Breezeway, Mercury’s answer to cigarette smoke

0 0 October 12, 2023 Edit this post

by David Burrell

The Ford Motor Company created the Mercury brand to fill the gaps in price and size between Ford and Lincoln.

First seen in 1939, it was named after the Roman god of commerce, communication and travel.

By the early 1950s, the brand’s market position had lost its focus.

It seems that Ford’s product strategists were confused.

Was it a larger Ford, a small Lincoln -- or both?

Should it champion Ford’s engineering innovation or entice buyers with space-age styling, or go for a performance image?

All were tried by successive management teams with limited success.

That lack of focus persisted until January 4, 2011 when the last Mercury — a Grand Marquis — rolled off the line.

But, I’m putting all that aside, because I like Mercurys.

They are overlooked classics.

Indeed, the first car I drove in the USA was a 1982 Mercury Cougar XR7 coupe.

So, it’s a favourite.

Here are some others.

Styling is what made the 1955 Mercury stand out.

With a wraparound windscreen, loads of chrome and a sensational paint scheme, there’s an hour’s entertainment just walking around this car.

Then there’s the 1957 Turnpike Cruiser.

Based on a concept car from the previous year, Mercury was trying to be an engineering and styling innovator.

The compound curved windscreen glass reached back into the roof.

Passenger cabin air in-takes were positioned above the windscreen, and featured non-operable horizontal radio aerials.

And it was on this model that the roll down rear window — the Breezeway — was introduced.

The Breezeway was Mercury’s answer to improved ventilation in the days before air-conditioning became an affordable option and the need to extract cigarette smoke was highly-prized.

Requiring a unique roof line to accommodate the almost vertical roll down rear window, the last ones were sold in 1968.

Between 1957 and 1960 all Mercury station wagons were svelte pillar-less hardtops.

The product planners thought that hardtop wagons would differentiate the marque from the cheaper Ford and new Edsel.

These were the highest priced Mercurys, so if you had one in your driveway, your neighbours knew you had spent up big to combine load hauling capacity and coupe-like styling.

As part of Ford’s "Total Performance" promotion in the 1960s, Mercury released the Marauder.

The name had previously described Mercury’s biggest and most powerful V8s.

In 1963 they put the name on the fenders of a hardtop coupe to create a high performance/luxury model.

A 6.3-litre/390 cubic inch V8 was standard.

Or, you could option it with a 7.0-litre/427 cubic incher, with twin four-barrel carbies, boasting 317kW/425bhp.