Top Things We Miss About Old Cars: Hardtop Styling (As Seen on a 1974 Mercury Marquis)

[@Henry_Jones]

For me the #1 thing I miss about old cars is color choices, exterior and interior.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

Yes. Today’s cars are all shaped the same and they’re either black, white, or silver.

[@morthedgebuckle227]

And all the wood accents. I love them

[@Henry_Jones]

@@morthedgebuckle227 Honda (yes Honda) has them in the upper trils of some of their cars.

[@kirbywaite1586]

In 1967 even a Plymouth was available in 15 different paint colors.

[@czechmate6916]

I believe those days are gone forever. Dealers are going to load them up the way they want them,more money in their pockets 😡🤬

[@jeffrobodine8579]

Cars with the name Brougham and Landau with hood ornaments, hidden headlights and a big V-8 are what the American auto industry need back.

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

NO WE DON'T. YOU'RE A ROOKIE. THEY WERE BIG MONEY PITS😤😤😥😥💰💰💰💰💰💰MANY THINGS ALWAYS BREAKING DOWN. AND ROOFS WOULD QUICKLY PEEL AND FLAKE. AND RUST UNDER

[@morthedgebuckle227]

Absolutely!

[@aaronwilliams6989]

It all comes down to the consumer. If people still wanted cars like that and they met all the federal students and got the gas mileage we would still have cars like that. I understand you, though because I'm not a fan of modern cars, either.

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

@@aaronwilliams6989 And you so you' would be a fan of these rattling Gas hogs🐖🐷🐽that had massive rust issues! Major and minor parts' always breaking down too. Open Your blind eyes! They are mostly all gone for a major reason. They were junk! The ones that survived today should really give you a CLUE! THEY ARE ALL GARAGE KEPT! IN STORAGE!! 😂😂😂

[@derrickjackson6737]

I agree

[@Sedan57Chevy]

This video captures the three things I miss most- roomy comfortable colorful interiors, good ventilation thanks to vent windows and hardtop styling that doesn't induce buffeting, and good visibility. Four truly handsome cars here. Even when I can't get a hardtop, I still like frameless door glass. I know in terms of longevity it tends to have problems with window seals, but they just look nice and it's great opening and closing the doors when the windows are down. Feels much more airy.

[@billwerick]

The post car here looks like it has frameless glass side windows, which made it sort of a hybrid sedan-hardtop, like some GM cars (Olds 98 Luxury Sedan). A pure sedan was more stodgy; when you open the door, there is a steel frame on the top, and the window is raised and lowered within a channel in that frame, rather than resesting against rubber seals attached to the body.

[@jakereal3604]

I personally love any classic car with hidden headlamps. That was always something that “got” me as a kid!

[@jay241971]

Me too!

[@Veroxzes]

Oh man… Want. Such beautiful cars.

[@stephenloy3535]

Great video.I spent most of the day driving around in my 74 LTD Brougham coupe.Comfortable,roomy,nice body style (though not as nice as the Marquis coupe's),solid,silent cab,easy handling,plenty of torque,and opening it up on a hwy that 400 ,while not as powerful as,say,a 71,still gets up and moves ok,and always gets looks and smiles.

[@alexmerlin4764]

I personally loved how brown car looked with color keyed brown wheel covers more :) I wish Adam showed his whole collection once ❤

[@Primus54]

I do too. It would probably be big enough to look like a medium-sized used car lot!

[@radioguy1620]

I'm jealous enough already ! LO

[@michaelpfaff6009]

I agree. I have put a similar comment on his videos requesting a fleet update. I would love to see exactly what cars he has in his collection too!! I'm sure all of his followers would too!!

[@telequacker-9529]

The official name for that color could be "70s brown"

[@alexmerlin4764]

@@telequacker-9529 it had a recent comeback though, it was a very popular choice for VW brands group products in 2010s

[@aaronwilliams6989]

I like ALL those cars!

[@jamespolcyn8441]

Thank you for being a steward of these automobiles ❤

[@michaelheller8841]

I have been a Cadillac fan most of my life because of their look and styling. One thing that I like about your channel is that you're more of a Ford /Lincoln guy. The most important topics you talk about are quality, fit and finish. That is more important to me right now. You would have to go back to the 60's to where the quality, fit, and finish is on par with a Lincoln. Lincoln as well as Mercury has continued more of that tradition IMO. My next classic car will be a Lincoln or Mercury. Keep up the great work, I love to learn more about the classics. 👍

[@DSP1968]

What a treat to see all of these Mercurys together -- thank you, Adam!

[@Paul1958R]

Beautiful Mercurys!

[@MostlyBuicks]

The 68 wins the beauty contest here.

[@12345.......]

Glad to see spring is back in your area. I miss the porch talk videos.

[@OLDS98]

You can see the Lincoln influence on the 1974 Mercurys. You really see it on the exterior and interior. Things did change. The cars are nicely loaded as well. You have quite the collection of vehicles in your collection. Thank you for sharing Adam.

[@davidrupprecht2774]

You have a beautiful collection of Mercury’s.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

The ‘74 models look wonderful and I like them because we had a ‘73 which was almost identical. But to me, the ‘68 is a work of art.

[@rogergoodman8665]

If I didn't live in Pennsylvania, I'd probably be offering to be your personal on call car wash and detail man!!! I'd definitely never be late and never complain about anything!!!!

[@TonyM132]

Adam, you gotta tell us just how many motor vehicles you currently own! And an estimate of how many you have owned since you bought your first. You clearly have a very impressive collection.

[@gregstabryla9945]

Took many a road trip in a 76 Sedan DeVille, hard top. What a ride!

[@cliffkemper1455]

Those 68 Park Lane taillights are great. Always reminded me of Cadillac taillights of the same era, but better.

[@mikehotchkiss8975]

Great side by side. Much useful info locked away forever on the internet

[@errorsofmodernism7331]

I love the brocade interiors

[@stevefletcher2334]

thank you for highlighting these old beauties. I grew up when these were beat up and rusty and undesirable. You've shown them in an entirely new light.

[@RareClassicCars]

Thx! Few survived…

[@steveoh9838]

Your 72' coupe is just an amazing car. Been awhile since I've seen it...WOW.

[@teerocsgt]

What a cool Presentation, you not only share the Cars but you give great insight on the Designs of the Vehicles of a by gone Era, when Cars were Cars...

[@americarsqueensland1667]

What a joyful, fun experience it would have been visiting the dealer and choosing the options and features on your new car.

[@vacuumbed1]

The 1969-1970 LTD’s and XL’s had the good headlight vacuum actuator, one unit did both headlights.

[@corgiowner436]

Those big GM hardtops bring back some memories.

[@rustee_nyfe]

That unpillared hardtops looks just amazing. I wish one day I get one of those

[@brianhdueck3372]

Thanks again for taking us back in time when cars rode like cars. Smooth, quiet and content. With road conditions up here in Canada being on a steady decline I am inclined to buy a late 60’s early 70’s. road barge. I can appreciate the entombed smooth ride with inferior handling better than the bone jarring tire and suspensions of today.

[@jay241971]

Great description ". . . entombed, smooth ride. . ." Spot on. I miss that same riding experience that 70s cars offered. And like you, I do not appreciate the "bone jarring tire and suspensions of today."

[@paulparoma]

I like the seats and the dash on the '72 two-door. Very stylish.

[@bentrovato3082]

These cars are so cool. BOOK'EM DANNO!!!!

[@jameswillett7186]

I miss the BIG bench seats

[@jamespolcyn8441]

I love everyone of these autos.

[@johnplovanich9564]

I am always amazed at your automotive knowledge

[@edschulhof6303]

My parents had a 1966 Pontiac Grand Prix. Two door hardtop. I still think it is the most beautiful car we ever owned.

[@toronado455]

Great video. I like this format with comparing the cars. The 1972 would be my fav of these.

[@jroeger]

One of the things we love on our Mustang Gt convertible is driving with all the windows down, as close to a hardtop as possible !

[@DanEBoyd]

You've got quite the collection of fullsize Mercurys!

[@christopherkraft1327]

I miss the hi back twin comfort lounge seats of the 71 to 73. I miss cornering lights too!!! 🙂

[@markw4263]

I miss the hardtops, too. I understand the structural issues they created, but still - how cool they were made up for it.

[@ppeller3]

Adam, it was a pleasure meeting you today at Pasteiner's. Your channel is always a pleasure to watch. You are wiser than your age.

[@robertcass7723]

I love your collection of great Mercury’s!

[@georgeballow7028]

These cars are great but for me the passion ended in 1972. With the front bumper and EGR valve in ‘73 then the rear bumper and now air pump in 74 things just kept getting worse. In ‘72 I bought a Grand Prix which I still have but longed for the Mark IV and Thunderbird. My favorite of all time is the 1969 1970 Marauder X-100. Waiting for you to acquire one. Keep up the videos for us full size car lovers.

[@christiansanden8005]

Awesome cars❤❤❤Love that 68 Parklane, fantastic

[@KIPUKA77]

Lots of chrome, noticed the extra chrome edging along the body. Dad had a 77? Grand Marquis, quite the oceanliner!

[@regsmith7604]

My grandparents had a turquoise ‘68 4dr Marquis. It had the coldest 🥶 air conditioning I have ever felt, even to this day(Apr 2023). That R12!

[@JP-tj2wn]

I enjoy the 74's, but the 71 is even nicer in my opinion. The Park Lane is my fav by far. What a nice car!

[@OceanJoe-cy8rx]

I'm glad you are preserving these Mercs because I doubt anybody else is. As a Ford fan, of course I mean that in a good way. A video on the 1980-82 shrunken T-Birds please!

[@zythr9999]

Scrap yards love them.

[@fob1xxl]

MERCURY'S WERE A POWER HOUSE CAR in it's day. My folks owned a 1955. Then they bought another new one in 1964. It's hard to believe the car is gone.

[@volktales7005]

I miss the colours, the hardtops, the chrome, and my favourite '60's style whitewall tires! All these plus hidden headlights were cool features on my sadly gone '67 Cougar. I also cringe when I see that car's signature sequential turn signals on modern Audi cars (yuck!). Today I get my vintage kicks from a '66 Corvair Monza. Now that is a sexy hardtop!

[@dan0711123]

Younger people have no idea what a quiet ,roomy, wonderfully smooth ride these cars have

[@wilco3588]

I very much agree I love the hardtop my first car was a Dart Swinger hardtop had several more I think the last big hard top I had was a 74 Imperial even on a hot day if you open all those windows it just gives you so much space and such open air.

[@Delta_NWAB747fan]

I knew that was you I saw yesterday at cars and coffee! That red looks really good in person.

[@2packs4sure]

Adam I know it would be a lot of work but it would really help the white interior car to retrobright those plastic sections on the door panels..

[@roger628]

I remember that the 1971-72 tail lights were very prone to breakage, right at the point where they bend 90 degrees. Neighbor across the street had a '71 Marquis with that issue. We scoured the yards looking for a set (this was about 1977, in Saskatchewan, Canada) and they all had the same broken corners. I remember we finally did find a good set at SGI Salvage (this was the provincial government insurance yard). The wrecked car we took them off of was memorable in that it was a 1971 Meteor Montcalm 2-door hardtop fully loaded, all power, AC, cruise, tilt you name it, and it had the very rare bucket and console setup. This was the last year for it. In previous years you had to get a Meteor S33 if you wanted buckets. In '71 they were a stand-alone option , as with the '71 LTD-Galaxie. Looking back ,that car may well have been one-of-a-kind, given the low production numbers for Canadian cars . Pity that it didn't survive. Fun fact, 1970-72 Pontiac LeMans had a similar tail lamp sandwiched between a double bumper motif, and guess what, I had one and they were also prone to breakage right at that very same spot!

[@paulr7547]

I miss the big V8 rear drive cars . Great set of cars there. I immediately thought of Hawaii Five-0.

[@johntamlyn6383]

I particularly like the red interior on the ‘68, and the whole hardtop style is very attractive. I live in the UK 🇬🇧 and you only see this style on Mercedes coupes. Another interesting video 👏👏

[@rightlanehog3151]

Adam, The mercury is rising in Michigan so the Mercurys are rising from storage.

[@georgewilson1184]

The 72 is the prettiest has a very distinct style in and out

[@Sebastian_Dinwiddie]

Love my 74 Fury 2 door HT 😊

[@drelli441]

I love your knowledge of these old Mercury’s. I enjoy watching your videos. My dream car in 1972 was a 4 door Mercury Montego Brougham. I was 20 and thought if I had one, I would be so cool… Have you ever come across one? I did own a 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis Brougham. One of the comfiest and smoothest riding cars I’ve ever had!

[@joemazzola7387]

The current dodge Challenger is a pillared coupe disguised to look like a hardtop The 78 Malibu classic 2door and monte Carlo was made to resemble a hardtop as well

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Enjoyed!!! 👍👍

[@JohnnyAloha69]

All neat cars but that 68 makes the others look like the box the 68 came in!

[@davidmckinney6577]

I love your 68 mercury they are beautiful cars

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool 🥰

[@kirbywaite1586]

When " hardtops" first appeared they were often referred to as " convertible hardtops" because in many instances they actually used the chrome- framed windows from the convertible version of the car for the " hardtop" model. That's why so many of the early hardtops were only two-door models. Four-door convertibles had stopped being produced in America in the very early 1940s. I believe the 1949 Cadillac was the first hardtop pillarless coupe offered. Then in 1954 the Cadillac offered a four- door pillarless hardtop.

[@danielulz1640]

They were actually called hard topped convertibles and yes they often used the same windshield, windows and doors as the soft top. Cadillac introduced thier four door hardtop for the 1956 model year, the first Sedan de Ville.

[@pcno2832]

The wonders of add-copy hyperbole!. It reminds me of a brochure I dug up for the rental community (now a condominium) where my parents lived just after their wedding; the brochure, from 1945, bragged that the units had "air conditioning", because the forced-hot-air furnaces had filters. There was no cooling, but in 1945 the definition of "air conditioning" meant any kind of conditioning, so it was not considered deceptive.

[@RyanMoran1992]

Adam - being able to directly compare the two, do you notice any difference in body rigidity between the pillared and hardtop models? I’ve heard non-pillared cars can feel a bit more ‘twisty’, although I understand many were beefed up underneath to mitigate this. Your experience would be interesting!

[@RareClassicCars]

Not really. I more notice how rigid these are compared to the 71-6 GM full sizers

[@RyanMoran1992]

@@RareClassicCars very interesting. I think the FoMoCo vehicles were the best built of the big 3 of this era

[@LongIslandMopars]

​@@RareClassicCars "Jiggly" sort of describes those GM rides back in the day.

[@johnlandacre767]

Perhaps I’m not remembering correctly, but my 72 Chevy Caprice seemed to have a very quiet and comfortable ride. I don’t remember a jiggling characteristic to the ride, but it has been 47 or so years ago. If I had had a 70 model to compare it to, maybe I would have noticed a difference.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

Love Mercurys. “Better than a Ford, not quite a Lincoln”.

[@cde1968]

Hi Adam: just a little tidbit of information I thought you might find interesting. In the early 80's I was actually able to get a new (OEM) valance panel from Ford for my 71 Marquis. I remember the incredibly long box it came in. Ford's label outside called it a "gravel shield".

[@phillipbouchard4197]

Hi Adam. Enjoyed this video of your Mercury collection. I do not care for the 1972 body design as it looks too bloated. The 1974's are some of the most beautiful designs Mercury made in my opinion. Also the 1967 and 1968 Park Lanes are terrific cars and I always enjoyed watching Hawaii Five- O just to see Mc Garretts cars !

[@Golbez1991]

With all these cars out at the same time passerbys will think it's a car show XD

[@MostlyBuicks]

YES! I so much miss the demise of the hardtop by the early to mid 1970s.

[@christianbugatticg]

WOW!! Great video, very informative, and I want to buy those cars!!!!! Lol!

[@distilledwater2463]

Thanks for the great videos Adam. As always mention the ‘68 Park Lane & the ‘74 Marquis, it will lead to memories of Hawaii Five-o. Any chance we will hear you discuss the famed triple black 1968 Park Lane Brougham that is in Illinois?

[@RareClassicCars]

I will steer clear of that. I know many experts who believe it is not what the owner says it is. And, I believe that is likely true.

[@distilledwater2463]

@@RareClassicCars That is interesting you say that. I remember seeing photos of the car showing a hole for a power antenna option on the left rear quarter panel. As any real fan knows McGarrett’s car had a mast antenna located on the front right fender!

[@roger628]

@@distilledwater2463 That's very interesting. There's sure enough stories on the web about the owner acquiring the car from Hawaii, and shipping it back to Chicago. It was mentioned that every panel was replaced on it. Maybe the only quarter panel he could find was one with an antenna hole. But why wouldn't he weld that hole up?

[@distilledwater2463]

@@roger628 My thoughts exactly!

[@leahcimthgirw3163]

Wow nice cars

[@manthony225]

Beautiful cars. The coupe is a knockout.

[@Christianpreaching]

For some reason matchbox really like that 1968 model and made a bunch of cars, sedans and wagons

[@spinb]

Cannon and Barnaby Jones drove Lincolns/Fords, too, I think.

[@pcno2832]

1:34 The red car seems to have more-or-less what GM would have called a "Colonade" design in those years, minus the rounded window corners that made GM's A-body sedans and the Fleetwoods of that era distinctive. The vinyl roof still emphasizes the lines of the hard top, but the red pillar gives itself away. I can see why automakers were moving away from totally pillar-less designs, when, for any given level of rollover safety, a pillar-less car would require more bracing in the front and rear to compensate for the lack or center support for the roof, meaning more weight, more engineering costs, and still less resistance to flexing. In an era of greater expectations for safety, efficiency and handling, there were simply too many downsides to a pillar-less design. But I'm surprised no manufacturers tried putting black pillars just a bit inboard behind the seam between 2 frame-less windows. That would have provided the look of a pillar-less design while the windows were up, a slightly more open feel with them down, but still the strength of a 3 pillar design. It would still have been vulnerable to some of the squeaks and leaks for which pillar-less hardtops were famous, but it would have combined some of the beloved features of hardtops with the structural integrity that was required in the malaise era.

[@hawaiifiles]

All beautiful cars and the 1974 Marquis from Hawaii Five-0 is still around today. It was featured a few times in the reboot of Hawaii Five-O in the 2010s.

[@danmccarthy4700]

I have a Pontiac G6 convertible and honestly it's nice to just put all the windows down and drive it like a pillarless hardtop.

[@julios1968]

Those models are like riding on a pillow.

[@audieconrad8995]

Mercury had it going on at this time. Beautiful cars - poor man's Lincoln.

[@monarch1957]

I miss the hardtops of the 50's to mid 70's.

[@althunder4269]

I'm "crazy 'bout a Mercury"

[@derrickjackson6737]

Marquies Brougham semi luxury back in the day float like a Cadillac

[@581rma]

One thing I dislike about the early 70s sedans was the fact they relocated the climate controls to the driver side. At least it appears Ford was the first manufacture to move it back to the center for 1974 as opposed to GM and Chrysler which did a few years later.

[@MostlyBuicks]

I also miss the cloth brocade interiors of the 1960s and early 70s.

[@P.Galore]

What was the thinking of making both hardtop and pillared hardtop of the same model in the same year?

[@danielulz1640]

Economy, Ford could offer "two different models" at a lower manufacturing cost. The roof and doors were the same. Some people still thought that sedans were roomier than hardtops.

[@pcno2832]

The pillared sedans had the advantages of fewer leaks and squeaks, less chassis flexing, better safety and in the case of the GM B-bodys with full frames, less damage from people trying to close the door by pulling on the window glass. A lot of them were sold to the government and other fleet buyers.

[@arevee9429]

Love the '68. Cost cutting is evident in the newer cars and the gigantic post-72 front bumpers spoil the look. I remember the '72 to '73 changes and the cheapening of the newer car was evident.

[@janicegagnon6770]

From Jan's husband. I thought a four door with a B pillar was called a sedan. My hope is to one day purchase a 68 Ford XL, preferably with the GT trim.

[@pcno2832]

They were in the sales brochures, but in reality, the hardtops were also sedans, by the dictionary definition.

[@jetsons101]

What I like about older cars is a Chevy looks like a Chevy and Ford looks like a Ford and a Dodge looks like a Dodge and so on. Now they all look almost the same. The Corvette really stands out as did the Viper.

[@timbullough3513]

Deep cut pile carpeting. Brougham doo dad badging interior details. Stand up hood ornaments. Chrome around the windows. Chrome bumpers. Proud manufacturers with old school cool engineering names ... Torqeflite, Turbo Hydramatic, Dynaride ...

[@georgewilson1184]

Jack Lord used his own personal 68 Park lane on the show in the first season when the series first aired

[@distilledwater2463]

You maybe thinking of the’74 Marquis which was used to ferry Jack Lord to and from the studio/location as well as for filming. At the end of the series Jack Lord arranged to give that car to his stuntman John Nordlum.

[@MrZdvy]

I’m surpriced parking these 4 stunning cars outside didn’t draw a crowd.

[@airplanes42]

Awesome old cars. I miss the size and the styling. Cars are cookie cutter now, but they are so much more reliable.

[@stevespatola763]

Do a video on the Tri Five coupes vs. The Four Doors, both sedans and Sport Sedan, which are the 4 door hardtop. Lots of differences! 55's didn't have a Sport Sedan. They arrived in 56. Buick snd Olds had them in 55.