Mercury monarch

1975 to 1980

Motor car

Sedan , coupe

Gasoline: 3.3-5.8 liters  (71-101 kW)

5020 mm

1880 mm

1360 mm

2790 mm

1490 kg

The Mercury Monarch was a car model of the US brand Mercury , which belonged to the Ford Motor Company . The monarch is a sister model of the offered during the same period, the American Ford Granada and with this technically and externally almost completely identical.

History

The monarch was developed as well as the Granada in the early 1970s with the aim of replacing the outdated compact models Ford Maverick and Mercury Comet . The Monarch and the Granada used numerous technical components of the Maverick / Comet, including the suspension and the suspension. Also, the wheelbase was identical to the four-door versions of the older vehicles. The design of the body, however, was independent compared to the Comet.

The Mercury Monarch was positioned at its presentation in the market niche of the so-called "mid-size" cars. It was between the compact models Bobcat and the intermediate vehicles of the type Montego or Cougar .

The duo Granada-Monarch was initially very successful in the market, as it was appropriately dimensioned for the time after the first oil crisis , in which the American customers demanded smaller, lower-consumption cars. They were described in the American press as European-inspired cars, which stood out from conventional American design and design principles. In retrospect, the models Monarch and Granada considered the most important new developments of the Ford Motor Company in the first half of the 1970s.The monarch, however, was less successful than the Ford Granada. His production figures lagged far behind those of the sister model:

The Mercury Monarch cost at launch in 1975 in the four-door base version of 3,822 US $; was thus 70 US $ more expensive than the identical Ford Granada. In its final year of production, the base price for the four-door version was $ 5,751. 

The Monarch was offered as a four-door sedan or as a two-door coupe. This was well equipped compared to other American compact cars. Available were three-speed automatic, metallic paint, central door lock and an illuminated footwells. For a surcharge of $ 500, the Ghia version was available, which also had a radio cassette player, power windows, cruise control and air conditioning.

Initially, four engine variants were offered: two six-cylinder engines with 3.3 and 4.1 liters displacement and 71 and 72 kW (96 and 98 hp) and two eight-cylinder engines with 4.9 and 5.8 Liter displacement and 90 or 99 kW (122 or 134 hp). From 1978, only two engines were on offer, a six-cylinder engine with 4.1 liter displacement and 71 kW (97 hp) and an eight-cylinder engine with 4.9 liters and 101 kW (137 hp). With the latter was an acceleration of 0-100 km in 12 seconds and a top speed of 170 km / h possible.

For the model year 1981, Mercury (as well as for the Granada) presented a successor. The new car was based on the Fox platform and was thus closely related to the Mercury Zephyr . While, however, the identical Ford version again received the name Granada, Mercury gave in 1981 the name Monarch. The successor to the monarch instead got the name Mercury Cougar , a traditional name, which was introduced in 1967 for a twin of the Ford Mustang and has since been used for models of various classes.