The Mercury Colony Park is an American luxury full-size station wagon that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company between 1957 and 1991. Distinguished by its simulated wood-grain paneling, the Colony Park was marketed as either the premium-trim or the sole full-size station wagon offering of the division. Following the 1960 demise of Edsel, full-size Mercury vehicles shared bodywork with Ford; the Colony Park served as the counterpart of the Ford Country Squire through 1991.
Serving as the flagship, and more exclusive, station wagon series of the Ford Motor Company — as the Lincoln division has not offered a factory-produced station wagon — the Colony Park was marketed against the similar Chrysler Town & Country prior to its 1979 downsizing, and GM's Buick Estate and Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, each also offering external (simulated) woodgrain trim. During the mid-1950s and '60s, the Mercury Commuter was briefly offered as a lower-priced alternative to the Colony Park without the simulated woodgrain appearance, but lost sales to the very similar Ford Country Sedan and Ford Ranch Wagon and was cancelled in 1968, leaving the Colony Park as the only Mercury station wagon. In 1976, American Motors Corporation introduced the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, with similar passenger accommodation, luxury standard equipment and a simulated woodgrain appearance built on a dedicated chassis.
Through the late 1980s, demand for full-size station wagons declined as consumer interests shifted towards minivans and four-door SUVs. As the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis underwent a major redesign for the 1992 model year, the two model lines dropped the station wagon body from the lineup. Up to the 2010 closure of the Mercury brand, the Colony Park was not directly replaced.
Background Following the 1952 introduction of the Mercury Monterey, Mercury expanded its model range for 1953 by adding a station wagon (its first four-door station wagon since 1941). Sharing its roofline, three-row seating configuration, and two-piece tailgate design with the Ford Country Squire, the Monterey station wagon was fitted with exterior woodgrain trim as standard equipment. By 1955, the Monterey and the Country Squire had become the only station wagons sold with the feature ( genuine wood had been replaced by simulated materials (far less expensive and essentially maintenance-free).
For the 1957 redesign of its model range, Mercury split its sedans and station wagons into distinct model ranges (echoing a change made by Ford for 1955). The Monterey became the standard Mercury sedan, slotted below the mid-range Montclair and flagship Turnpike Cruiser. The station wagon range was introduced as a base-trim Mercury Commuter and mid-price Mercury Voyager; both lines were offered in two-door and four-door configurations. Offered only as a four-door wagon, the Colony Park served as the flagship of the model line. To position the model upmarket (against the Buick Estate and the Chrysler Town & Country), the Colony Park was styled with exterior woodgrain trim.
To further distinguish the model range from Ford (and Edsel) wagons, all Mercury wagons were given hardtop rooflines. Though offered optionally by AMC, Buick, and Oldsmobile, Mercury was the only American-brand manufacturer to offer hardtop rooflines as standard equipment for all station wagon models.
First generation (1957–1958)
For 1957, Mercury released the Colony Park as its flagship station wagon line. Offered only as a four-door hardtop wagon, the Colony Park shared its body with the four-door Mercury Commuter and Voyager and its front bodywork with the Turnpike Cruiser. As with the preceding Monterey wagon, the Colony Park was styled with simulated mahogany exterior paneling and maple trim.
Sharing trim commonality between the Montclair and the Turnpike Cruiser (the anodized gold trim of the latter was made optional), the Colony Park was among the first station wagons to offer a tailgate with a retractable rear window (optionally power-operated); the hardware was adopted for the "Breezeway" rear window of the Turnpike Cruiser. Offered solely with two or three rows of seating (a flat-folding second-row seat and a removable third-row seat), the Colony Park offered nine-passenger seating (distinguished by rear vent windows behind the C-pillars); the interior was fitted with full carpeting. In rudimentary form, several features seen in modern cars were offered as options, including automatic climate control, power seat position memory, signal-seeking radio, and power windows (including the tailgate window); in 1958, a driver-operated speed-limit warning system was introduced as an option. As a counterpart to the Ford Lifeguard option, Mercury standardized many of the features previously introduced, making only the padded dashboard and sunvisors and front seatbelts optional. To further enhance driving safety, a "Visual Aid" option package installed tinted windows, windshield wiper washers, reverse lights, and a non-glare rearview mirror.
For 1958, the Mercury line received revisions to their front and rear bodywork. The headlight surrounds were reshaped to better integrate the quad headlight units and a larger front bumper (now featuring the gold "Big M" of the Turnpike Cruiser). Though the scalloped fins remained, the taillamps were reshaped from a delta shape to a rocket style, with additional chrome trim on the C-pillars.
Chassis details For 1957, the Colony Park was fitted with a 290 hp 368 cubic-inch Lincoln Y-Block V8, shared with the Turnpike Cruiser. For 1958, the Y-block was retired from car use and replaced by the Ford MEL engine, the first "big-block" Ford V8 engine. A 330 hp 383 cubic-inch "Marauder" V8 became standard, with a 430 cubic-inch "Super Marauder" V8 offered as an option. In contrast to its use in Lincolns, the 400 hp Super Marauder engine used triple two-barrel carburetors (becoming the first mass-produced American engine with a rated 400 hp output). Though a three-speed manual was standard equipment (with an optional 4-speed manual), the 3-speed automatic replaced a column-mounted shifter with mechanically activated pushbutton transmission controls. Developed in response to the pushbutton unit introduced by Chrysler in 1956, the left-mounted "Keyboard Control" integrated engine starting, gear selection, and parking brake use; as a safety feature, reverse gear was locked out above 10 mph and selecting "Park" locked out all other functions until it was released. For 1958, the control panel was revised; along with a simpler layout, an optional "Multi-Drive" version introduced multiple drive modes for the 3-speed automatic. The Multi-Drive system was the only transmission paired with the Super Marauder V8.
Sales For 1957, the Colony Park was listed with a retail price of US$3,677 ($ in dollars ) and 7,386 were manufactured. First-generation Colony Park production YearSales19577,38619584,474
Second generation (1959–1960)
For 1959, Mercury introduced the second-generation Colony Park as part of its new "Country Cruiser" station wagon series, again slotted above the Commuter and Voyager. Originally developed to share its chassis (moving to a 126-inch wheelbase) with the premium Edsel Corsair and Edsel Citation, the cancellation of the premium Edsel lines left Mercury with its own car (for the first time since 1940). As Ford began to wind down Edsel, the Colony Park now also superseded the discontinued Edsel Bermuda wagon.
Offered as in a 4-door 9-passenger configuration, the larger body (growing to a 126-inch wheelbase) retained the hardtop roofline of the previous generation; though the A-pillar was now vertical, the windshield grew significantly in size. The interior underwent several major upgrades towards its functionality, as the optional third-row seat was changed from a removable unit to a fold-flat design; along with matching the function of the second row, the upright third row allowed for additional storage behind it. To increase seat room, revised driveshaft mounting created a nearly flat floor for the second-row seat.
For 1960, the Country Cruiser line underwent several revisions, with Mercury discontinuing the mid-range Voyager and all two-door wagons; all wagons were now single-tone Commuters or wood-trim Colony Parks. Though the interior saw only nominal changes, the exterior saw substantial revisions, as the headlights were moved into the grille, and the hoodline lowered. The scalloped fins introduced in 1957 were deleted, with chrome trim forming vestigial fins above large vertical taillamps. In a preview of what would happen over much of the next decade, Mercury reduced the coverage of the woodgrain trim over the side bodywork.
Chassis details For 1959, the 383 Marauder V8 became the sole V8 (retuned to 322 hp). Though less problematic than the controversial Edsel Teletouch controls, Mercury reverted from pushbutton controls for its Merc-O-Matic 3-speed automatic (now the standard transmission) to a conventional column-mounted PRNDL shifter. For 1960, the 430 V8 returned as an option after a one-year hiatus; in place of the triple-carburetor Super Marauder, a 310 hp Marauder version used a single 4-barrel carburetor. In various outputs, this engine was shared with Lincolns and Continentals, along with Ford Thunderbird.
Sales The 1959 Colony Park was listed with a retail price of US$3,932 ($ in dollars ) and manufactured 5,929, making surviving examples somewhat rare. Second-generation Colony Park production (6- and 9 passenger combined)YearSales19595,95919607,411
Gallery
Third generation (1961–1964)
Following the closure of the Edsel division during the 1960 model year, Ford product planners scrambled to build to a better business case for both Lincoln and Mercury divisions. To decrease its production costs, Mercury ended its use of a division-specific chassis and streamlined its product range, with full-size sedans reduced largely to the Monterey. Mercury station wagon nameplates remained the same, with the Commuter differentiated from the Colony Park by its lack of wood-grain trim and higher level of optional equipment as standard. In following with the compact Mercury Comet, all full-size 1961 Mercury lines began production using Ford bodywork and chassis. Now sharing its roofline with the Ford Country Squire, the Colony Park moved from sharing its interior trim from the Montclair to the Monterey.
Though the 1961 redesign of the Mercury product line was not intended as downsizing, the transition between the model years marked a significant decrease in exterior dimensions. From 1960 to 1961, the Mercury Colony Park shed approximately five inches in length, six inches in wheelbase, and approximately 500 pounds of curb weight. The Colony Park remained the luxury level Mercury vehicle, with many optional items included with the listed retail price of US$3,118 ($ in dollars ) and selling 7,887 examples.
In place of the 430 MEL V8, Mercury fitted the Colony Park with three separate V8 engines. A 292 Y-Block V8 was the standard engine for 1961 and 1962, with 352 and 390 FE V8s as options. In 1963, the 390 became the standard engine. For the first time, 3- and 4-speed manual transmissions were offered in the Colony Park, with the 3-speed Merc-O-Matic as an option.
Sales Third-generation Colony Park production (6- and 9 passenger combined)YearSales19617,88719629,596196313,97619649,858
Fourth generation (1965–1968)