Mercury Montego (1972-1976)

Production period:	1972 to 1976
Make	Mercury
Class :	Motor car
Body versions :	Saloon , station wagon ,coupe
Engines:	Gasoline engines : 4.1-7.5 liters  (68-148.5 kW)

The 1972-2009 Mercury Montego was a mid-range vehicle of the American automaker Ford , which was sold under the Mercury brand . It was the second and for the following 28 years last series, which bore this model designation. The Montego was closely related to the contemporary Ford Torino in technical terms, but had an independent body.

The Mercury Montego developed parallel to the Ford Torino. Just as the Torino was introduced in 1968 as a higher-quality version of the Ford Fairlane , the Montego initially presented an exclusive version of the Fairlane Mercury Comet counter part. At the beginning of the model year in 1970, the model designation Ford Fairlane and Mercury was renamed Comet, so that the Middle-class models now uniformly Ford Torino and Mercury Montego were called.

The 1970 and 1971 Mercury Montego had a self-supporting body . The car was different from his Ford counterpart significantly prominent grille  and, optionally, were concealed headlights. The particularly sporty hatchback coupe as Mercury Cyclone was the counterpart to the Ford Torino Cobra.

For the 1972 model year, Ford developed a new series of the Torino and derived from a Mercury version, which in turn received the name Montego.The Montego was technically identical to the Ford Torino of the years 1972 to 1976. It was now based on a separate box frame , on which the body was placed. The Montego was available as a coupe, as a four-door sedan and a station wagon. The equipment versions were Montego (base), Montego MX and Montego MX Brougham. The sporty Cyclone version was discontinued in 1972 and replaced by the Montego GT.

As in the case of the Torino, large six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines with capacities of 4.1 and 7.5 liters served as engines. The six-cylinder engine accounted for the model year 1974, the smallest eight-cylinder a year later.The body of the Montego followed in its fundamentals that of Torino; at Mercury, too, the designers chose a layout with a long bonnet and short trunk. The glazing was identical to the Torino, but the Montego's sheet metal parts were smoother in the fender area. The Montego was missing in particular the conspicuous beads in the rear fender area. In general, the design of the Montego compared to the Torino felt more attractive. 

Like the Torinos, the Mercury Montegos of the years 1972 to 1976 were large and heavy cars, their curb weight could reach 2.3 tons depending on the engine and the special equipment used and their gasoline consumption was up to 30 liters per 100 kilometers. Critics criticized a spongy driving behavior due to the softly tuned suspension and a poor space economy.

The Mercury Montego was a few hundred dollars more expensive than its Ford counterpart in each model year. This sold much worse than the Torino. While more than 1.6 million vehicles were produced by the Torino between 1972 and 1976, only about 500,000 vehicles were produced by the Montego during the same period. As with the Torino, the sales of the Montego collapsed noticeably after the first oil crisis in 1974. The buyers preferred in the second half of the 1970s, the Mercury Monarch , which was smaller and more economical, but in the interior better space than the Montego.A luxurious version of the Montego coupe with modified front end was sold from 1974 to 1976 under the name Mercury Cougar . While the Cougar had been a derivative of the Ford Mustang until 1972,  in the 1974 presented form a decidedly comfortable Personal Luxury Coupe , which was intended as an alternative to the larger Ford Thunderbird .From the Cougar derived was the 1974 Ford Elite .

The successor of the Montego was named Mercury Cougar. He was introduced in the summer of 1976. The car took over the box frame and the entire drive technology of the Montego, but received an updated, angularly designed body, which in turn was available as a coupe, a sedan and a station wagon.

Technical details

Engines: Gasoline engines : 4.1-7.5 liters (68-148.5 kW)

4.1-liter six-cylinder: 4097 cc (250 cu.in.), 92-95 HP (68-70 kW)
4.9-liter six-cylinder: 4949 cc (302 cu.in.), 137-140 hp (101-103 kW)
5.8-liter eight-cylinder: 5752 cc (351 cu.in.), 148-153 hp (109-113 kW)
6.6-liter eight-cylinder: 6555 cc (400 cu.in.), 180 hp (132 kW)
7.5-liter eight-cylinder: 7538 cc (460 cu.in.), 202 hp (148.5 kW)
Length: 5425 mm
Width: 2014 mm
Height: 1440 mm
Wheelbase: 2896-2997 mm
Curb weight: 2002-2300 kg