Mercury Marauder Parts

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For over 70 years, the Mercury brand churned out vehicles that were amongst the finest on the road. However, a marque that once stood for innovation and speed eventually became the “me too” division of the Ford Motor Company. Its lack of differentiation resulted in a muddy brand identity, declining sales, and its ultimate demise. While no longer in production, the Mercury name continues on in the many Mercury vehicles still on the road today. For those of you who love their Mercury, it is our mission at 1A Auto to supply you with the right parts you need to keep your Mercury car, van, or SUV working in tip top shape, at a great discount. Simply put, if you are in need of a replacement part for your Mercury vehicle, you've come to the right place. You'll find a large selection of new, high quality aftermarket Mercury auto parts, including headlights, taillights, weatherstripping, mirrors, door handles, exhaust manifolds, radiators, and more, as well as genuine OEM replacement parts - the very same ones you would receive if purchased from your local dealer, but without the inflated cost. However, we don't only just sell replacement Mercury parts online here at 1A Auto; we also carry a selection of new and performance parts such as high flow air filters for your Mercury automobile as well.

Our product development team spends over 8,000 hours a year researching the best auto parts, and they are carefully selected by our trained engineers so you can rest assured that you are getting the correct, high quality part you need for your Mercury car, van or SUV, at a discount price. If we wouldn't put the part in our own vehicles, we won't sell them to anyone else. A new aftermarket replacement Mercury part from 1A Auto will save you 30-50% on average over a comparable new OEM replacement Mercury part that you would get at a dealership, and our new aftermarket Mercury parts are also extremely durable and reliable. Don't overpay for Mercury parts and save yourself from a lot of potential headaches by shopping at 1A Auto.

You can shop for all of your Mercury parts online and buy safely and securely right here on our website, or you can call our customer service toll free at 888-844-3393 if you have any questions about any of our auto parts, or to buy over the phone. With over 150 years combined experience, 1A Auto's customer service representatives are the most qualified to answer your questions about all of our new, aftermarket, genuine OEM, and performance Mercury auto parts. Our representatives answer 99.9% of phone calls in less than one minute and emails are responded to within the hour because we know you need answers quickly to get your beloved Mercury back in working order again. We also know you want your part fast for the same reason; 98% of in stock Mercury auto parts ship from our warehouse within one business day so that you can get back on the road in no time, and all ground shipping in the continental U.S. is completely free. And, in the unlikely case that you are unhappy with your Mercury auto part for any reason, 1A Auto also offers the only No Hassle return policy for unused items in the industry. Simply put, our competitors can't beat the 1A Advantage. Don't just take it from us - take it from over 50,000 satisfied customers!

Look no further than 1A Auto for your aftermarket, original equipment (OE) replacement, new and performance Mercury auto parts and get your car, van or SUV the new parts it needs today from Mercury enthusiasts just like you! If you happen to be an enthusiastic Mercury owner, have a deep passion for Mercury vehicles, or just want to learn more about the automobile manufacturer, continue reading below for a detailed look at the brand's history and some of its past models.

Overview

Mercury was an automobile brand of the Ford Motor Company started in 1937 and launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford. Mercury vehicles were sold for over 70 years, with the majority of them being based on Ford platforms with some unique styling details and special features that were meant to try and differentiate them and enhance their desirability relative to their Ford counterparts. The marque was phased out in 2011 as a result of lackluster sales and the Ford Motor Company deciding to refocus its efforts on its more profitable and appealing core Ford and upscale Lincoln brands.

Contents

1. Origin
2. Early Years
3. An Identity Crisis
4. Mercury Vehicles of the 1960’s - 1990’s
5. The Final Countdown and Extinction

Origin

In 1937, Edsel Ford came up with the idea of marketing and selling cars that were a level or two higher than mainstream Ford branded models in terms of luxury, but a step below the base upscale Lincoln models. The price gap between the highest trimmed Ford and the base Lincoln model was quite substantial and thus Edsel hoped to fill that gap with a new entry-level luxury car aimed at this subsection of reliability, luxury, and affordability. This strategy of establishing a ladder of consumption by consumers for their vehicle brands had already been done by market leader General Motors, and Chrysler was also following suit. Therefore, striving to keep pace with GM, Ford aimed to institute the same sort of hierarchy.

Initially, there was much debate within the Ford Motor Company regarding whether this new intermediate vehicle should be a new Ford model, or if it should be spun off into a brand of its own. Eventually, they decided that creating a new marque was the answer and they selected “Mercury” as its name; it was launched in 1938. The logo of the Mercury brand when it started was of its namesake, the Roman god Mercury. It would change numerous times over the course of its history, including to that of a cougar, with the last one before being discontinued being that of three horizontal lines that curve and trail off, forming an abstract “M'” shape, with the name “Mercury” written above it.

The first vehicle from the new brand was the Mercury Eight. Production of the model began in 1938 and was released to the public in 1939. It was a completely new car, different from any Ford or Lincoln at the time. It would go on to become a classic automobile, becoming popular with customizers and even making appearances in TV shows and movies, including the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean, who drove the car in the movie.

Early Years

During the early years of the brands existence, Mercury was its own division within the Ford Motor Company and became known for performance. Sales of its Mercury Eight models were strong during this time until World War II interrupted production. In 1945, two years after the death of Edsel Ford due to cancer, Henry Ford decided to merge the Lincoln and Mercury brands with the hope of marketing Mercury vehicles as “almost” luxury automobiles, or as a “junior Lincoln” as it became known, rather than as upscale Ford’s. The Lincoln-Mercury division was in place throughout the rest of the brand’s lifetime. For a short time, beginning in the late 1950’s, the Lincoln-Mercury division and the short-lived Edsel brand were joined into the Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln (MEL) division. Edsel models were aimed at the gaps between Ford’s and Mercury’s, and Mercury’s and Lincoln’s. As a result, the market was unable to figure out how to regard Mercury; was it an upscale Ford or was it an entry level Lincoln? This type of confusion surrounding the brand’s identity would follow it throughout the course of its life. The Edsel was a disaster in every sense of the word and it was discontinued following the 1959 year. The division name was then returned to Lincoln-Mercury.

By 1949, sales were again prospering as the country was a few years removed from the end of the war and postwar Mercury Eight models were reaching showroom floors. The Mercury Eight was the only model offered by the brand – albeit in different body styles - until it was discontinued following the 1951 year, coinciding with the release of the full-size Mercury Monterey car in 1952. The Monterey actually was introduced in 1950 as part of the Mercury Eight series, but became its own model in 1952; it was discontinued following the 1974 year but the name was revived once again for a short time in the 2000’s as a minivan, until being discontinued for good following 2007. The Mercury Montclair was released shortly thereafter in 1955; it was discontinued following the 1959 year, but had a second chance at life as well in the mid 1960’s until being discontinued for good late that same decade.

An Identity Crisis

From the very beginning, Mercury was a marque that seemed to have a brand identity that was constantly in flux, always looking for its place in the automotive market. During the 1940’s and early to mid-1950’s, the brand continued to be presented as a performance division, moved between being marketed as a “higher-end” Ford and as a “junior Lincoln,” and even to having its own body designs.  While this era proved to be very successful for the company in terms of sales, the strategy of marketing Mercury as a “junior Lincoln” never took hold and the brand became seen more as a "lower medium priced" vehicle, just slightly above that of Ford’s.

In the mid 1950’s, it was decided that in order for Ford to compete with GM, the company had to go after each sales segment with unique vehicles. As part of the plan, a completely new platform and body design – Mercury’s first since World War II – was called for in order to distance the brand from Ford models and move Mercury up the ladder of consumption. The Edsel brand was then supposed to take over Mercury's previous role in the ladder. Several different looking and innovative models were released during the late 1950’s and the very early 1960’s, including the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser and the Mercury Park Lane. The brand also released a number of station wagons, including the Mercury Colony Park, Mercury Commuter, and Mercury Voyager.

Unfortunately, the plan did not work out as Ford had hoped as a result of numerous factors, including the fact that the bottom was beginning to drop out of the middle price car market. Bottom line, the Edsel brand was a complete flop and sales of Mercury products including its new models failed to reach expected levels as well. Ford was forced to make some cost-cutting decisions as a result.

It was at this point in time that the company determined it wasn't worth the money to substantially differentiate Mercury from Ford. They decided that, beginning in 1961, Ford and Mercury would use the same basic Ford body shells and rely upon slightly altered exterior and interior trim elements to differentiate the brands from one another. Mercury models like the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, Mercury Park Lane (brought back to life in the mid-1960’s until being discontinued for good late that same decade) and Voyager were discontinued, and others like the Mercury Colony Park, whose chassis had been used solely by the Mercury division prior to this point in time, would now share a body and chassis with Ford models until it was discontinued in 1991. Edsel, on the other hand, was effectively discontinued in 1960. From this point forward, the Mercury brand was joined at the hip with Ford once again and its brand image suffered for it. It essentially became a marque that, over the years, produced slightly different versions of the cars sold by the Ford division, but with a higher price tag generally speaking.

Mercury Vehicles of the 1960's - 1990's

Mercury vehicles of the 1960’s included the first generation versions of the Mercury Comet, which was based on the Ford Falcon but featured a slightly longer wheelbase, and the iconic Mercury Cougar, which was Mercury’s muscle car variation of the Ford Mustang but was three inches longer and featured a defining front grille that some called the electric shaver. Upon release of the Cougar, two models were available, the base and the luxurious XR-7. The car was a big success and was extremely important to the brand’s image for many years. The Cougar eventually grew into a personal luxury car and was then redesigned again in the late 1990’s as a sport compact based on the Ford Contour, before being cancelled for good after the 2002 year.

Other vehicles released in the 1960's included the full-size Mercury S-55 and the Mercury Marauder, both of which shared the same body styles and mechanics as the Ford Galaxie 500/XL sports models, and the Mercury Cyclone, which started out as a performance model of the Mercury Comet and then later incorporated styling changes that were based on the body of the Ford Fairlane. The Mercury Marquis, whose direct equivalent was the Ford LTD, was launched in 1967, first as a full-size car. For the 1983 year, the Marquis became a mid-size car until being discontinued following 1986. The name of the highest trim level of the Marquis, which was first used in 1975, was the Grand Marquis. The Mercury Grand Marquis became its own model in 1983 after the Marquis became a mid-size car and was essentially a twin of the Ford Crown Victoria until that car was discontinued following 2007. The popular car continued to be produced as a full-size car until the discontinuation of the brand in 2011. In fact, the last Mercury vehicle to roll off of the assembly line was a Grand Marquis in January of 2011. The Mercury Montego was also introduced during this period; it was an upscale version of the Mercury Comet, which it eventually replaced after 1969, and was essentially a twin of the Ford Torino. It was discontinued in 1976 but, as was the case with many other Mercury nameplates, the name was resuscitated for a short time during the mid-2000s for a full-size car until being discontinued for good in 2008.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Mercury shifted away from performance cars like the Cougar while continuing to produce modestly restyled Ford’s.  This was also the era of automobile downsizing, as Mercury began making smaller cars as a result of the 1973 Oil Crisis and the new fuel economy standards that arose. In terms of sales, the brand achieved mix results throughout this era. Some of the models released by Mercury during this time period included the Mercury Capri, which was originally built in Europe and was sold in the United States as three distinctly different cars over three decades, and the Mercury Sable, which was Mercury’s version of the Ford Taurus sedan. The Sable was discontinued in 2005, but was revived again in 2008 until finally ending production for good the following year.

Other models released during the 1970’s and 1980’s included the Mercury Monarch, which was essentially identical to the Ford Granada save for a few cosmetic differences; the Mercury Topaz, which was a slightly upscale variant of the Ford Tempo; and the Mercury Zephyr which was related to the Ford Fairmont. The Mercury Tracer, which was released first as a rebadged version of the Ford Laser in 1987 and then later in 1991 the Ford Escort (as was the Mercury Lynx which was released in 1981 and dropped after 1987), and the Mercury Bobcat, which was a rebadged variant of the Ford Pinto and was just as unsuccessful, were other Mercury vehicles released during this time period.

During the 1980’s, the image of the Mercury division was blurred even further. While some models were noticeably differentiated from its Ford clones, many of Mercury’s models were not and there was very little difference between them and their Ford cousins.  However, despite the lack of differentiation, sales rebounded for the brand in the 1990’s and reached levels that had not been seen since the late 1970’s. Vehicles introduced during this decade included the Mercury Mystique, which was based on the globally marketed Ford Mondeo and whose cousin was the Ford Contour, and the Mercury Villager, which was a minivan that was a rebadged variant of the Nissan Quest. The Villager came about as a result of a joint venture between the Ford Motor Company and Nissan. The Mercury Mountaineer luxury SUV was also introduced in the late 1990’s, and its twin was the Ford Explorer. The brand, like Lincoln, was also part of the Premier Automotive Group (PAG), an organizational division within the Ford Motor Company which was formed by Ford to oversee the business operations of its high-end automobile marque's in the late 1990’s. However, Mercury’s inclusion in the PAG was short lived and in 2002, it was pulled out and returned to Ford’s direct control due to Ford's new marketing strategy of separating its import brands from its domestic marque's (the PAG was eventually dismantled in 2010).

The Final Countdown and Extinction

In the mid-2000’s, Ford tried to revive the stagnant Mercury brand and make it relevant to new buyers. The company released the Mercury Milan, which was based on the Ford Fusion, as well as the Mercury Mariner, an SUV which was a clone of the Ford Escape. Unfortunately, this did not help sales and they continued to fall. Mercury’s vehicle lineup was greatly reduced and stood at four when the plug was finally pulled.

On June 2, 2010, amid the continuing decline of sales which at this point were a miniscule piece of Ford’s overall pie, the Ford Motor Company announced that the Mercury brand would be ending production at the end of the year so that it could focus solely on continuing to grow its core Ford brand as well to accelerate growth of its high-end Lincoln brand at the same time. The Mercury Mountaineer was discontinued first, with the remaining Mercury vehicles at the time – the Milan, Grand Marquis, and Mariner - following suit after an abbreviated 2011 model year. The fact that no stand-alone Mercury dealerships existed made shutting the brand down a bit easier, and after the brand was discontinued for good in 2011, all Lincoln-Mercury dealers simply became Lincoln dealers.

Ultimately, it was Ford’s decision to invest very little into marketing or product development into Mercury over its lifetime that sealed the brand’s fate. While the strategy yielded sales for Ford over the decades of varying levels, it was not conducive to building a strong brand and maintaining it. The lack of a unique identity showed in Mercury cars and many people simply bought Ford models rather than the similarly designed yet more expensive Mercury versions over time, leading to its eventual demise.

The Mercury logo is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Co. All rights reserved.

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  The 1A Auto Team
  

For more than 50 years, the Green family has been installing and using the same high quality auto parts that you'll find on our website. We actually use the parts we sell, and we've been selling online since 1999. Our company's mission is to make your car projects go smoothly, and to become your trusted source for auto parts. To this end, we treat our customers like family.

We employ USA based, knowledgeable support technicians. They'll help you through your project. We always make sure you get the right part. And we boast the industry's most generous returns policy. You won't find a company more passionate about auto parts than 1A Auto.