1980 Mercury Anster

Mercury’s answer to America’s driving needs in the late 1980's and beyond was shown in the proposed Antser concept car. The prototype featured an aerodynamic design, lightweight construction and a 1,200-pound electric hybrid power system. Anster was approximately the size of a Mercury Bobcat, and could seat 4-passengers (2-regular seats and 2-jump seats). A comprehensive computer-controlled electronic map display could be programmed to give detours and alternate routes, plus, the instrument panel displayed a computer-calculated average distance required to stop the car. Angular compact cars of the future were all the rage in the years following the OPEC oil embargo, but Mercury's Antser, unveiled at the Chicago auto show, was unique. Underneath that plastic skin lurked a series hybrid powertrain: batteries powered electric motors in all four wheels, and when they were depleted, a small generator extended the vehicle's range. An all-digital dash was a novelty: along with providing estimated braking distances, it allowed drivers to calculate routes via an on-screen map and pre-programmed data cartridges. It would be more than generous to call the Antser's exterior design uninspired; in fact, the wedge-shaped profile looks like a horrid remix of a Sebring-Vanguard Commutacar and a Pinto. What goes around, it seems, certainly does comes around. We can't help but notice that nearly twenty-four years after the Antser was trotted around the auto show circuit, automakers are finally ready to install similar (albeit much more advanced) series hybrid propulsion systems into small compact cars. And that digital dash? Very prescient, as Ford's new My Ford Touch system, featured in the new 2011 Edge, is somewhat similar. Could it have saved the brand? Although it seems to have predicted several trends that are just now coming to market, trying to push any of these features into production at the time was almost certainly beyond the abilities of Ford Motor Company. That said, it was refreshing to see designers toying with a small Mercury that wasn't merely a rebadged Ford product. Spource: Internet

1978 Mercury XM (Ghia)

Ford’s Motor Company’s world-famous Ghia Studio of Turin, Italy designed the Mercury XM concept car. The one-of-a-kind prototype’s unique feature was a rumble seat mounted beneath the rear decklid. By raising the rear hatch window and flipping back the decklid, the car became a four-passenger vehicle. It had a wheelbase of 94 inches, an overall length of 13 feet, four inches, and a height of four feet. While most concept cars looked forward to the future, Mercury went backward in time with the bright yellow XM, a two-door concept which re-introduced the rumble seat, an open-air design from the 1930s. Though basically a two-seat vehicle, the rear hatch could lift upward into the deck, and a rumble seat would emerge, transforming the car into a four-passenger vehicle, with the rear occupants receiving fresh air. Source: Internet

1970 Mercury El Gato

Sporting a bold lime green paint job, El Gato (Spanish for "The Cat") was produced as a styling exercise for a futuristic-looking Cougar. Note the shaved door handles, chopped roof, and ultracool three-spoke 16" wheels with new-at-the-time Goodyear Polyglass radials. To say this Cat was before its time would be a serious understatement. While the front end merged styling from both the Cougar and the GTO, it still projected an evil stance. Note how the limited flat black striping ends inside the molded-on hood scoop. Also, the front and rear pans were rolled a very advanced looking feature in an era of chrome bumpers. This was the first ever fastback Cougar. At the rear, LTD-style taillamps were broken at the left by the racing-style gas filler cap. The square center-exit exhaust tips lended a very unique air to the car. It is not known if El Gato still exists but it’s presumed to have been destroyed (standard Ford practice for show vehicles at the time). Source: Internet

1969 Mercury Cyclone Super Spoiler

From 1969. Based on a Mercury Montego Cyclone coupe. The Super Spoiler cut the roof off of the production Cyclone and replaced it with a built-in roll bar. There were four bucket seats, and Marauder X-100 taillights. Notice the "duck tail" spoiler blended into the body. Source: Internet

1968 Mercury LeGrand Marquis

This concept featured a trunk lid that opened from the side to allow curb-level loading and protection from traffic. It also featured twin sunroof sections (similar to a T-top) and rectangular headlamps. A dual action trunk lid based on the principle of the dual action station wagon tailgate has been applied with exciting results to a new idea car called the Mercury LeGrand Marquis. The trunk lid of the Mercury LeGrand marquis, including half the right rear fender, swings up from the rear and also swings over like the cover of a book to provide convenient, low loading height. This method also permits loading from the right side, affording the advantage of curb level access on city streets and protection from on-coming traffic on open roads. Other innovations on the Mercury LeGrand Marquis which have production possibilities include twin sun roof sections and unique interior lighting. Source: Internet

1965 Mercury Escapade

This dream car was a high-performance roadster. George Barris customized this Comet in six weeks. The car was shortened sixteen inches and featured custom sheet metal, sequential turn signals, white leather interior, and pearlescent blue paint. Source: Internet

1965 Mercury Comet Cyclone Sportster

The 1965 Comet Cyclone Sportster built by Gene Winfield was featured in the Lincoln-Mercury Caravan. Source: Internet

1964 Mercury Super Marauder

1964 Mercury Super Marauder was created by the legendary customizer George Barris for Mercury. It was powered by a 427 V8 and featured side-mounted exhaust pipes and a chopped windshield. The overall length was cut eight inches, and the wheelbase shortened four inches from the production Marauder. Click Here The wheelbase of "Super Marauder" is five inches shorter and overall length eight inches shorter than the standard Mercury. It is built for two passengers, with no top. The windscreen and side windows are designed to eliminate the need for goggles at high speeds. Two futuristic headrests, located on filled-in deck area, are individually adjustable and contain rear turn signals. Velocity stacks are incorporated into the bonnet in order to accommodate a multi-carb system, not yet out of the drawing board stage. Engine is a stock 427 incher. Two front fender intakes feed air to the brakes. Exhaust exits through outlets located in stainless steel mouldings, just ahead of the rear wheels. The steering is two-handle type, utilizing conventional power steering. the exterior finish is "Golden Cinnabar," a bright Vermillion color. Source: Internet

1962 Mercury Palomar

Mercury’s Palomar two-door hardtop station wagon featured a roof with an opening rear section. When open, the rear seat rose and a small windshield popped up allowing the passengers to see over the roof. The concept car was named in honor of Mt. Palomar Observatory in California. Source: Internet

1955 Mercury D528

Mercury D-528 Beldone Built by Ford Mercury in 1953-55 and used as a rolling laboratory. Prototype Y block motor XY-3, fully cast fiberglass body, first opening rear electric window. The colors on it are original colors as is the interior design. Restored such that the original build quality was not compromised. Used in a number of movies, including as a trick car by Jerry Lewis. The D-528 was built to test advanced concepts in seating, lighting, air conditioning, and front frame design. The hinged rear fender bulges were functional, concealing a spare tire on one side and a gas tank on the other. Such a design gave the car adequate luggage capacity despite the need to accommodate a large air conditioning system. Although it boasted design features such as a pillarless windshield and Ford’s first reverse-sloping retractable rear window, it was an in-house research vehicle that was never shown publicly. "Beldone" was a stage name selected by Paramount Pictures for the car’s appearance in the 1964 Jerry Lewis movie, The Patsy, not an official Ford designation.

1956 Mercury XM-Turnpike Cruiser

1955 Mercury XM-8100 Turnpike Cruiser Concept Car This concept car embraced the elegance of the era while adding some very unique styling and features. The 1955 XM-8100 was a luxury concept, presented with a femine touch. Several design elements re-appeared in the 1957 Mercury. One of Mercury’s most memorable dream cars of all time is the audacious XM Turnpike Cruiser from 1956. Bold styling featured 12-inch wide V-shaped taillights and matching pealescent concave-sculpted rear fenders. The XM Turnpike Cruiser’s large, flat roof seemed to float above the two-tone interior. Twin transparent roof panels flipped-up when doors were opened. 1956 Mercury XM Turnpike Cruiser Concept was designed with fast, long driving in mind. It was inspired of the Interstate Highway System. A lot of the design elements was later seen on the regular production model 1957 Turnpike Cruiser. This is how the Mercury XM Turnpike Cruiser was moved when it toured around the US back in 1956. A specially designed trailer with large plexiglass side panels was used to transport the vehicle; a standard Ford COE tractor pulled the trailer and its unique cargo. Source: Internet

1954 Mercury XM-800

1954 XM-800 was presented at Detroit Automobile show. The body was made of fiberglass, and the car was 5 inch wider than the regular 1954 production model. The interior offered four bucket seats, separated with stationary armrests. A Ford Motor concept car. Designed in the Mercury pre-production studio by John Najjar (studio manager) and Elwood Engle (consultant assigned to Ford by George Walker"s design firm). Built for Ford by Creative Industries, Detroit, it was first shown to the public at the 1954 Detroit Auto Show. Promoted as an "advanced design, engineered to go into volume production" , Benson Ford proposed building the XM 800 as a second Mercury car line, something to compete with Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac offerings. Plans were scrapped when the Davis committee recommended making Mercury into a distinct mid-sized car produced by a separate Mercury division and when a second new division was set up producing what became the Edsel. The XM 800 traveled the auto show circuit through out the 1954 season. It made a brief appearance in the 1954 20th Century Fox film - Woman"s World, starring Clifton Webb, Van Heflin, Cornel Wilde, Fred MacMurray, June Allyson and Lauren Bacall. The car was also immortalized as what has become one of the most sought after automotive cereal box premiums from the 1950's. A small scale model of the car, produced by the F & F Mold Company, was offered in boxes of Post"s Grape Nuts Flakes. In 1957 Ford Motor Company gifted the XM 800 to the University of Michigan"s Automotive Engineering Lab for use in training "future" automotive engineers. Later sold at auction, its whereabouts were unknown for many years. In the early 1980's Dan Brooks discovered the XM 800 in a farmer"s barnyard in a small rural town about 50 miles west of Detroit. The car is currently in the Bortz Dream Car Collection. Source: Internet

1951 Mercury Monarch

Source: Internet