Mercury Marquis Coupe

Sunday 25 April 2021

The Mercury Marquis is a model line of automobiles that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a French nobility title, the Marquis was sold across four generations from 1967 to 1986; through its entire production, the model line was the Mercury divisional counterpart of the Ford LTD. Initially introduced as the flagship Mercury range, the Marquis line was later expanded to include the Mercury Grand Marquis slotted above it.

Mercury marketed the first three generations of the Marquis as a full-size coupe, sedan (alongside the Mercury Colony Park station wagon). The fourth generation was a mid-size sedan, as Mercury split the Marquis and Grand Marquis into distinct product lines for 1983. As Ford transitioned its product ranges to front-wheel drive, the Marquis was withdrawn after the 1986 model year, replaced by the Sable (the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Taurus).

For its first three generations, the Marquis was produced in Hapeville, Georgia (Atlanta Assembly), Hazelwood, Missouri (St. Louis Assembly), and Pico Rivera, California (Los Angeles Assembly); the fourth generation was produced by Atlanta Assembly and in Chicago, Illinois (Chicago Assembly).

For 1973, the Marquis underwent an extensive mid-cycle revision. Largely coinciding with the addition of 5-mph bumpers for the front and rear fascias, the roofline of the Marquis saw a complete redesign. Though distinguished further from the Lincoln Continental, the four-door Marquis shared its roofline with the Ford LTD; in contrast to the LTD, the two-door remained a hardtop with retractable side windows (enlarged for better visibility). Alongside the four-door hardtop, the four-door sedan and station wagon were marketed as "pillared hardtops" (produced with thin chromed B-pillars, allowing frameless door glass). The interior saw a revision of the trim and seats, with a redesign of the dashboard (clustering the instruments behind the steering wheel and the secondary controls to the center of the dashboard).

For 1974, the grille underwent a redesign (nearly matching that of the Lincoln Continental), shifting to a vertically-oriented layout and eliminating the egg-crate trim of the headlamp covers. Following their addition to the front fascia, the Marquis received 5-mph rear bumpers. In response to pending safety regulations, the four-door hardtop was offered for the last time.For 1975, the front fascia saw several revisions, with a larger radiator-style grille (with the "Mercury" block lettering replaced by a script above the left headlamp); in contrast to the Ford LTD Landau and the Lincoln Continental, the headlamp doors were revised with chrome border trim and a crest emblem. The rear fascia received padded vinyl trim (body color or contrasting) between the taillamps. While Ford and Lincoln added B-pillars (and opera windows) to their two-door sedans, Mercury retained its hardtop roofline.

For 1976 though 1978, the Marquis saw few visible changes; in 1976, a Landau vinyl roof option was introduced for Brougham and Grand Marquis two-doors, while all versions of the Marquis were marketed as "Ride-Engineered" (promoting its successful ride comparisons against more expensive European sedans of the time). For 1978, the Marquis was given a redesigned grille, retaining a similar radiator-style design.

Alongside the 1978 Chrysler New Yorker two-door, the 1978 Mercury Marquis was the final pillarless two-door hardtop (with retractable rear side windows) offered by an American automobile manufacturer.

Technical data:
- engine: V8
- capacity: 7500 cc
- horsepower: 202 HP
- gearbox: 3+1
- top speed: 150 km/h