Just when you think you have Canadian-specific Fords figured out, one runs into exceptions that break all the prior established rules. It is easy to spot a rookie owner when they refer to their 1956 Meteor as a Mercury Meteor, with Meteor being the make, not the model name such as Montcalm or Rideau. This was true until the mid-seventies when Ford of Canada tossed out this historical naming scheme; now Mercury was the make/brand, Meteor the model and Montcalm the trim. Confused yet?
The mid-seventies were the tail end of the era of special Canadian Fords as the name plates were used but the cars themselves were less different or special. The last one in name was likely the Mercury Marquis Meteor of 1981 but that was merely a low priced variant. The (minor) unique trim that marked these big Mercurys ended after 1976 making this 1975 model very near the real end.
The badge is a little hard to read but says “Superior Ford, Taber, Alberta” making this particular car a local one as Taber is a town about 55kms (34 miles) away.
I have seen this Meteor before in this exact spot and shape for years now. I suspect it could belong to an older owner who is unable to keep up on the maintenance and it has slipped into its current condition. It appears to me the vinyl roof has been disappeared sometime along the way. Body-wise the rust is not too bad which is probably credited to the relatively mild climate of its southern Alberta location (often described as a desert that gets snow).
The front windows were blocked off to keep away the sun or prying eyes so we will settle for the rear. Unfortunately the headliner was tough shape but rest looked usable and it appeared that someone could revive it if they wanted to.
Here is a quick shot of the Canadian specific Montcalm badge. The steel wheel has lost its factory hubcap but has a very old white wall tire still holding air. Not sure I would trust it on a long, high speed journey.
The Meteor badge at the rear. All the chrome was intact and in good shape.
I was not able find this exact car in the brochures but here is a 1975 Mercury Meteor Rideau 500 two door. The Rideau 500 was a lower trim level compared to the Montcalm, roughly comparable to a Galaxy 500 whereas the Montcalm was LTD-comparable.
There was this brochure photo of a 1975 Mercury Meteor Montcalm Station Wagon. These wagons had 121″ wheelbase, three inches less than the two door coupe or four door sedan, the same as in the US, as the wagons shared the Ford wheelbase. In reality these station wagons were quite rare.
Here is another two door (this one a Montcalm) with the elusive four door in the background. Engines choices for 1975 were either a 351ci V8 2bbl 162hp, 400ci V8 2bbl 170hp or 460ci V8 4bbl 220hp.
It is probably worth contrasting the Canadian Meteor variants against more baroque 1975 Mercury Grand Marquis which was also sold in Canada at a higher price point. The Meteor looked like a base Ford LTD with a different grill which is essentially what it was.
Parked very close to the front of the Mercury is a Ford Thunderbird or Mercury Cougar. Which one do you think?
The grill reveals it as a Mercury Cougar. The condition matches the Meteor with blocked windows, missing hubcaps and an air of neglect.
While I suspect this is a car with long term, perhaps inactive, ownership hopefully it finds a caring new owner at some point to bring it back on the road. It might be an uphill battle as these big, mid Seventies Ford and Mercury full size cars have not captured the attention and wallets of many collectors. But it has the unique Canadian badges and just a touch of different trim to set it apart as something slightly special.
Related CC reading:
Canada Day Classics: Canadian Ford Branding History
Car Show Classic: 1974 Mercury Meteor Rideau 500 – A Real Canadian Survivor
It always surprises me how Ford went to such great lengths having numerous nameplates for their Canadian market, considering the market size compared to the US…
Great write up!
Growing up that was always something I was surprised about as well.
Over the years, my best guess has always been a combination of things including this engrained anti-americanism (us Canadians love our southern cousins, but this has always been a thing that has existed since before Canada was a country), weird chance things and probably a sprinkling of being able to advertise “Canadian” products (i’d say an example is Canadian content laws on the books since the early 70s for media and the public perception of it as this has almost bled into other facets of life and often is an issue politically exploited). Its possible there was even the benefit of tax breaks or other financial incentives to have a percentage of uniquely Canadian products, much like I am confident there is contractually for having so much manufactured here if we dive into the nuts and bolts of any contract between a province or the Feds and whatever manufacture you want to pick. I vaguely remember reading something years ago where part of the deal to get funding was to produce X amount for the Canadian market, so if I am correct on that, it probably explains some of the different nameplates.
Also interesting is that in some cases these were driven via the dealership level. The 71 and 72 Dodge Swingers are this in a nutshell and is a super interesting story https://www.swinger340specials.ca/.
Probably not related, but I do know that we have different legal requirements (daytime running lights and the bumper/crash test laws are examples) that may have driven things as well at some point.
Honestly its all surprisingly complicated, sometimes doesn’t make a lot of sense but is incredibly interesting.
After the Auto Pact of January 1965 there were no tariffs on autos and parts between the 2 countries. This actually was the death knell for Canadian cars, but it took a few years for unique products to go away. However, some remnants of this practice remained decades later. An example, Pontiac badged Chevy products like the Tempest (Corsica), Sunburst (Spectrum) Firefly (Sprint-Metro) and others.
In the 70s, Chrysler products varied slightly in trim levels because Chryslers were always sold at either Plymouth or Dodge dealers, unlike stand-alone Dodge dealers in the US. Dodge Intrepids were badged as Chryslers in Canada, and Neons were renamed the SX here. Over at Ford, the demise of Mercury in Canada coincided with the loss of retail-level Crown Vics, so the Grand Marquis was rebadged as a Ford. There are many other such instances like this.
The Big 3 had a significantly different marketing plan in Canada. GM, Ford, and Chrysler each had two dealer chains that carried full lines from basic cars to pretty fancy cars. Pontiac, Dodge, and Meteor dealers duplicated the Chevy/Plymouth/Ford lines down to 6 cylinder Biscayne type cars. Each dealer also usually had a more prestigious and exclusive brand like Olds or Chrysler.
Is it just me or does the grille of the Canadian Mercury Meteor look like it was lifted directly from a 1974-78 Chrysler Newport?
It’s not just you.
Yup, I was going to say the same. It’s just a different texture than the Marquis, but the texture makes a lot of difference.
I remember taking a trip into Windsor in probably 1973 and remember working hard to spot the Montcalms and Rideau 500s. Most of them were older (mid 60s) and I had thought that the Meteor model names had been retired before 1975. Thanks for the lesson!
Yes, sure looks like a ’74 Newport to me, must be a first that a Chrysler was copied by Ford, at least in post-war times.
Seems odd that they’d name a car after the General who lost Quebec to the British and was killed in that battle to boot!
Montcalm, to his credit, did win the earlier Battle of Oswego, our son did some archeology and GIS mapping work there for the State Museum of NY about 5 years ago.
I checked the pic of a 1974 Meteor with a 1974 Monterey.
https://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Mercury/1974%20Mercury/1974%20Mercury/slides/1974%20Mercury%20Brochure_7.html
https://oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/Ford-Canada/Mercury/1974-Mercury-Meteor-Brochure/slides/1974_Mercury_Meteor_Cdn-02-05.html Since the Meteor taked the place of the Monterey in the Great White North, I wondered if the Meteor 1975 front end was once planned for a cancelled 1975 Monterey?
Excellent find, and background information, David. I remember seeing a number of these on the road in Southern Ontario, as a little kid. Including the wagon versions. Not surprisingly, like the LTD, these were notorious rust buckets. They seemed oversized then.
Oddly, the Canadian Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, has a donated 1973 Mercury Meteor on display. Part of the “In Search of the Canadian Car” exhibit. It was built in Canada, as I’ve examined the exhibit, and Mercury up close, in a couple of visits to the Museum.
Nice write up. I wonder if bylaw officers don’t care about those cars sitting day after day on the road?
Interesting note about the Meteor wagon. I’m sure production of the wagon was maybe not even 1/3 of total production. LTD wagons as I remember from back then were everywhere. And many of them it seemed were well optioned.
I think the bylaw folks will only do something if a neighbor complains.
My Dad had one – an 1980 version. Same colour but with a white vinyl top.
Rideau 500 similar to the Custom 500 which was still sold in Canada at that point. Toronto neighbors had a four door Montcalm similar to the one shown. Few built, more people wanted LTDs and Marquis.