If the 1962 Mercurys haven’t change much over their predecessors, the same cannot be said about the 1963. The bodies are somewhat less round, taking on a new shape underlined by an upper body accent. Surprisingly, Mercury reverts to the six-taillight arrangement seen in 1961. But the most important feature of the year is the reintroduction of the peculiar reverse-slant rear window, unseen at Mercury since the disappearance of the Turnpike Cruiser in 1958. This time, the whole range, with the obvious exclusions of the station wagons and convertibles, receives such a treatment in the form of “Breezeway” bodies, but a radically different semi-fastback “Marauder” hardtop coupe is also added during the year. An option of limited availability is the big “Super Marauder 427” V-8, introduced during the model year. This large 7.0-litre block is actually the same engine as the one which propels Mercury thoroughbreds in Nascar events.
Mercury's 1963 range includes four lines: Mercury Monterey, Mercury Monterey Custom, Mercury Monterey S-55 and a Mercury Colony Park station wagon.
Mercury Monterey
No more six-cylinder engines for the Monterey, as Mercury recovers a higher status than it has had for the last two years. Two- or four-door, sedan or hardtop, most Mercurys now receive a Breezeway body style with inverted-slant rear window. The centre part of this window can be retracted, the manufacturer claiming that this system insures superior ventilation of the passenger compartment. An additional Marauder is introduced mid-year, which rear window also features a very important slant... but in the opposite direction as this car has a (semi) fastback roof. Inspired by Nascar racers, the Marauder style is reserved to the hardtop coupe.
● Introduction: 1960. Construction: body on separate chassis. Engine: water-cooled V-8, 6.4-litre, 250 hp, mounted at the front. Optional engines: V-8, 6.4-litre, 300 hp; V-8, 6.4-litre, 330 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 385 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 405 hp; V-8, 7.0-litre, 410 hp; and V-8, 7.0-litre, 425 hp (6.7-litre exclusively available with 4-speed manual gearbox, 7.0-litre with all manual gearboxes; 7.0-litre available from mid-year). Transmission: to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual gearbox. Four-speed manual and three-speed automatic gearboxes optional. Suspension: independent at the front, rigid axle at the rear. Brakes: hydraulic, to drums on all four wheels. Servo optional. Length: 546 cm. Top speed: n/a. Range: two-door “Breezeway” sedan, four-door “Breezeway” sedan, two-door “Breezeway” hardtop coupe, two-door “Marauder” fastback hardtop coupe (from mid-year), four-door “Breezeway” hardtop sedan.
Mercury Monterey Custom
The Monterey Custom is somewhat plusher than the plain Monterey, proposing more chrome and a better upholstery. It also proposes the convertible coupe version that the Monterey lacks.
● Introduction: 1960 for this generation of Mercury full-sizes, 1961 for the Monterey Custom. Construction: body on separate chassis. Engine: water-cooled V-8, 6.4-litre, 250 hp, mounted at the front. Optional engines: V-8, 6.4-litre, 300 hp; V-8, 6.4-litre, 330 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 385 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 405 hp; V-8, 7.0-litre, 410 hp; and V-8, 7.0-litre, 425 hp (6.7-litre exclusively available with 4-speed manual gearbox, 7.0-litre with all manual gearboxes; 7.0-litre available from mid-year). Transmission: to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual gearbox. Four-speed manual and three-speed automatic gearboxes optional. Suspension: independent at the front, rigid axle at the rear. Brakes: hydraulic, to drums on all four wheels. Servo optional. Length: 546 cm. Top speed: n/a. Range: four-door “Breezeway” sedan, two-door “Breezeway” hardtop coupe, two-door “Marauder” fastback hardtop coupe (from mid-year), four-door “Breezeway” hardtop sedan, two-door convertible coupe.
Mercury Colony Park
The Colony Park station wagon is a spacious and well-appointed vehicle that is distinguished by its side woodgrain panels. It remains the only full-size Mercury wagon, the Commuter having been dropped to make space for a likewise version of the mid-size Meteor.
● Introduction: 1960. Construction: body on separate chassis. Engine: water-cooled V-8, 6.4-litre, 250 hp, mounted at the front. Optional engines: V-8, 6.4-litre, 300 hp; and V-8, 6.4-litre, 330 hp. Transmission: to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual gearbox. Three-speed automatic gearbox optional. Suspension: independent at the front, rigid axle at the rear. Brakes: hydraulic, to drums on all four wheels. Servo optional. Length: 539 cm. Top speed: n/a. Range: four-door station wagon.
Mercury Monterey S-55
Noticing last year that most buyers of the initial S-55 added options that turned their cars into luxurious vehicles rather than high-performance machines, Mercury has decided to submit a four-door car to the S-55 treatment this year.
● Introduction: 1960 for this generation of Mercury full-sizes, 1962 for the Monterey S-55. Construction: body on separate chassis. Engine: water-cooled V-8, 6.4-litre, 250 hp, mounted at the front. Optional engines: V-8, 6.4-litre, 300 hp; V-8, 6.4-litre, 330 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 385 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 405 hp; V-8, 7.0-litre, 410 hp; and V-8, 7.0-litre, 425 hp (6.7- and 7.0-litre with 4-speed manual gearbox only; 7.0-litre available from mid-year). Transmission: to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox. Three-speed automatic gearbox available at no extra cost. Suspension: independent at the front, rigid axle at the rear. Brakes: hydraulic, to drums on all four wheels. Servo optional. Length: 546 cm. Top speed: n/a. Range: two-door “Breezeway” hardtop coupe, two-door “Marauder” fastback hardtop coupe (from mid-year), four-door “Breezeway” hardtop sedan, two-door convertible coupe.
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Click to jump to another model year of the same car: 1961 – 1962 – 1963 – 1964
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Mercury's 1963 range includes four lines: Mercury Monterey, Mercury Monterey Custom, Mercury Monterey S-55 and a Mercury Colony Park station wagon.
Mercury Monterey
No more six-cylinder engines for the Monterey, as Mercury recovers a higher status than it has had for the last two years. Two- or four-door, sedan or hardtop, most Mercurys now receive a Breezeway body style with inverted-slant rear window. The centre part of this window can be retracted, the manufacturer claiming that this system insures superior ventilation of the passenger compartment. An additional Marauder is introduced mid-year, which rear window also features a very important slant... but in the opposite direction as this car has a (semi) fastback roof. Inspired by Nascar racers, the Marauder style is reserved to the hardtop coupe.
● Introduction: 1960. Construction: body on separate chassis. Engine: water-cooled V-8, 6.4-litre, 250 hp, mounted at the front. Optional engines: V-8, 6.4-litre, 300 hp; V-8, 6.4-litre, 330 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 385 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 405 hp; V-8, 7.0-litre, 410 hp; and V-8, 7.0-litre, 425 hp (6.7-litre exclusively available with 4-speed manual gearbox, 7.0-litre with all manual gearboxes; 7.0-litre available from mid-year). Transmission: to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual gearbox. Four-speed manual and three-speed automatic gearboxes optional. Suspension: independent at the front, rigid axle at the rear. Brakes: hydraulic, to drums on all four wheels. Servo optional. Length: 546 cm. Top speed: n/a. Range: two-door “Breezeway” sedan, four-door “Breezeway” sedan, two-door “Breezeway” hardtop coupe, two-door “Marauder” fastback hardtop coupe (from mid-year), four-door “Breezeway” hardtop sedan.
Mercury Monterey Custom
The Monterey Custom is somewhat plusher than the plain Monterey, proposing more chrome and a better upholstery. It also proposes the convertible coupe version that the Monterey lacks.
● Introduction: 1960 for this generation of Mercury full-sizes, 1961 for the Monterey Custom. Construction: body on separate chassis. Engine: water-cooled V-8, 6.4-litre, 250 hp, mounted at the front. Optional engines: V-8, 6.4-litre, 300 hp; V-8, 6.4-litre, 330 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 385 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 405 hp; V-8, 7.0-litre, 410 hp; and V-8, 7.0-litre, 425 hp (6.7-litre exclusively available with 4-speed manual gearbox, 7.0-litre with all manual gearboxes; 7.0-litre available from mid-year). Transmission: to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual gearbox. Four-speed manual and three-speed automatic gearboxes optional. Suspension: independent at the front, rigid axle at the rear. Brakes: hydraulic, to drums on all four wheels. Servo optional. Length: 546 cm. Top speed: n/a. Range: four-door “Breezeway” sedan, two-door “Breezeway” hardtop coupe, two-door “Marauder” fastback hardtop coupe (from mid-year), four-door “Breezeway” hardtop sedan, two-door convertible coupe.
Mercury Colony Park
The Colony Park station wagon is a spacious and well-appointed vehicle that is distinguished by its side woodgrain panels. It remains the only full-size Mercury wagon, the Commuter having been dropped to make space for a likewise version of the mid-size Meteor.
● Introduction: 1960. Construction: body on separate chassis. Engine: water-cooled V-8, 6.4-litre, 250 hp, mounted at the front. Optional engines: V-8, 6.4-litre, 300 hp; and V-8, 6.4-litre, 330 hp. Transmission: to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual gearbox. Three-speed automatic gearbox optional. Suspension: independent at the front, rigid axle at the rear. Brakes: hydraulic, to drums on all four wheels. Servo optional. Length: 539 cm. Top speed: n/a. Range: four-door station wagon.
Mercury Monterey S-55
Noticing last year that most buyers of the initial S-55 added options that turned their cars into luxurious vehicles rather than high-performance machines, Mercury has decided to submit a four-door car to the S-55 treatment this year.
● Introduction: 1960 for this generation of Mercury full-sizes, 1962 for the Monterey S-55. Construction: body on separate chassis. Engine: water-cooled V-8, 6.4-litre, 250 hp, mounted at the front. Optional engines: V-8, 6.4-litre, 300 hp; V-8, 6.4-litre, 330 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 385 hp; V-8, 6.7-litre, 405 hp; V-8, 7.0-litre, 410 hp; and V-8, 7.0-litre, 425 hp (6.7- and 7.0-litre with 4-speed manual gearbox only; 7.0-litre available from mid-year). Transmission: to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox. Three-speed automatic gearbox available at no extra cost. Suspension: independent at the front, rigid axle at the rear. Brakes: hydraulic, to drums on all four wheels. Servo optional. Length: 546 cm. Top speed: n/a. Range: two-door “Breezeway” hardtop coupe, two-door “Marauder” fastback hardtop coupe (from mid-year), four-door “Breezeway” hardtop sedan, two-door convertible coupe.
Any mistake you’ve just spotted? A detail to add? A suggestion? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment!
Click to jump to another model year of the same car: 1961 – 1962 – 1963 – 1964
Click here to return to a list of all Mercury vehicles presented on this blog.
Click here to return to this blog’s initial post, featuring a list of all brands already presented.
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