Mercury Montego

Mercury Montego
Overview
Manufacturer	Mercury (Ford)
Production	1968–1976 2005–2007
Assembly	Atlanta, Georgia, United States Milpitas, California, United States Lorain, Ohio, United States Chicago, Illinois, United States Oakville, Ontario, Canada

The Mercury Montego is a nameplate that was applied to three separate generations of vehicles marketed by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. Taking its name from Montego Bay, Jamaica, the nameplate made its first appearance for 1967 in the Canadian market as part of the Mercury-derived Meteor model line. For 1968, the Mercury Montego made its debut across North America, becoming the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Torino intermediate-size model line for two generations.

For the 1977 model year, Ford revised the intermediate-size product ranges of both its Ford and Mercury divisions; as part of a mid-cycle update, Mercury discontinued the Montego nameplate and expanded the Mercury Cougar line to include a full range of sedans and wagons (with the Ford Gran Torino becoming the Ford LTD II).

After a 29-year absence, the Mercury Montego nameplate was revived for the 2005 model year, shifting to a full-size sedan. Slotted in size between the Mercury Milan and the Mercury Grand Marquis, the 2005 Montego was the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Five Hundred. For the 2008 model year, the Montego adopted the nameplate of the car it had replaced, becoming the final generation of the Mercury Sable.

First generation (1968–1971)

1968–1971
1969 Mercury Montego 2-door hardtop
Overview
Production	1968–1971
Body and chassis
Class	Intermediate
Body style	4-door sedan 4-door wagon 2-door hardtop coupe 2-door convertible
Layout	FR layout
Related	Ford Torino
Powertrain
Engine	250 cu in (4.1 L) I6 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8 351 cu in (5.8 L) V8 390 cu in (6.4 L) V8 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 429 cu in (7.0 L) V8
Transmission	3-speed automatic 3-speed manual 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	116.0 in (2,946 mm) 113.0 in (2,870 mm) (wagon)[1] 117.0 in (2,972 mm) (1970-71) 114.0 in (2,896 mm) (70-71 wagon)
Length	206.0 in (5,232 mm) 204.0 in (5,182 mm) (wagon)
Chronology
Predecessor	Mercury Comet
Successor	Mercury Cougar (coupe) Mercury Monarch (sedan & wagon)

For 1968, Mercury introduced the Montego nameplate as part of its intermediate Mercury Comet product line. Much as its Ford Torino counterpart was a sportier version of the Ford Fairlane, the Mercury Montego was a higher-content version of the Comet. As part of a 1970 redesign, the Mercury intermediate adopted the Montego nameplate entirely.

For 1968, the Mercury Montego was available as a four-door sedan, two-door hardtop, four-door station wagon, and two-door convertible. Replacing the Comet Capri and Comet Caliente were the base-trim and MX-trim versions of the Montego. Also based upon the Comet/Montego, the high-performance Mercury Cyclone remained in production through 1971. In 1970, the convertible was discontinued while a four-door hardtop was added to the model line. A MX Brougham trim level was added for sedans alongside a woodgrained MX Villager station wagon. A mid-cycle facelift added a forward-thrusting hood and grille and concealed headlamps for Brougham and Villager trims.

1969 Mercury Montego MX Villager station wagon

1969 Mercury Montego MX convertible

Second generation (1972-1976)

1972–1976
1974 Mercury Montego MX Brougham
Overview
Production	1972–1976
Body and chassis
Class	Intermediate
Body style	4-door sedan 4-door station wagon 2-door hardtop coupe 2-door fastback coupe
Layout	FR layout
Related	Ford Torino Ford Elite Mercury Cougar
Powertrain
Engine	250 cu in (4.1 L) I6 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8 351 cu in (5.8 L) V8 390 cu in (6.4 L) V8 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 460 cu in (7.5 L) V8[1][2]
Transmission	3-speed automatic 3-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	118.0 in (2,997 mm) (sedan, wagon) 114.0 in (2,896 mm) (coupe, convert.)[2]
Length	223.1 in (5,667 mm) (sedan, wagon) 215.5 in (5,474 mm) (coupe, convert.)
Chronology
Predecessor	Mercury Comet Mercury Cyclone
Successor	Mercury Cougar

For 1972, the Mercury Montego was fully redesigned alongside the Ford Torino (and all-new Ford Gran Torino).^[3] In the redesign, the intermediate Ford/Mercury lines were shifted from unibody to body-on-frame construction and a split-wheelbase chassis (114-inch for two-doors, 118-inch for four-doors and wagons). In a sign of what would happen to the Mercury full-size line for 1973, true four-door hardtops were replaced by "pillared hardtops"; frameless door glass remained, supported by a thin B-pillar. Two-door Montegos retained hardtop rooflines, though with much wider C-pillars.

As a standard engine, the Montego was equipped with a 250 cubic-inch inline-six, with five different V8 engines available as options. Starting in 1974, the Mercury Montego was available with a 460 V8, shared with the Mercury Marquis/Colony Park.

For 1972 and 1973, as a counterpart to the Ford Gran Torino SportsRoof, Mercury offered the Montego GT, essentially replacing the Cyclone. The latter had reverted to an option package for 1972; only 30 were produced, making it one of the rarest Mercury vehicles ever produced.

The redesign was initially met with success, as 1972 Montego sales increased 136% over 1971;^[4] the MX Brougham saw the largest increases in sales, as the two-door increased its sales by 897% while the four-door increased by 1,021%.^[4] Following the 1973 gas crisis, sales were depressed by industry-wide fuel economy concerns. Mercury would also produce internal competition for the Montego with the 1974 redesign of the Mercury Cougar (a twin of the Ford Elite, itself based on the Torino/Montego chassis). In 1975, the high-content Mercury Monarch shifted buyers away from large cars towards fuel-efficient compact sedans.

For 1977, in a mid-cycle redesign of the Ford intermediate lines, several nameplates were shifted. The Mercury Montego was rebranded as the Cougar in favor of an expanded range of bodystyles for the Mercury Cougar line (at this point the Cougar had the flagship XR7 model (personal luxury coupe) while the rest of the model lineup inherited from the Montego included two coupes and two sedans (standard and opera window models) including the station wagon which was a carryover from the previous model year; the Torino/Gran Torino were discontinued in favor of the Ford LTD II, with the Ford Elite replaced by a downsized 1977 Ford Thunderbird.

Mercury Montego GT

1974 Mercury Montego MX Villager station wagon

Third generation (2005–2007)

2005–2007 (D333)
2005 Mercury Montego Premier
Overview
Also called	Ford Five Hundred
Production	July 2004–April 2007
Assembly	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Platform	Ford D3 platform
Related	Ford Taurus (2008-2009) Ford Freestyle/Ford Taurus X Volvo S80
Powertrain
Engine	3.0 L Duratec 30 V6 203 hp
Transmission	Ford/ZF CVT 6-speed Aisin automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	112.9 in (2,868 mm)
Length	200.4 in (5,090 mm)
Width	74.5 in (1,892 mm)
Height	61.5 in (1,562 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor	Mercury Sable
Successor	Mercury Sable

For the 2005 model year, Mercury revived the Montego nameplate after a 29-year hiatus, entering production on July 12, 2004.^[5] As the larger of the two sedans intended to replace the Mercury Sable (the other being the 2006 Mercury Milan), the Montego was introduced as the Mercury version of the Ford Five Hundred. The first all-new full-size Mercury since the 1992 redesign of the Grand Marquis, the introduction of the Montego marked the first time since the 1974 discontinuation of the Monterey that Mercury offered two separate model lines. In place of the three trims of the Five Hundred, the Montego was offered in two: Luxury and Premier.

The Montego was manufactured at the Chicago Assembly facility in Chicago, Illinois, alongside the Ford Five Hundred and the Ford Freestyle, a crossover SUV intended to be the replacement for the Taurus/Sable station wagon.

Chassis

2005 Mercury Montego

The 2005 Montego was built on the all-new D3 platform developed along with Volvo. In a major shift from the Panther-platform Grand Marquis, the Montego was configured with front-wheel drive as standard (all-wheel drive was an option).

Front-wheel drive versions were equipped with a 6-speed Aisin AW F21++ automatic while AWD versions were equipped with a ZF CVT. Shared with its Sable predecessor, the Montego was powered exclusively by a 3.0L DOHC Duratec V6 producing 203 hp.

The Montego, Five Hundred and Ford Freestyle were manufactured using a Volvo-derived system called Total Vehicle Geometry (TVG) to ensure fit, finish and craftsmanship — by requiring comprehensive participation by all engineers as well as suppliers and vendors. Heavily using computer-aided design, TVG tracks all design modifications, translating them into the central CAD database which in turn allows each engineer access to current project data. The system improves part tolerance at the body-in-white stage as well as early cabin integrity testing, via air leakage testing. TVG improved fit and finish at the first prototype stage and decreases pilot manufacturing times.^[6] For side impact protection the bodywork is braced at the B-pillar via an energy-channeling structural cross-car roof tube and a corresponding undercar energy channelling cross-tube — with the front seats mounted above the lower tube, locating them above a side impact energy path. The system derives from a side-impact safety design marketed by Volvo as its Side Impact Protection System (SIPS).^[6][7]

Interior

Interior

In contrast to both the Grand Marquis and the Sable, the Montego was available solely in a five-passenger configuration; as with the discontinued Marauder, bucket seats with a console-mounted shifter were the exclusive design for the front seats. Slotted in between the Five Hundred SE and SEL, the Montego Luxury featured cloth seats as standard, with leather seats as optional. The Mercury equivalent of a Five Hundred Limited, the Montego Premier featured leather seats as standard, with only all-wheel drive and a sunroof as the primary options.

Featuring 21 cubic feet of trunk space (larger than the Grand Marquis or Lincoln Town Car), the Montego allowed for expansion of cargo space with a 60/40 fold-down rear seat and an optional folding front passenger seat. With the decklid closed, objects up to 10 feet in length could be transported within the car.

A design feature of the Montego includes its overall height to add interior space to the vehicle. To appeal to buyers of both sedans and sport-utility vehicles, Ford raised the viewpoint of the driver. Marketed as Command Seating, the Montego features high H-point seating (the location of the occupants hip-point relative to the road or the vehicle floor); its H-point is closer to the ground than that of a sport utility vehicle, but higher than a typical sedan, easing entry and exit. Also, the distance from the H-point to the floor of the vehicle is reflective of more upright seating. At its press launch, Ford said the Five Hundred's H-point is up to four and a half inches higher than its competitors. The Montego also features theater seating, where second row seats are higher: in the front row, the distance between the H-point and the heel point, where the occupant's foot touches the floor, is 12.7 inches — in the second row the distance between the H-point and the heel point is 15.7 inches.

Discontinuation

2008 Mercury Sable Premier

Following a poor critical reception, the Mercury Montego and Ford Five Hundred fell under sales projections from the 2005 to 2007 model years. While both models had undergone a mid-cycle update for the 2008 model year, with pre-production prototypes unveiled at auto shows, Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mullaly ordered the two nameplates retired before reaching production; for the 2008 model year, the Mercury Montego was rechristened the Mercury Sable.

Featuring a more extensive styling update than the reintroduced Taurus, the 2008 Mercury Sable featured a 263 hp 3.5L V6 (shared with the Taurus and Lincoln MKZ).

Use in competition

A Mercury Montego fielded by Wood Brothers Racing.

In the 1968 NASCAR Grand National stock car season, the fastback Fairlane body style proved much slicker than other makes, but the nose of the Mercury Cyclone Fastback was the main reason pointed to it being even slightly faster than its Ford counterpart. Cale Yarborough drove a Wood Brothers Cyclone to victory in the Daytona 500, and the Mercury bodies would remain a major force in NASCAR through 2 generations of bodies. The battle over aerodynamics would prompt Chrysler to respond with specialized "winged wonder" Daytona and Superbird bodies after its own fastback bodies proved disappointing.^[10]

References

• Encyclopedia of American Cars by Publications International, ISBN 0-7853-6275-4
• Standard Catalog of Ford 1903-1998 by Krause Publications, ISBN 0-87341-636-8

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mercury Montego.

• MyFord500/Taurus - The first Mercury Montego & Ford Five Hundred enthusiast web site
• Mercury Montego Project Car and Technical Articles