Mercury Monterey (4th gen) 1959-1960

The Mercury Monterey is a series of full-size cars that were manufactured and marketed by the Mercury division of Ford from 1952 to 1974. Deriving its name from Monterey Bay, the Mercury Monterey served as the upscale version of the Mercury Custom which replaced the Mercury Eight, the debut model line of the Mercury division. During its production, the Monterey would be offered in multiple body styles, ranging from coupes, convertibles, sedans, hardtops, and station wagons.

Over its 22 years of production, the Monterey served as the flagship, mid-range, and entry-level offering of the full-size Mercury product range. The only Mercury nameplate to be in continuous production throughout the 1960s, the Monterey was positioned above the Medalist, Custom, and Meteor; later, it was positioned below the Turnpike Cruiser, Montclair, Park Lane, and finally the Marquis.

Following the 1974 model year, Mercury discontinued the Monterey, consolidating its full-size range down to the Marquis and Colony Park station wagon. For 2004, the Monterey nameplate was revived, becoming the counterpart of the Ford Freestar minivan; it was produced through the 2007 model year.

[B]Fourth generation (1959-1960)[/B]
For 1959, the Mercury Monterey (and Montclair) grew in size, adopting a 126-inch wheelbase. The Mercury-derived Edsel Corsair and Edsel Citation were discontinued; for the first time since 1940, Mercury used its own chassis and body.

The Monterey was offered in five bodystyles, including two and four-door pillared sedans, a two-door convertible, and two-door and four-door Cruiser hardtops. Taking its name from the discontinued Turnpike Cruiser, the Cruiser was given a large compound-curved rear window (styled as a fastback). To improve interior access and driver visibility, the forward-swept A-pillar was made nearly vertical.

Initially designed for potential production as both an Edsel and a Mercury, the Monterey inherited several design features from the division. The dashboard grouped all instruments and controls centrally around the steering wheel, with thermostat-style climate control (air conditioning was optional), power driver seat (with memory position), and a pre-set speed warning (a precursor to cruise control) offered as options. The "Big M" badging was replaced by lettered Mercury badging across the hood; a scripted "Mercury" badge was added to the interior.

Serving as the base-trim Mercury sedan, the Monterey received a 210 hp 312 cubic-inch V8; the previous 383 cubic-inch V8 (producing 280 hp) was optional. A 3-speed manual was standard on the 312; a 3-speed automatic was offered as an option (the only transmission offered on the 383).

For 1960, the Monterey underwent a facelift; along with visually reducing exterior trim (and tailfins), the update shifted its appearance closer in line to the newly introduced Mercury Comet compact sedan and the shared Ford Galaxie platform. The headlights were now integrated into the grille, which was expanded upwards and no longer used the headlight pod appearance which had become dated.

[SIZE=1]Source: Wikipedia[/SIZE]