For 1981 the Colony Park wagon picked up fuel injection and a 4-speed overdrive automatic shared with the Lincoln Continental — the first transmission of its kind fitted to any American full-size car.
Lead trim: Colony Park 302 cu in Windsor V8 (1979–1991)
Mercury Colony Park1979–1991
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mercury Colony Park yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactFor 1981 the Colony Park wagon picked up fuel injection and a 4-speed overdrive automatic shared with the Lincoln Continental — the first transmission of its kind fitted to any American full-size car.
For 1979 Ford redesigned its full-size sedan and wagons on the Panther platform, in line with the downsizing of the 1977 General Motors B-body cars. To remain competitive with the Buick Estate and Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser (1978 marked the end of the full-size Chrysler Town & Country wagon), the 1979 Colony Park shed over 11 inches in length, 6.6 inches in wheelbase, 0.4 inches in width and slightly over 1,000 lb in weight compared to its 1978 predecessor: 114.3 in wheelbase, 219 in long, 79.3 in wide, 56.5 in high, 4,032 lb. Though technically smaller than the "intermediate" Montego/Cougar wagon, it reduced cargo capacity only slightly, with 8-passenger seating standard. The Colony Park moved to the Grand Marquis line, the flagship of the Mercury brand, placing it above its Country Squire counterpart in trim and clearing room for a Marquis wagon without woodgrain. The 400 and 460 V8s were removed from all Ford cars: the Colony Park shared the 302 Windsor V8 with the Monarch, the previous base 351 Windsor offered as an option; for 1981 the 302 was given fuel injection (marketed as "5.0 L") and both engines paired with the 4-speed AOD overdrive, the first of its type in an American full-size car; for 1982 the fuel-injected "5.0" V8 became the sole engine in all Mercury full-size cars, with a carbureted 5.8 L V8 returning as a rare option during 1986. For 1983 the Colony Park became the sole full-size Mercury wagon, for 1984 the non-woodgrain Grand Marquis wagon was dropped, for 1987 GS and LS trims were introduced, and for 1988 it received a major update alongside the Grand Marquis (a more aerodynamic front end, modernized front seats); 1990 added a driver's airbag with a redesigned instrument panel and 3-point belts for all outboard seats, and 1991, a shortened model year, ended with production in December 1990. Total production was 124,027 (13,758 in 1979 and 3,104 in 1991).
Collectors Spotted in the Mercury Colony Park Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mercury Colony Park yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colony Park 302 cu in Windsor V8 (1979–1991) | 1979–1991 | 4.9 L V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Colony Park 351 cu in Windsor V8 (option) | 1979–1981 | 5.8 L V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
For 1981 the Colony Park wagon picked up fuel injection and a 4-speed overdrive automatic shared with the Lincoln Continental — the first transmission of its kind fitted to any American full-size car.
Counterintuitively, the big Colony Park wagon actually rode a shorter wheelbase than the Marquis sedans it was built alongside.
The 1966 Colony Park debuted Ford's two-way "Magic Doorgate" — a tailgate that could fold down like normal or swing open sideways like a door.
This Colony Park redesign actually shrank the car — about five inches shorter, six inches less wheelbase, and 500 fewer pounds than the 1960 model — and sales went up anyway.
The 1959 Colony Park only got its own exclusive chassis because Ford killed off the Edsel Corsair and Citation it was built to share with -- a platform by accident, not design.
The '57 Colony Park's party trick — a tailgate with a power-retractable rear window — was such a good idea Mercury reused the hardware for the Turnpike Cruiser's famous 'Breezeway' window.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
Cooling the C6 RS6’s twin-turbo V10 took seven separate radiators and four electric fans under the bonnet.
The original RS6 debuted Audi's clever hydraulic Dynamic Ride Control suspension — and enough owners got tired of its leaking dampers that they ripped the whole system out for plain coilovers.
The C7-generation RS6 Avant never officially reached America at all — buyers there got the RS7 Sportback instead, running the exact same engine and platform in a different body.
For a few years, this Outback's six-cylinder trim came with genuine McIntosh audio — the same esteemed hi-fi name found in home theaters, one of the only cars ever to get it from the factory.
Subaru didn't have the budget for an all-new SUV, so it dressed up a Legacy wagon instead. A Subaru of America executive later put it bluntly: "[the Outback] saved our company."
The new Outback's full-width tail light bar has a 2 ft ruler built in, for measuring whatever you are about to load.
This Outback shared Top Gear's Car of the Year crown — an unusual honor for a jacked-up wagon to split with the Ford Mondeo in 2007.
A wagon beat the SUVs at their own game: this Outback generation won Motor Trend's Sport/Utility of the Year award for 2010.