1972 Mercury: Land Barge with a couch inside - [Dealer Film]

[@somersetdc]

RIP Mercury......we miss you.

[@thomasihle2279]

Those were the days! I had a Colony Park station wagon with the optional 460 engine along with the optional 4-wheel disc brakes. Not only would it scat, but it would also stop on the proverbial dime. It was a thirsty beast, but how I enjoyed that car.

[@ChristopherGaslighted]

My Aunt Pearl had an Ivy colored sedan. I was born in 67, so was a kid that liked to play in it. But when our neighbors across the street came home in an emerald green W123 1977 sedan, brand new, it was game over 😂. My parents had plain jayne Pontiac/Oldsmobile. But when my GM loyal Mom went to trade that Olds in 1982, i talked her into an upgrade, new Buick Electra Limited. She was real proud of that car.

[@nicj99]

I just bought a 73 colony park from eBay auction 90,000 original miles got it for $5100. No rest straight clean front seat needs reupholstered and the AC doesn't work that's about it. I knew it would be thirsty so I'm ready for that I haven't picked it up yet, still a couple weeks away

[@its.just.me.1.2.3.]

The 1971 Mercury Grand Marquis is probably the most beautiful example ever produced IMO.

[@cde1968]

Absolutely. I had a 4-door green one.

[@leedaniels7196]

I agree too!.👍

[@DSP1968]

Thank you so much for putting this old film strip online! They are such a treat to watch and learn from.

[@autochronicles8667]

Yeah I got some more good ones on the way.

[@T-41]

Ford had a clear, successful concept in mind for Mercury in this period- baby Lincoln. Thanks for showing this.

[@autochronicles8667]

Yeah they were definitely looking to steal some Caddy/Lincoln/Imperial sales...

[@TerenceA.Ramsey-lc3vd]

About 46 yrs earlier, The Harpers had a '71 4dr. Monterey dark green; Dwight and Janie Bates drove a similar model, 4dr. brown Marquis! A car was a car to me then, 'til around 1980-81, I was able to distinguish between a Monterey and Marquis!!

[@TerenceA.Ramsey-lc3vd]

Summer 1990, Uncle Leon bought a '72 Mercury Monterey Cst. 4dr. lt. green w/white vinyl top-one tight ride! He gave it away in '92 after returning to his hometown of Elkhart, Indiana! April 1 marks 12 yrs of his passing (Palm Sunday, 2012-RIP!)!!

[@arnepianocanada]

I had a 1972 Ford Country Squire wagon. '71-2 Ford & Mercury large cars to me hit styling peaks - especially '71 Marquis lines with superior front grille and rear car-wide red lights & reflector.

[@trudygreer2491]

My folks bought a new Colony Park in '69, and my sister had a 14-yo '72 Brougham.. both marvelous, beautiful cars..

[@kevinmc4500]

I have a ‘67 colony Park…. I so love it

[@trudygreer2491]

@@kevinmc4500 Does your wagon have the "DFRS"s, or a rear-facing 3rd seat?

[@kevinmc4500]

@@trudygreer2491 DFRS

[@joeseeking3572]

One of the best medium - upper medium priced cars of the 70's. Did everything well - except handling - and the Brougham interiors (71 just a tad nicer) were superb. Much more solidy built than GM stuff. While Mercury would retain some seperation from Ford until the Panther platform in 79, 1971-72 were probably the peak years of this distinction, even after the Grand Marquis arrived (as a stand alone model) for 75 as you could basically duplicate the interior with the LTD Landau Luxury Group option (though at about $700, not so many did). FoMoCo gets credit for offering radials a year or two before GM & Chrysler.

[@autochronicles8667]

I don't think anyone was going racing in these :) but WOW was the suspension soft :)

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

True, but General Motors had incredible owner loyalty at that time in the full-size market so they still dominated the market. But Chrysler Corporation quality was declining fast at that time (their redesigned 1974-1978 full-size models did not sell nearly as well as the earlier fuselage 1969-1973 models). The 1972 Ford LTD Brougham and 1972 Lincoln Continental did have a cleaner design overall than the 1972 Monterey and Marquis. In that era, Henry Ford II strived for high build quality, lavish sound insulation, and plenty of rubber mountings on his full-size models...all to be competitive with GM.

[@paulcheek5711]

what a REAL car looks like

[@rodneygolden2796]

Super Great find! One of of my favorite things! Bring us MORE of this car in particular! Thanks for this!

[@autochronicles8667]

I have a large collection of late 60s early 70s Ford stuff... It had some 50s stuff tossed in like the Leave it to Beetle and the Breezeway film... very cool stuff to come

[@FLStelth]

I wish I could drive my 74 Mercury Montego again, Or my 79 Cougar....I liked those Merc land yachts

[@matador521]

Hugely enjoyable, 15 minutes flashed by!

[@Normanx964]

These were genuine baby Lincolns and a good value.

[@monsterstereos1836]

I'm sold! I'll have to rush to my Mercury Dealership and place my order pronto!

[@recioyoung8447]

LOVED This video!!! Great memories!!! ☺☺☺

[@rightlanehog3151]

Thanks for the upload!

[@autochronicles8667]

You bet!

[@ryanpoortenga2098]

I have a 72 LTD and I want to upgrade to one of these bad boys.

[@kennethanway7979]

I had a 78 town coupe...460 engine,dual exhaust...carter AFB..it would fly! Miss that car!

[@Caddyboy56]

I always thought this particular year Merc and body style was sharper looking than the Lincoln. I miss these beautiful road machines. Being a TEXAN driving big cars in the 70's was a right of passage. Kid's today have to make due with trucks and SUVS 😂

[@2packs4sure]

I never realized that the 1971 and 1972 Mercury Monterey had its own specific dashboard and instrument panel,, those are the only 2 years they did that...

[@autochronicles8667]

expensive... Some accountant failed on that one.

[@2packs4sure]

Yeah, a lot of expensive for no real reason.@@autochronicles8667

[@BELCAN57]

And then the "gas crisis" and everything started to shrink.

[@greglechowski5030]

5000 pound land yacht… I wonder how many babies were conceived in the back seat of these cars!

[@rcaive0875]

Probably not many...these were mostly owned by old people. lol

[@greglechowski5030]

@@rcaive0875 That is true however that doesn't mean the kids didn't borrow the land yacht and....you know!

[@ChristopherGaslighted]

My Aunt Pearl had an Ivy colored one. I used to play in it as a little kid. Parents were GM.people.

[@lindaeasley5606]

Big is beautiful ❤ Two of the best selling American cars in the 1970s was the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Chrysler Cordoba I miss those colors the cars came in - gold ,maroon ,cream and powder blue

[@leedaniels7196]

Powder blue was an amazing color!.Most makes used that color back in the day!.

[@jameskash1306]

Land yacht love it....not medium..😊 Sweet ride

[@kennethanway7979]

Actually was average size! All cars were big.

[@TheSpritz0]

THANK YOU for this gem, I remember these!! BIG "THUMBS UP"!!! I just SUBSCRIBED, keep it up!!

[@autochronicles8667]

Thanks for the sub! I got a lot more Ford stuff.

[@derrickjackson6737]

My Great Uncle had a 71 Marquis Brougham 4'dr semi lurxuy fully loaded Surper clean

[@kennethanway7979]

Early ABS? I never knew this!

[@arnepianocanada]

1971-2 large Mercurys had a hunkered-down, Command the Road look recalling the "every inch a Buick" last-'60s design philosophy at GM. '73 & on, Mercs (and Fords) lost artistry I think.

[@sterlinsilver]

The 72 Grand Marquis brougham shown here is one of the best looking cars of the 70's (although the 71 Monterey looked better then the one in 72 in my opinion)

[@kmyre]

The Plymouth Roadrunner begs to differ

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

I'll take the 1975-1978 Marquis Brougham for the best looking full-size Mercury of the 1970s.

[@morvantg]

Best breaking system ever had . I used them on I -10 when traffic suddenly came to stop the antilock brakes were crash saving Blue Leather interior never cracked . at 13 miles per gallon on Highway not bad .

[@bigcrowfly]

Today the EVs like the Tesla weigh much more than these (even though these land barges were larger). We have gone backwards.

[@jw77019]

Fact check please.

[@althunder4269]

I'd take a 1972 Mercury Marquis over a new Tesla any day.

[@junctionroadparklandsvlog5035]

Until the middle east war gets worse and oil goes to $10 per gallon. EV drivers will be laughing at you.@@althunder4269

[@junctionroadparklandsvlog5035]

@@jw77019 1972 Mercury Marquis 4782 lb, Tesla model 3 4065 lb. Tesla model Y 3920 lb. Mercury about 800lbs heavier than any Tesla.

[@kennethanway7979]

Sad, but true!

[@SimirJohnson]

Better ride than a $29k limousine - wow, thats impressive these days!

[@2packs4sure]

I used to have an old Consumer Reports from 1972 where they tested the Mercury Marquis against Olds, Buick, Chrysler, "I think",, not sure exactly anymore,, but it won,,, the Mercury was the winner...

[@autochronicles8667]

I think they chose correctly. The GM's were all due for a refresh(they rode that horse into the ground), Mopar's were giant boat blobs and also a 4 year old design? Chrysler would copy Fords designs mostly in 74.. I swear the 74 Imperial is off the Ford line... Chrysler was like WTF do we make? Designers were all drunk and scared i think.

[@2packs4sure]

Lol @@autochronicles8667

[@louiskats5116]

Where is Adam from Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History he owns plenty of Mercury’s & he loves them & I can see why. Good day Adam, Louis Kats from Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺

[@autochronicles8667]

Yeah, I know he has a nice one.

[@raylocke282]

I had a 1979 Lincoln Towne ,basically the same car.Had a 400 cu in engine.17 mpg per imperial gal. Fully eqiped Cartier model.

[@autochronicles8667]

I doubt the 72 got that but not sure you bought it for gas mileage :)

[@kennethanway7979]

I had a 78 town coupe...put dual exhaust, better air breather....it would do 110 all day, and get 19 mpg!

[@althunder4269]

I want to buy one of these. Where's the local Mercury dealer?

[@kingkrimson8771]

Just down the street from the local Pontiac and Oldsmobile dealers...

[@autochronicles8667]

ack.... pfffftttbbbbb... yeah sad.... Thought Pontiac would at least survive... and it should have....

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

Next to the Plymouth and American Motors dealers...and across the street from the Studebaker dealer

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

@@autochronicles8667 I recall the Aztek and T1000, LOL.

[@leedaniels7196]

Across the street from the Nash,DeSoto,and Packard Dealers….

[@Stevenimich]

When Americans made wonderful cars…. The Big 3 are now a shadow of their former selves.

[@Coldpack13]

Catered to the emphysema crowd.

[@rayherbst6655]

My brother would say, “stratolounger”

[@kennethanway7979]

Those were great from 30mph on....

[@davidpancerev9658]

Watered em down starting 1973. Power declined as well. Shared dash w/ Ford, etc.

[@kennethanway7979]

For the frugal minded person who could afford a Lincoln, but didn't want to FLAUNT IT!

[@NoNo-iz8hd]

Land yacht!

[@johneddy908]

Did Mercury offer a Park Lane model during the 1970s?

[@cadillacguy1890]

The Park Lane was discontinued after the 1968 model year. For the 1969 model year, it was replaced by the Marquis. Marquis was introduced in the 1967 model year as a premium model over the Park Lane, but for 1967 and 1968 it was only a 2 door hardtop. In 1969 the Marquis name was expanded to both a 4 door hardtop and post sedan. Both Marquis and Marquis Brougham trim levels were available through 1974. In 1975, the Monterey nameplate was sunset, Marquis became the “entry” Mercury, Marquis Brougham was the step up from Marquis, and Grand Marquis became the top of the line Mercury. The Grand Marquis name remained throughout Mercury’s existence.

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

@@cadillacguy1890 The full-size Mercury was a rather weak seller during most of the 1960s...despite the unique Breezeway design from 1963-1967. Most people at that time thought it was more of a highly-decorated Galaxie than a true medium-priced car. However, the redesign for 1969 was very important for changing that perception as the big Mercury now looked and drove more like a Lincoln Continental. The last full-size Mercury with its own engineering was the 1960...but sales were not good so Robert McNamara decided that the 1961/1962 models would basically be a retrimmed Galaxie.

[@axjason]

Yeah, these days you can barely fit three small boxes and any fucking trunk of any car these days 😂😂😂😂😂 you get what I’m saying !

[@GoodAfterNoon]

Nowadays you need to buy a full-size truck to get comparable power and cargo capacity

[@LearnAboutFlow]

"And new for '72, we only hired colorblind interior designers for that special look you won't get with competitors' vehicles" Seriously, these are great looking cars, but they really could have made the interiors more attractive even for the era.

[@autochronicles8667]

Very comfy though... LUXURY :)

[@LearnAboutFlow]

@@autochronicles8667 Yes, absolutely true. And one of the best 'characters' on Hawaii Five-O with Jack Lord.

[@kennethanway7979]

Sor, caps lock got stuck.

[@autochronicles8667]

lol No worries :)

[@petervitti9]

I always that they were way too big. I remember when the 1979 marquis came out; I thought what a beautiful replacement.

[@its.just.me.1.2.3.]

We had a 1979 MGM when I was a kid and it was the nicest car we ever had by far. I do love the earlier larger models as well.

[@billcurtis5925]

Beep!

[@taracushingberry1]

🤔

[@joesinkovits6591]

I’d rather have one of these than any Asian piece of crap available today-I was dumb enough to buy three of them.

[@VintageVaughnVehiclces]

What young people are never told why cars were so big in the 70s it's because everybody drank and drove. And I mean they were completely drunk weaving left and right down the road go off the road take out the mailbox run over the light post in the front yard come back down run over a small retaining wall hit some trash cans back on the pavement these cars were Dependable you could be plastered and mow over all kind of stuff and still be able to weave your way home. These modern cars you can hit one simple trash can on the side of the road and the damn thing's dead and your plastered and the law enforcement comes and gets you and takes you to jail but these big old land barges you made it home and one another drunk hit you you didn't get hurt that's why the cars were so big back in the day. Now they want everybody to be sober and drive little tiny Echo pods one whack it's on a rollback. Not these big land barges, the station wagon with the whole right side with this major deep gas down the side where the doors didn't open dropping off the kitties at school and they have to get out the left side doors because Mom was a country club drunk. Oh gone are the days of the happy memories when a home was affordable when one the people in the marriage was drunk and everything worked out just fine. When the car got way too many dents and dad got a new one you simply give the mangled up old one to the maid and she drives a clunker over to the ghetto where she came from to work from every day.

[@autochronicles8667]

Lol wow...