What muscle cars did Mercury make?
Edsel Ford created Mercury in 1938. It was meant to fill the gap between Ford and Lincoln, which are two different types of cars. Mercury is a more expensive car than Ford, but it's not as expensive as Lincoln. It has nicer features than Ford and it's a bit faster.
1940-1951 Mercury
Mercury is a car that was introduced in 1949. It was radically different from cars before and during the war. Mercury cars were made with higher-quality parts, like Ford's new V-8 engine, which could give it more power. Mercury also had a teardrop shape, which made it faster than other cars at the time.
One important thing to remember about Mercury is that if you want to buy one now, people will think you are just copying them if you buy one from this year or later because they all look the same.
In the 1950s, people began to buy cars from other companies. People were buying cars with bigger engines, like the Chevrolet "tri-five". A new company called Mercury was starting to make smaller cars.
These were good for hot rodders because they could put big engines in them and make them go fast. In the 1960s, people started buying cars that went really fast.
1963 Mercury Marauder
The muscle-car movement began in 1964 with Pontiac's release of the GTO. But full-sized cars were popular before that. Some popular full-sized cars from the early 1960s are the Chevy Impala SS and Ford Galaxie 500.
Mercury made a great looking hardtop car in 1963 called the Marauder. It had 390ci of power, which is a lot. This car was so good that some people even think it's the best looking full-sized car of all time.
1964 Mercury Marauder
If the 1963 Marauder was a sleek missile, then the 1964 Marauder takes that to a new level. It has long lines and a long hood. It is fast too. This car can go really fast on the race tracks at Daytona or Darlington, where people drive really fast cars for races or drag racing.
The Thunderbird hood looks like something new Ford did in the 1960s and it was very popular with NASCAR drivers because it looked so cool when they were driving really quickly on those tracks.
1965 Mercury Comet 202 Hi-Po 289ci V-8
At Mercury, there were different types of cars. The Comet was a small, compact car that was based on the Ford Falcon platform. It wasn't very big, but it was popular with hot rodders in 1964. In 1965, it got a new design and then in 1966 it transitioned to the mid-sized Fairlane platform.
This particular Comet is from 1964 and it belongs to Don Watson. He ordered it with a high-performance 289ci engine, which was not normally available from the factory. Luckily, his dealership could help get him what he wanted. In 1965, the Comet line-up consisted of 4 different models: the 202, 404, Caliente and Cyclone. So this car is pretty rare.
1969 Mercury Cyclone Cobra Jet
The Mercury Cyclone trim level first hit the scene in 1964 as the top-line Comet model. It was built on the Ford Falcon platform, which made it a smaller car. But by 1966, the Comet had become bigger and was now built on the Fairlane platform.
This made it more like other cars from General Motors and Chrysler. The 1969 Mercury Cyclone Cobra Jet was a competitor to the Road Runner. It had a powerful engine and came with a special Drag Pack package. It was a rare car, which makes it popular today.