1963 Mercury Comet Convertible

Introduced in 1960 as an upscale version of the Ford Falcon, the Comet was originally designed as an Edsel, but with the demise of the short-lived marque, the Comet ended up as a Mercury. Previously available only in sedan and wagon form, Comet convertibles with power-operated tops were introduced in 1963, along with the Sportster hardtop coupe. Initially, 1963 Comets were offered with a choice of Thriftpower inline 6-cylinder engines: a 144-cubic-inch version producing 85 horsepower and a 170-cubic-inch version producing 101 horsepower. A 164-horsepower 260-cubic-inch Challenger V8 became available mid-year. 1963 would be the last year of the first-generation Comet. This example was photographed at the 2004 Clatskanie Heritage Days Car Show.

Mercury Marauder Convertible Concept

First seen as a concept car at the 1998 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Mercury Marauder 4-door sedan would be introduced in the summer of 2002 as a 2003 model. Named after the original Mercury Marauder introduced in 1963, tihs new version was a high-performance variant of the Mercury Grand Marquis, powered by a 300-horsepower 4.6-liter double-overhead cam V8 with 300 foot-pounds of torque with a 4-speed automatic transmission, 3.55:1 rear end, a performance suspension, and 18-inch wheels with high-performance tires. As the release of the production Marauder approached, Mercury debuted a new concept for a 5-passenger 2-door convertible version of the Marauder, made possible by a newly-fortified frame for the new 2003 production models. In addition to the new body style, the Marauder Convertible Concept also featured a supercharged version of the 300-horsepower 4.6-liter double-overhead cam V8 producing 355 horsepower and 355 foot-pounds of torque, a lowered suspension and a power-operated roof that was stored under a hard tonneau cover.

2001 Mercury California Cougar Concept

The 2001 Mercury Cougar was powered by a 170-horsepower 2.5-liter DOHC 24-valve Duratec V6 engine and came standard with a AM/FM Stereo/single CD player, a 50/50 rear seatback, front independent MacPherson compact strut and Quadralink rear suspension systems, a SecuriLock™ passive anti-theft system, a trip computer and wraparound projector and reflector headlamps. Available options included leather seating surfaces, Anti-lock Brake System, aluminum footrest, clutch brake and accelerator pedal pads, and limited edition Cougar XR and Cougar C2 trims. This particular Mercury Cougar, shown here at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, was a concept called the California Cougar, featuring a custom body kit by Wings West.

1999 Mercury Cougar

The Mercury Cougar was originally introduced in 1967, and continued uninterrupted until the rear-wheel drive Thunderbird-based Cougar ended production in 1997. After a one-year absence, this new, very different Cougar would appear as a 1999 model. Based on the Mercury MC2 concept car from 1997, the new Cougar was introduced at the 1998 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, and was scheduled to go on sale in May 1998. Based on the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, the new Cougar shares about 70 percent of its parts with the sedans, including the chassis, engines and transmissions. Unlike the sedans, the new Cougar is a front-wheel drive, four-seat, two-door hatchback, and is Mercury’s first production model to feature its New Edge design, which is based on using distinct creases to accent rounded and flowing shapes. Bold, sheer surfaces are accented by a sharp, rising belt line that starts at the front bumper and extends to the rear, ending at the rear bumper and the shardlike triangular wraparound tail light lenses. The New Edge designs allows for minimal spacing between the bumper moldings and the sheet-metal panels, and crisp corners where the hood meets the darkened lenses of the four-beam projector headlights. The Cougar is available with a 125-horsepower 2.0-liter dual overhead cam inline 4-cylinder engine or a 170-horsepower 2.5-liter 24-valve dual overhead cam Duratec V6, with either a standard 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic transmission. The Cougar comes standard with anti-lock brakes and front air bags, with optional side airbags mounted in the side of the front seats.

1985 Mercury Marquis

While not particularly exciting, this picture of a 1985 Mercury Marquis is the first car picture (and quite possibly the first picture of any subject) I ever took, making it an ideal subject for a relaunch.

I was five years old in July 1987 when I took this picture of the family car with my mom's Kodak Tele-Instamatic 608 as we waited in Seattle for some friends we were visiting to get home.

The Marquis was the Mercury counterpart of the Ford LTD. In 1983, the Marquis name moved from Ford's full-sized Panther-platform to the midsize Fox-platform (also used by the Mustang), replacing the 4-door version of the Cougar and making Mercury's full-size model take the name Grand Marquis, which was formerly a trim level. (Likewise, the LTD replaced the Ford Granada, and the full-size Ford became the LTD Crown Victoria.)

These mid-sized models were relatively short-lived; 1986 would be their last year, as the instant success of the new Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable made them irrelevant.

2010 Mercury Milan Premium Hybrid

Along with the new 2010 Fusion Hybrid, Ford is also releasing a Mercury version, the Milan Hybrid. It features a 2.5-liter iVCT I-4 engine with Atkinson-cycle combustion, a permanent-magnet AC-synchronous electric motor, a 330-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (eCVT).

The Milan Hybrid offers the same performance as the Fusion Hybrid. It will reach 47 miles per hour on electric power alone and deliver 41 miles per gallon in the city and 36 miles per hour on the highway with a range of up to 700 miles. Like the Fusion Hybrid, the Milan Hybrid's dashboard features a pair customizable "SmartGauge" 4.3" LCD screens that use a virtual "Efficiency Forest" to illustrate current fuel economy.



Available options include a hard drive-based navigation system with Serius TravelLink, which will find fuel prices, display weather forecasts and warn about accidents, and Mercury SYNC with 911 Assist that can make a 911 call througe a Bluetooth cellphone.