Mercury Marquis
All generations, specs and history
Published Sources (1) Report an error
By Felix Hartmann, Automotive Technology & EV Contributor
- Built
- 1967–1986
- Generations
- 4
- Top power
- 257 kW (349 PS)
Timeline
Marquis generations
Click a generation for its own page
- Marquis I 1967–1968 · Coupe · 235–257 kW (320–349 PS)
- Marquis II 1969–1978 · Sedan, Station wagon
- Marquis III 1979–1982 · Sedan, Station wagon
- Marquis IV 1983–1986 · Sedan, Station wagon
Newest first · 4 generations since 1967
- 1983 IV 1983–1986 · Sedan, Station wagon
- 1979 III 1979–1982 · Sedan, Station wagon
- 1969 II 1969–1978 · Sedan, Station wagon
-
1967
All generations by year: Marquis IV (1983–1986) · Marquis III (1979–1982) · Marquis II (1969–1978) · Marquis I (1967–1968)
Which one is mine?
Pick the year of first registration to see which generation it is.
- Marquis IV 1983–1986
- Marquis III 1979–1982
- Marquis II 1969–1978
- Marquis I 1967–1968
The Mercury Marquis was Mercury's large car from the 1967 to the 1986 model year and the Mercury counterpart of the Ford LTD. It began as a two-door hardtop with a 123-inch wheelbase, became a whole full-size range with saloons and the Colony Park wagon, was downsized on the Panther platform in 1979 and ended as a mid-size Fox-platform car in 1983–1986. Its top trim, the Grand Marquis, became a separate model in 1983 and outlived it until 2011.
In short
- Four generations in Wikipedia EN (1967–1968, 1969–1978, 1979–1982, 1983–1986); Wikipedia DE splits the 1969–1978 cars into two.
- V8s from 410 to 460 cubic inches in the big cars, up to 268 kW (360 hp gross) in 1969–1971; four, six and V6 engines in the last generation.
- The 1979 car was 17 in (432 mm) shorter and over 1,000 lb (454 kg) lighter than the 1978 model.
- List price 1967: US$3,989, the most expensive Mercury of that year.
Mercury Marquis at a glance
| Item | Mercury Marquis |
|---|---|
| Maker | Mercury division of Ford Motor Company |
| Production | model years 1967–1986 |
| Plants | Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles (Pico Rivera); Atlanta and Chicago for 1983–1986 |
| Class | full-size (1967–1982), mid-size (1983–1986) |
| Body styles | two-door hardtop, four-door hardtop and sedan, convertible (1969–1970), Colony Park wagon |
| Layout | front engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Sister model | Ford LTD |
| Predecessors | Mercury Montclair, Monterey and Park Lane |
| Successors | Mercury Grand Marquis (full-size), Mercury Sable (mid-size, 1986) |
The Marquis is in our Mercury catalogue. Its Ford twin is described in our Ford LTD history, which follows the same platform changes year by year.
Four generations from 1967 to 1986
| Years | Generation | Platform / size | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–1968 | first | full-size, 123 in wheelbase, two-door hardtop | 6,510 (1967) and 3,965 (1968), Wikipedia DE |
| 1969–1978 | second (DE: second and third) | full-size, 124 in wheelbase | 412,693 to 1972 and about 692,000 for 1973–1978 (Wikipedia DE) |
| 1979–1982 | third | Panther, 114.3 in wheelbase | 197,970 (Wikipedia EN); 333,923 (Wikipedia DE) |
| 1983–1986 | fourth | Fox, 105.6 in wheelbase, mid-size | 307,950 |
1967–1968. The first Marquis was a two-door hardtop with a standard vinyl roof and a wheelbase 4 in longer than the LTD's. It had "Twin Comfort Lounge" 50/50 split front seats. The Park Lane Brougham was its four-door counterpart. In 1967 its list price of US$3,989 made it the most expensive Mercury; for 1968 the price was cut to US$3,685.
1969–1978. The Marquis became Mercury's full-size line, with two- and four-door hardtops, sedans, a convertible for 1969–1970 and the woodgrain Colony Park wagon. Vacuum-operated hidden headlamps were a feature until 1978. The Brougham trim arrived in 1969, the Grand Marquis appeared as an interior package in 1974 and as a separate trim in 1975. A 1969 four-door hardtop cost US$3,973, and 29,389 were built. The 1973 redesign brought a new roofline and 5 mph bumpers, and the 1978 Marquis two-door was the last pillarless hardtop from an American maker.
1979–1982. On the new Panther platform the Marquis lost 9.7 in of wheelbase, 17 in of length and more than 1,000 lb. Quad rectangular headlamps replaced the hidden lamps, and the Colony Park became the first full-size Mercury wagon under 4,000 lb since 1955.
1983–1986. The full-size car was renamed Grand Marquis, and the Marquis name moved to a mid-size sedan and wagon on the Fox platform, nearly 16 in shorter. The two-door was dropped. The last cars were built in Atlanta on 13 December 1985 and in Chicago on 3 January 1986, and the front-wheel-drive Sable took over.
Shared bodies with the Ford LTD
The Marquis shared its body and roofline with the Ford LTD in every generation; Wikipedia DE notes that from 1969 its wheelbase was two inches longer than the LTD's. Front disc and rear drum brakes were fitted; power brakes became standard in 1971, an anti-lock "Sure-Track" system was optional from 1973 and four-wheel discs from 1975. The 1983 car shared the Fox platform with the LTD, Ford's mid-size saloon of that time.
From Marauder V8s to the Fox-body V6
| Engine | Years | Power | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| 410 Marauder V8 | 1967 | 246 kW (330 hp) | 602 Nm |
| 390 Marauder V8 | 1968 | 235 kW (315 hp) | 579 Nm |
| 428 Super Marauder V8 | 1967–1968 | 257 kW (345 hp) | 626 Nm |
| 429 V8, 2-barrel / 4-barrel | 1969–1971 | 239 / 268 kW (320 / 360 hp) | 624 / 651 Nm |
| 429 V8 | 1972 / 1973 | 155 / 148 kW (208 / 198 hp) | 437 / 434 Nm |
| 460 V8 | 1972–1978 | 147–167 kW (197–224 hp) | 447–500 Nm |
| 400 V8 | 1975–1978 | 107–134 kW (144–180 hp) | 346–458 Nm |
| 351M V8 | 1978 | 108 kW (145 hp) | 370 Nm |
| 4.2 (255) V8 | 1981–1982 | 89–91 kW (120–122 hp) | 278–283 Nm |
| 5.0 (302) V8 | 1979–1982 | 96–98 kW (129–132 hp) | 302–320 Nm |
| 5.8 (351) V8 | 1979–1981 | 103–108 kW (138–145 hp) | 353–366 Nm |
| 5.8 HO V8 (police) | 1981–1982 | 123 kW (165 hp) | 386 Nm |
| 2.3 I4 | 1983–1986 | 66–67 kW (88–90 hp) | 165 Nm |
| 3.3 I6 | 1983 | 69 kW (92 hp) | 212 Nm |
| 3.8 V6 | 1983–1986 | 84–89 kW (112–120 hp) | 237–278 Nm |
| 5.0 HO V8 (Marquis LTS, Canada) | 1984–1985 | 123 kW (165 hp) | 332 Nm |
Output figures fall sharply after 1971. The four-barrel 429 of 1969–1971 had 268 kW (360 hp). The 1982 5.0 V8 had 98 kW (132 hp), less than 40 per cent of that. The 1983 base four-cylinder had a quarter of it. Gearboxes were three-speed automatics (C6 with the 429 and 460, FMX with the 400 and 351M, C4 SelectShift in 1979), the four-speed AOD overdrive automatic from 1980 and, in the Fox car, a four-speed manual (1983) and the C3 and C5 automatics.
Mercury Marquis specifications
| Parameter | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase 1967–1968 | 3,124 mm | 123 in |
| Wheelbase 1969–1978 (sedans / wagons) | 3,150 / 3,073 mm | 124 / 121 in |
| Wheelbase 1979–1982 | 2,903 mm | 114.3 in |
| Wheelbase 1983–1986 | 2,682 mm | 105.6 in |
| Kerb weight 1969–1978 four-door | 2,045 kg | 4,508 lb |
| Kerb weight 1983–1986 wagon | 1,410 kg | 3,108 lb |
| Largest engine | 7.5 l V8 | 460 cu in |
Variants and derivatives
| Variant | Years | Body / purpose | Engine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquis hardtop | 1967–1968 | two-door, vinyl roof | 390–428 V8 | 123 in wheelbase |
| Marquis Brougham | 1969–1986 | upper trim | full range | no Brougham wagon 1983–1986 |
| Grand Marquis | 1974/1975–1982 | top trim | V8 | separate model from 1983 |
| Colony Park | 1969–1982 | woodgrain wagon | V8 | wagon under 4,000 lb from 1979 |
| Marauder | 1969–1970 | fastback on 121 in wheelbase | V8 | sporty fastback of the same range |
| Marquis LTS (Canada) | 1984–1985 | sports sedan | 5.0 HO V8 | 134 built |
| Meteor / Marquis Meteor (Canada) | 1969–1970, 1977–1981 | Canadian-market versions | V8 | Meteor LeMoyne 1969–1970, Marquis Meteor later |
| Ford Cougar (Venezuela) | 1983–1985 | rebadged Fox Marquis | – | – |
Police cars, export versions and sales
The downsized Marquis also served police forces: for 1981–1982 Mercury offered a police Marquis with the high-output 5.8-litre V8 of 123 kW (165 hp). In Canada the car was sold as the Meteor LeMoyne in 1969–1970 and as the Marquis Meteor later, and in Venezuela Ford sold the Fox-platform car as the Ford Cougar from 1983 to 1985.
The Marquis was a volume car: almost 92,000 were built in 1979 alone, and more than 107,000 of the mid-size version in 1984. Its name continued in the Grand Marquis, which Mercury built until the brand closed in January 2011. The front-wheel-drive Sable that took over in 1986 was the twin of the Ford Taurus.
Preservation and collecting today
The rarer versions are the first-generation hardtops (about 10,500 cars in 1967–1968 according to Wikipedia DE), the 1969–1970 convertibles and the Canadian Marquis LTS, of which only 134 were built. Our sources do not list typical faults; on the big cars, check the vacuum-operated hidden headlamps, which were standard until 1978. Other American cars of the era are in our classics section.
Photo gallery
Mercury Marquis evolution in numbers
Did you know?
- The Mercury Marquis ran for 19 years, from 1967 to 1986, over 4 generations in our catalog.
- The longest-running generation is the Marquis II (1969–1978): 9 years.
Image credits · Photos from Wikimedia Commons under free licences
- Mercury Marquis I · Photo: dave_7 from Lethbridge, Canada / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Mercury Marquis in our rankings
- No. 201 of 1082 · Longest-running car nameplates (19 years · top 21%)
- No. 31 of 97 · Most powerful cars of the 1960s (257 kW · top 35%)
- No. 391 of 1011 · Most powerful cars (257 kW · top 39%)
- No. 106 of 411 · Cars with the most generations (4 generations · top 39%)
- No. 89 of 168 · Most powerful American cars (257 kW · top 54%)
- No. 200 of 326 · Most powerful coupes (257 kW · top 62%)
In production longer than 79% of ranked nameplates in the 1CARS catalog (No. 201 of 1082).
FAQ
When was the Mercury Marquis produced?
For the 1967 to 1986 model years, in Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles and, for the last generation, Chicago.
How many Mercury Marquis were built?
Totals differ by source; Wikipedia gives 197,970 for 1979–1982 and 307,950 for the 1983–1986 mid-size cars, and Wikipedia DE more than one million for 1967–1978.
What engine does the Mercury Marquis have?
Big V8s from 390 to 460 cubic inches up to 1978, 4.2 to 5.8-litre V8s in 1979–1982, and 2.3, 3.3, 3.8 and 5.0-litre engines in the mid-size car.
What is the difference between the Marquis and the Grand Marquis?
The Grand Marquis was the top Marquis trim from 1975; in 1983 it became the name of the full-size car, while the Marquis name moved to a smaller Fox-platform sedan.
Is the Mercury Marquis collectable?
The rarest are the 1967–1968 hardtops, the 1969–1970 convertibles and the 134 Canadian Marquis LTS cars; later sedans and wagons were built in far larger numbers.
Data sources
Data checked by an editor against the sources below.
