Company overview
Mercury was a medium-priced automobile brand produced by Ford Motor Company from 1939 to 2011. Initially created in 1938 by Edsel Ford to bridge the gap between Ford and Lincoln models, it became part of the Lincoln-Mercury Division in 1945. For many years, Lincoln-Mercury marketed both Lincoln and Mercury models simultaneously. The brand began with the 1938 Mercury Eight, a new car sized between Ford's V8 and Lincoln’s V12. Throughout its production, Mercury shared components and engineering with Ford and Lincoln, utilizing platform sharing to reduce costs. Following a decline in sales, Ford discontinued the division at the end of 2010. The first 1946 Mercury vehicles rolled off the assembly line, functionally unchanged from 1942 production. In 1949, a redesign introduced the Monterey model line alongside the base Mercury Eight. During the 1950s, Mercury experienced significant growth and introduced models like the Turnpike Cruiser and Marauder V8. In 1960, the division released the Comet as a compact car line, mirroring the Ford Falcon. By 1961, Ford streamlined its production to two models: Ford/Mercury and Lincoln.
