By 1972 the Monterey had quietly become a different kind of car — for the first time, automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes all came standard rather than optional.
Lead trim: Monterey 400 cu in Cleveland V8 (1971–1974) · up to 360 hp
Mercury Monterey1969–1974
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mercury Monterey 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.
FactBy 1972 the Monterey had quietly become a different kind of car — for the first time, automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes all came standard rather than optional.
For 1969 Mercury debuted an all-new full-size generation on a 124 in wheelbase (station wagons 121 in). The division pared its full-size range to the Marquis (completely replacing the Park Lane, with a full model range) and the Monterey (a renamed Monterey Custom replacing the Montclair); the Monterey wagon dropped its Commuter name (the Marquis Colony Park remained). More rounded than the previous generation, the Monterey and Monterey Custom were distinguished from the Marquis by their lack of hidden headlights. For 1971 the full-size line was restyled with Lincoln Continental-like design elements and Ford and Mercury introduced "pillarless hardtops" using frameless door glass on hardtops and four-door sedans; the Monterey and Marquis convertibles ended after the 1970 model year, leaving the Cougar the sole Mercury convertible. For 1972 an automatic transmission, power steering and power brakes were standard for the first time; for 1973 the line was redesigned around federally mandated 5 mph bumpers, adopting much of the Ford Galaxie's front fascia. Engines: the 351 Windsor and 400 cu in (6.6 L) Cleveland V8s were added for 1971, the final year for the 390; the 429 V8, standard on the Marquis from 1969, was an extra-cost option on all Montereys each year, including a two-barrel 320 hp version and a four-barrel 360 hp option from 1969 to 1971, both replaced by a single 209 net hp four-barrel 429 for 1972 (designed for regular, low-lead or unleaded fuel). For 1973–74 the 351 Windsor two-barrel was standard on base Montereys and the Cleveland-based 400 two-barrel on Monterey Custom (optional on base models); the 429 was discontinued after 1973 and Lincoln's 460 became the top option on all models for 1974. Mercury discontinued the Monterey after 1974 (in line with Ford retiring the Galaxie), consolidating its full-size range to the Marquis; in Canada the Monterey was not sold after 1963, supplanted by the resurrected Meteor.
Collectors Spotted in the Mercury Monterey Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mercury Monterey yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
7 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey 351 Windsor V8 (1971–1974) | 1971–1974 | V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Monterey 390 cu in FE V8 (1969–1971) | 1969–1971 | 6.4 L V8 | 265 hp | 390 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Monterey 400 cu in Cleveland V8 (1971–1974) | 1971–1974 | 6.6 L V8 | 171 hp | 314 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Monterey 429 cu in four-barrel V8 (209 hp net, 1972–1973) | 1972–1973 | 7.0 L V8 | 209 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Monterey 429 cu in four-barrel V8 (360 hp, 1969–1971) | 1969–1971 | 7.0 L V8 | 360 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Monterey 429 cu in two-barrel V8 (320 hp, 1969–1971) | 1969–1971 | 7.0 L V8 | 320 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Monterey 460 cu in V8 (1974) | 1974–1974 | 7.5 L V8 | 195 hp | 335 lb-ft | — | 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
The Monterey Premier's heated AND cooled front seats were a segment first — rivals from Honda and Toyota had nothing like it.
By 1972 the Monterey had quietly become a different kind of car — for the first time, automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes all came standard rather than optional.
Mercury dressed this Monterey to borrow Lincoln's prestige, right down to four horizontal headlamps — the whole lineup was marketed as styled 'in the Lincoln Continental tradition.'
For 1963, every non-convertible Monterey came standard with a power-retracting rear window nicknamed 'Breezeway' — its mechanism borrowed straight from Mercury's station wagon line.
This Monterey was drawn up as a maybe-Edsel before Mercury claimed it — so the design it ended up wearing was never meant to be a Mercury at all.
Chrysler debuted pushbutton shifting first, so for 1957 Mercury fired back with its own mechanical pushbutton transmission controls to compete head-on.
In 1955 the Monterey borrowed its engine straight from Ford's own halo car — the same 292 Y-block V8 doing duty under the hood of the new Thunderbird.
This Monterey's heater controls weren't styled like a car's at all — Mercury set them on levers angled like an airliner's flight deck, straight jet-age styling behind the wheel.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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The first-generation Lumina APV minivan was nicknamed the "Dustbuster" by the press for its sharply sloped windshield, which pushed the dashboard far forward of the driver.
Its steeply sloped windshield gave the Lumina APV one of the deepest dashboards ever fitted to a mass-produced car.
The first Presage wasn't really its own car underneath — most of its parts came straight from the Nissan R'nessa, with more shared with its platform twin, the Bassara.