San Francisco Street Sighting - 1965 Mercury Park Lane Marauder
The 1965 Mercury full-size line is fascinating to me. Someone at Ford must have thrown away all the French curves and left the drafting staff with yardsticks - both for design and for measurement. Few vehicles approach the sheer military grade right-angle-ness of a '65 Mercury Park Lane.
I've known about this car for a while and unfortunately caught it in the middle of some repairs that had the rear bumper and right taillight off. The Marauder package was the top performing large Mercury, roughly equivalent to the Ford Galaxie 500/XL. It came with bucket seats, a center console and one of three large-displacement V8s.
This one is a four-door hardtop wearing a set of interesting mag-wheel-look hubcaps. I searched online for the style and it appears to possibly be a modified version of the Deluxe Wheel Cover painted to resemble spokes and decorated with simulated lug nuts. The paint job is old but doesn't appear original, simply because the driver side mirror is blue and there's overspray on the frame and exhaust system, but the paint may actually be a factory color. It looks a lot like Code O Aquamarine with a Polar White roof. There's some rust to deal with, which it looks like the owner is in the process of treating. The Lincoln hood ornament is an unusual touch I've seen on a couple of Mercurys but it doesn't seem to be factory. Starting in 1965 these cars were built "in the Lincoln Continental tradition" and both brands would forever be known as the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford. So I can understand why some might be aspirational and put the hood ornament on a car that actually does look similar to a '65 Continental from the front.
I've liked these cars since I played with one of my father's old Lesney Matchbox toys, a '65 Park Lane police car, as a kid. I'm glad that this one is getting fixed up.
this was my grandfather's car, he bought it brand new in November 1964. He put 500,000 miles on this car and drove it just about everywhere across the states. This car did a lot for this family, my mother's birth and her brother's birth and my brother's birth and my birth we were all picked up from the hospital from this car. My grandparents honeymoon. My parents' marriage, just about everything. The car was restored in 1991 by my uncle. The car was used till about 2001 when my grandfather's brother died, and he then started driving his brother's car. So, this car started to sit mainly as a backup car, over the years it rusted and rusted really bad. I tried to help find a parts car for many years and nothing really came through. time went by and the poor old car was rusting. On October 2, 2018. My grandfather passed away at 85. The next day the rusty hood broke off the hinges. The car continued to sit. I figured I could have restored it on my own and keep it with me, but my parents would not let me. the car sat and my uncle who was supposed to take care of it did nothing. The car then got impounded after not being registered because my uncle never registered it. I wanted to pull it out of the yard, but again my parents would not let me, and my uncle decided to do nothing. I never saw it again. I would do anything to have it back. unfortunately, my family does not. No one ever listens to the youngest. I miss my grandfather we were very good friends. Did projects and learned lot. I do at least have his 84 Volvo 240 wagon that he took after his brother died, spent a lot of time growing up in that car with my grandfather. I drive that car everywhere; it is my daily driver. I will always miss the old mercury and my grandfather Robert R.I.P Mercury 1964-2021 and Robert 1933-2018
Thank you for posting your story. I'm sorry for your loss, both your grandfather and the car. It was a beautiful vehicle in its day and it sounds like you had a wonderful relationship.
Update: Sadly appears to have been scrapped at the Richmond, CA Pick 'n Pull yard as of August 2021.
ReplyDeletethis was my grandfather's car, he bought it brand new in November 1964. He put 500,000 miles on this car and drove it just about everywhere across the states. This car did a lot for this family, my mother's birth and her brother's birth and my brother's birth and my birth we were all picked up from the hospital from this car. My grandparents honeymoon. My parents' marriage, just about everything. The car was restored in 1991 by my uncle. The car was used till about 2001 when my grandfather's brother died, and he then started driving his brother's car. So, this car started to sit mainly as a backup car, over the years it rusted and rusted really bad. I tried to help find a parts car for many years and nothing really came through. time went by and the poor old car was rusting. On October 2, 2018. My grandfather passed away at 85. The next day the rusty hood broke off the hinges. The car continued to sit. I figured I could have restored it on my own and keep it with me, but my parents would not let me. the car sat and my uncle who was supposed to take care of it did nothing. The car then got impounded after not being registered because my uncle never registered it. I wanted to pull it out of the yard, but again my parents would not let me, and my uncle decided to do nothing. I never saw it again. I would do anything to have it back. unfortunately, my family does not. No one ever listens to the youngest. I miss my grandfather we were very good friends. Did projects and learned lot. I do at least have his 84 Volvo 240 wagon that he took after his brother died, spent a lot of time growing up in that car with my grandfather. I drive that car everywhere; it is my daily driver.
ReplyDeleteI will always miss the old mercury and my grandfather Robert
R.I.P Mercury 1964-2021 and Robert 1933-2018
Thank you for posting your story. I'm sorry for your loss, both your grandfather and the car. It was a beautiful vehicle in its day and it sounds like you had a wonderful relationship.
Delete