Mercury Monarch

As with the Ford Granada, the Mercury Monarch shared its unibody chassis with its Ford Maverick/Mercury Comet predecessors. Based heavily on the first-generation Ford Falcon from 1960, the design utilized coil spring front suspension with a leaf-sprung live rear axle; due to its Falcon origins, the Monarch was also loosely mechanically related to the first-generation Ford Mustang and Mercury Cougar.

The base engine was a 200 cu in (3.3 L) inline six-cylinder engine, with a 250 cu in (4.1 L) inline six optional. V8 power came from one of two options: the 302 cu in (4.9 L) or 351 cu in (5.8 L) Windsor engines.

Although originally developed to become the Mercury Comet, the Mercury Monarch was differentiated from the Comet produced alongside it in a number of ways. Using the Mercedes-Benz 280 as a benchmark for its styling and interior packaging,[3] the Monarch abandoned the Coke bottle styling of the Comet for straighter-edged body panels. In the front, the Monarch adapted much of the styling of the Marquis (with single exposed headlights). While the roofline of the four-door model was heavily influenced by Mercedes-Benz, the two-door was given its own roofline with vertical opera windows. The rear featured horizontal wrap-around taillamps with amber reflectors and a color-keyed decorative trim panel with a fuel filler door.

In 1978, the Monarch underwent an exterior facelift; the headlamps were converted from round to rectangular, with the turn signals moved under the headlamps. The taillamps were revised to all red lenses and the center trim panel was changed to a new design with an argent finish on base models and matching red reflector on top trim levels.

On the inside, in contrast from other Lincoln-Mercury cars, the Monarch was equipped with front bucket seats. While a feature associated with sporty cars at the time, the individual seats (from the European Ford Granada) were chosen for their support and range of adjustment.[9] In contrast to European cars, the wood-trimmed dashboard of the Monarch was equipped with three instruments: a speedometer, fuel gauge, and a clock.[9]

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  1976 Mercury Monarch (Shown with Ford Crown Victoria LX wheels)
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  1976 Mercury Monarch
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  1978–1980 Mercury Monarch
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  1978–1980 Mercury Monarch
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  Grille and hood ornament

At its launch, the Monarch was available in two trim levels: base and Ghia. For 1977, the two-door coupe was produced in an S (Sports Coupe) trim. For 1978 and 1979, the ESS (European Sports Sedan) trim was available, distinguished by blacked-out exterior trim.

1975 Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia

The Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia was offered from 1975 to 1976, marketed as the highest-trim version of the Monarch. Adopting many features shared with the larger Marquis and Grand Marquis, the Grand Monarch Ghia offered a sophisticated central hydraulic power system and four-wheel disc brakes not used on the standard Monarch or Granada. According to the May 1976 edition of Car and Driver, three out of five of Ford top executives, including Henry Ford II, used the Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia as their personal car.

Other standard Grand Monarch Ghia features included:

• Leather trim
• Vinyl roof
• LCD clock
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Power steering
• Dual map lights
• Illuminated visor vanity mirror (passenger side)
• 14-inch cast-aluminum spoke wheels
• Solid-state ignition
• Whitewall steel-belted radial tires
• Reclining bucket seats with matching map pockets
• Plusher carpeting and soundproofing

1977 Lincoln Versailles (successor to Grand Monarch Ghia)

For 1977, the Grand Monarch Ghia was withdrawn and repackaged as the Lincoln Versailles. Intended as a response to the Cadillac Seville, the Versailles adopted much of the content of the Grand Monarch Ghia with a slightly restyled exterior. Among one of the most controversial examples of badge engineering in the American automotive industry, the Lincoln Versailles was withdrawn during the 1980 model year.