 0. Revamped 50 also featured a 74 🤔 black Marquis,supposedly the original. Have had several GRAND MARQUIS. Great cars. Too bad Ford has axed them,as well as Crown Victoria and TOWN CARS!
The car featured in the 5-0 reboot was the real mc coy. It was given to John Nordlum by Jack Lord when the original show ended.
Yes, thank you, I knew that. Did you know that Buick created a one off 58 WELLS FARGO for Dale Robertson star of its Tales of Wells Fargo? That car was never used in the show for obvious reasons. Simply a publicity opportunity and gift. Surely hope both of these vehicles have been preserved.
Michael Timothy (who already owns the 68 from the show) wanted to have the 74 restored some years ago but I don’t know if this came to fruition.
There’s been an article about the Buicks (I seem to recall there were two of them) in Classic Car. One was put up for sale at an auction. Nobody seem intetested to put à good price for it until Cliff Robertson (who was there) spoke about it. Then the price skyrocketed!
Appreciate the information. Happy to know the original 5 0 car is in good hands, hope the other Marquis has same salvation. Did not know that there were two WELLS FARGOs! Hope both have survived. Local real estate agent had beautiful dark blue LIMITED convert with white top and interior, another rare Buick. I believe that the LIMITED was the basis for WELLS FARGO. 🤔
Legend has it gas station attendants made sure those windshields were extra clean when an attractive lady occupied the front seat.
Legend also has it that attendants were occasionally punched in the nose by the husband/boyfriend.
Remember mom driving 55 DeSoto into a FULL service gas station and commenting What is going on? Gas now 29.9 cents a gallon? Now you can’t find FULL service stations .Those were the days! 😃 😊
Thinking of those “early 90’s”, vans (Previa, Lumina, Nissan something or other) with the huge windshields.
Defroster , when needed had to stay on (at least) 3rd speed.
In hot sun, nothing helped..
The rear windows on the early “Barracuda’s and Marlin’s” could be rough too.
I loved to see these 59 while watching Tightrope with Mike Connors. They were everywhere.
That’s amazing and too darn big for the South West, I can imagine cooking inside there .
I worked in a full service filling station in 1972 or so and many women liked to come in and hike their dresses as soon as I began washing the glass…..
FWIW, the green band across the top of a windshield is called “SHADED” ~ tinted is the entire glass AKA ‘cool-ray’, ‘EZ-EYE’ etc. .
-Nate
Friends of family spent winters in Sarasota. Their 60 Park Lane had a huge rear windshield. They somehow had a venetian blind installed on it. Never have see another like it, car had air conditioning, but they insisted it helped! 🤔
For most of my life, I wanted a big windshield like that. It enhances the view of big Western skies, and canyon cruises. Then I bought a Ford C-max, a high-roofed Focus variant with almost twice the vertical windshield coverage as an ordinary car. I got my wish! Fun for awhile, but most days the sky was to bright, and I had to use the sun visors. In winter, I wore a broad-brimmed hat. So I admit that over half the time, that extended glass is more trouble than pleasure.
Sort of like the mid 1950’s Mercury ‘Sun Valley’ cars ~ glorious of you live where there’s not much sun, awful in the South West .
I used to be able to buy accessory sun visros that were made of green or smoke colored plastic ~ just the thing for those day long Desert drives .
-Nate