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Dinah Shore had "See the U.S.A.
in Your Chevrolet" and Ed Sullivan's "Toast
of the Town" showcased Mercury. The 1950s were
great years for both Chevrolet and Mercury. But times
have changed. Recently a Dodge dealer jokingly said,
"Do they still make Mercurys?" You almost
have to stop and think before you answer. Ford Motor
Company has repeatedly stated that Mercury will make
a comeback as a solid Ford division. I hope so as it
was an impressive car in the past.
As a kid in the 1950s, I remember spotting an old 1939
"National Geographic" advertisement for a
tan Mercury convertible. To me it looked better than
the 1939 Ford equivalent, although there was little
difference. I later learned that it was the 1940 model
(looked identical to the 1939) with the hydraulic convertible
top which was the one to own. A friend with a 1950s
custom Candy Apple red 1940 Ford coupe with a 1948 Mercury
flathead made me dream of a Candy Apple red 1940 Mercury
convertible with a tan top and tan interior. That vision
is still with me.
Mercury had many popular models throughout the 1950s
and 1960s. Like a lot of auto enthusiasts, I followed
the new Mercurys annually. Below is a selection of the
most popular (only 10% of our Mercury inventory) of
the brochures available:
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1939 |
1940 |
1940 |
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1940 |
1942 |
1947 |
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1949 |
1950 |
1950 |
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1951 |
1951 |
1952 |
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1952 |
1952
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1953 |
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1953 |
1953 |
1954 |
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1954 |
1954 |
1955 |
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1955 |
1956 |
1956 |
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1956 |
1957 |
1957 |
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1958 |
1958 |
1959 |
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1959 |
1960 |
1960 |
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1961 |
1961 |
1961 |
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1962 |
1962 |
1963 |
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1963 |
1963 |
1964 |
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1964 |
1964½ |
1964 |
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1965 |
1965 |
1966 |
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1966 |
1967 |
1967 |
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1967 |
1967 |
1967 |
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1968 |
1968 |
1968 |
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1969 |
1969 |
1969 |
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The above brochures invite you to come into the showroom
or to come back to the showroom. Informative as they
are, the dealer also had brochures that spelled out
more specific features of the Mercury line. Most collectors
are not aware of their existence. Here are some for
just the 1949 Mercurys. In addition, there are press
kits and press photos that were not available to anyone
but the media.
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