Car: Mercury Grand Marquis Coupe
Year: 1975
What makes it special: Marquis was a model line of entry-level luxury vehicles that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company from 1967 to 1986, recieving its name from a French nobility title, Marquis was sold across four generations as the divisional counterpart of the Ford LTD. Initially introduced as the flagship Mercury range, the Marquis line was expanded to include the Mercury Grand Marquis slotted above it, with the Mercury Colony Park serving as a station wagon variant. The first three generations of the Mercury Marquis were full-size vehicles.
What made it famous: For 1973, the Marquis received a minor restyling with a boxier look, giving it new protruding energy-absorbing “5-mph” bumpers and a new roofline. The 1975 models were slightly revised to look longer than the boxier 1973-1974 range. The Grand Marquis was introduced as a luxury trim line in 1975 when the Monterey series was dropped and all full-size Mercury’s took the Marquis name. The Grand Marquis was a trim level in its own right. It was also available prior to 1975 on Marquis Brougham which consisted of leather seats and trim. The 360 hp, 460 Big-Block V8 was again available on this generation and the 400 Cleveland replaced the 429 as the top engine in 1974. The 460 was standard on the Brougham and Grand Marquis through 1977. Paired with the 400 and 460 V8’s was the 3-speed C6 “Select-Shift” automatic.
Why I would want one: It’s a nice alternative to the usual Cadillac’s, etc as a luxury vehicle, plus you can’t get a Mercury anymore.
Fun fact: As Ford transitioned its product ranges to front-wheel drive, the Marquis was withdrawn after the 1986 model year, replaced by the Mercury Sable, which was the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Taurus.