Thursday, May 27, 2010

Mercury Falling


Ford is set to end its Mercury line, according to reports. The Mercury has been around for the Baby Boomer lifetime, but not one of the more memorable brands, so I googled some images to see what I remembered, particularly from my boyhood when my friends and I knew every model of every car by sight, and would sit by the nearby two-lane highway and name them as they passed.

The images in the above collage (click it to enlarge) are from 1949 to about 1960. Some I immediately recognized. Grilles suggested faces, and I remember that white one at bottom right in particular, a kind of shark face. Others look familiar but some look a lot like Fords, others like Buicks. Mercury was the middle brand in the Ford line, between Fords and Lincolns. Lincolns were pretty distinct, until they all started looking like each other in the 60s.