The History of Lincoln Mercury Cars

The Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division produces Lincoln luxury cars and the Mercury, an upscale version of Ford. While Henry Ford is generally credited for initiating both brands to capture wealthy buyers, it was his son, Edsel, who was the brainchild behind the styling and implementation of Mercury and breathing life into the once stodgy Lincoln. Today, (2009) the Lincoln is doing reasonably well for Ford, but the Mercury line is struggling to stay alive.

Lincoln Origins

The Lincoln was founded by Henry Leland in 1917 as an answer to the Cadillac, but the company ran into financial trouble following a recession in the early 1920s. It was sold to Ford in 1922. The car, however, was dated and fared poorly against Cadillac, Pierce-Arrow, Packard and other luxury cars.

Rebirth

Henry Ford was never one to worry about aesthetics and cared little about automotive design. But Edsel developed a styling studio, which ultimately came up with the 1932 Lincoln V-12, a car built exclusively for Edsel and featuring European panache in styling.

Mercury

Edsel Ford wanted to create a niche market that appealed to professionals with a pocket not large enough for a Lincoln but appreciated a car a level or two higher than the basic Ford. In 1939, he founded the Mercury Division that emphasized interior luxury appointments, heavier use of body chrome and powertrain options.

Merger

The Mercury stood as its own division until 1945, two years after Edsel's death from cancer, when Henry Ford merged the section with Lincoln to become the Lincoln-Mercury Division. Rather than marketing an "upscale Ford," Henry likened the Mercurys to "junior" Lincolns.

Edsel Car

Henry Ford's desire for a junior Lincoln in the Mercury never caught on, but the Mercury line did a brisk business through the 1950s. When the ill-fated Edsel car debuted in 1957, the division was renamed Lincoln-Edsel-Mercury with the hope that Edsel would carry the same prestige as Mercury.

Edsel Out

The Edsel was a styling and sales disaster and discontinued in 1960. The division name returned to Lincoln-Mercury. Lincoln, however, was sailing along with good sales for its Continental and Mark Series line and later the Town Car. By 1998, Lincoln introduced its luxury sport-utility vehicle Navigator and in 2007 its MKX and MXZ cars that were well-received by the public.

Mercury Cars

The division produced some fine Mercury cars, including the compact 1960-77 Comet; Mercury's answer to the Mustang with the 1967-97 Cougar; the 1958 and later Park Lane; and the 1993-2002 Villager minivan. The Mercury, however, is struggling today to stay relevant as Ford cars continue to be offered with more high-end options. The division recorded 580,000 Mercurys sold in 1978 and 480,000 in 1993, but it has not exceeded 200,000 since. As of 2009, Ford is contemplating ending the division.