Mercury does not build many cars like the Mercury Montclair: a 2-door coupe / 4-door sedan / 2-door convertible / 2-door hardtop / 4-door hardtop, built from 1955 to 1968 at the height of the post-war boom.
The story
The Mercury Montclair is a series of full-size sedans that were manufactured and marketed over five generations by the Mercury division of Ford. The nameplate was used by the division twice, from the 1955 to the 1960 model years and from the 1964 to the 1968 model years. The model was offered as two-door and four-door hardtops, four-door pillared sedan, and a two-door convertible.
Through its production, the Montclair typically served as the mid-range Mercury sedan offering; always slotted above the Monterey, at various times, the Montclair was slotted below the Turnpike Cruiser and Park Lane in the Mercury line. While the true origins of the nameplate are unknown by Ford historians, the consensus is that is derived from Montclair, New Jersey, an affluent community located near its then-new Mahwah Assembly facility. For 1969, Mercury discontinued the Montclair, repackaging the vehicle as the Mercury Monterey Custom, which was marketed through 1974.
Under the skin
The record carries the shape — a 2-door coupe / 4-door sedan / 2-door convertible / 2-door hardtop / 4-door hardtop — and the layout: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Mercury's history is not in doubt: the Mercury Monterey Custom followed it; it was built at Main plant. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Fiat 500. Nearby in the Mercury catalogue sit the Mercury Bobcat and the Mercury Capri.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Mercury Montclair has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.