Through his spies, however, the old man got wind of what was going on. Edsel reasoned that if he could show his father a complete and functioning prototype, the older Ford would see the wisdom in replacing the T with a more modern car. He ordered trusted men in the design department to craft a modern, low-slung body onto a Model T frame. In the early 1920s, Edsel took advantage of a European trip by the elder Ford to engage in one such endeavor. Well known for his autocratic rule and his paranoia, Henry employed spies all over the company to report unauthorized activities. At the Ford Motor Company, the way Henry Ford saw things was the way they would be. His father, transfixed and obsessed with past success, flatly refused to acknowledge market realities. ![]() Edsel knew his company was missing the boat in this lucrative mid-priced arena. They wanted more than old Lizzy could give them. More and more of them sought an upgrade in comfort, style and power. The American public, who once salivated after the simple Model T, had now advanced in both status and income. Mercury was an entity forever in search of an identity.īy the early 1920s, General Motors, was enjoying tremendous success and profit with its popular mid-priced car lines, Buick, Oldsmobile and later Pontiac. Until the end, Mercury never stopped searching for its place within the Ford "family of fine cars," looking for its role in the nebulous space that its siblings did not occupy. To the casual observer, however, most of its offerings are long forgotten. Diehard Merc-o-philes would likely name a dozen more favorites ( make mine a ’68 Park Lane, please). There were moments when the brand’s star shown bright: The ’49 Merc is an automotive icon, and the ‘67 Cougar is one of the most beautiful cars ever made. And so it was for the Ford Motor Company’s middle child. It soon became just a collection of rebadged Fords with not much to offer but a different showroom. Mercury lost its way again during the malaise of the 1970s. In the 1960s it reverted back to being a stylish step up from the mainstream Ford brand and rose to new heights. In the late 1950s, the marque was pushed uptown to make room for the ill-fated Edsel, reshaping it into a cheaper alternative to Lincoln. Mercury indeed found initial success in the marketplace as a kind of super-Ford. From its origins in 1937, it was conceived as a bigger more powerful Ford. ![]() Mercury was a brand that was never quite sure of what it wanted to be. As a car guy, you could say that I was born under the Sign of the Cat. All this six-year old boy knew was that this was the best looking car he’d ever seen. ![]() I was a little kid then and couldn’t articulate the car’s artful blending of line and proportion that thrusting power stance of the 1965 Mustang, elegantly merged with the graceful restraint of the equally iconic 1961 Continental. A few days later I made my dad stop in front of the local Lincoln-Mercury dealership where he indulged me a few minutes so that I might give the new Cougar a proper looking over. They’re new.” A Mercury Cougar… I watched that impossibly pretty car slowly turn and disappear down a side street. “What’s that?” I asked my dad, voice full of wonder and pointing at the silver car ahead. From the front seat of my dad’s car – this was in the days before kids had to be strapped backwards into car seats - it was those sequential indicator lights that drew my attention. This writer’s moment came on a rainy winter day in early 1967. Some looked kind of strange, others set hearts aflutter. We always noticed some cars more than others. Everyone who truly loves cars can likely name that special moment when his Car Guy Eye opens.
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