- Mercury Montego
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There is also a British car called the Austin Montego.
Mercury Montego 
1975 Mercury Montego CoupeManufacturer Ford Motor Company Production 1968–1976
2005–2007The Mercury Montego was a mid-size vehicle in the Mercury line of Ford Motor Company from 1968 to 1976. The namplate first appeared in 1967 in Canada as part of the Mercury-derived Meteor line. After 1976, the basic design of the Montego was updated and the nameplate disappeared as the Cougar expanded its lineup. During the mid-2000s, the Montego name was revived for a full-size car; it was rebranded the Sable for 2008.
Contents
1968–1976
1968–1976 
1974 Mercury Montego MX Villager WagonProduction 1968–1976 Predecessor Mercury Comet Successor Mercury Cougar (sedan & wagon)
Mercury Monarch (coupe)Class Intermediate Body style 4-door sedan
4-door wagon
2-door hardtop coupe
2-door convertibleLayout FR layout Engine 250 cu in (4.1 L) I6
302 cu in (4.9 L) V8
351 cu in (5.8 L) V8
390 cu in (6.4 L) V8
400 cu in (6.6 L) V8
460 cu in (7.5 L) V8[1][2]Transmission 3-speed automatic
3-speed manualWheelbase 1968–1972:
116.0 in (2,946 mm)
113.0 in (2,870 mm) (wagon)[1]
1972–1976:
118.0 in (2,997 mm) (sedan, wagon)
114.0 in (2,896 mm) (coupe, convert.)[2]Length 1968–1972:
206.0 in (5,232 mm)
204.0 in (5,182 mm) (wagon)
1972–1976:
223.1 in (5,667 mm) (sedan, wagon)
215.5.0 in (5,474 mm) (coupe, convert.)Related Ford Torino The Montego was introduced for 1968 as an upscale version of the intermediate Mercury Comet, which it eventually supplanted after 1969. It was essentially a twin of the Ford Torino. The Cyclone was a high performance variant of the Montego through 1971.
The 1968 models were available in four body styles: four-door sedan, two-door hardtop, station wagon and convertible, in base and fancier MX trim. In 1969, a luxury MX Brougham trim level was added.
For 1970, the convertible was dropped, but new four-door hardtops and woodgrained MX Villager station wagon were added to the model selection. The 1970 and 1971 Montegos (and Cyclones) were notable for their striking forward-thrusting hood and grille centers. Concealed headlamps provided extra distinction for 1970 Broughams and Villagers.
The 1972 Montego (and Torino, which the Montego very closely resembled)[3] was fully restyled. Whereas previous Montegos (except wagons) had been produced on a single wheelbase with unitized construction, the 1972-1976 models were built body-on-frame and used a 114-inch (2,900 mm) span for coupe models, 118 inches for sedans and wagons. Although Ford called the four-door sedans "pillared hardtops", they used a thin "B" pillar with frameless door glass, and true four-door hardtops were not offered in this generation. In 1972 and 1973, a sporty fastback coupe called Montego GT (mirroring Ford's Gran Torino SportsRoof) was offered, replacing the Cyclone. 1972 sales were up 136% over the previous year,[4] with the MX Brougham showing enormous increases, almost 897% in the 2-door and nearly 1,021% in the 4-door.[4]
Montego sales through 1973 remained good, but were subsequently depressed by gas mileage concerns, and in-house competition from a restyled 1974 Cougar cast in the personal luxury mold and built on the Montego's platform with similar styling, and the more efficient Monarch introduced for 1975. For 1977, the Montego name was dropped, with Mercury's restyled intermediates all taking the Cougar name.
Six-cylinder engines were offered in Montegos through 1973. V8 power—up to a massive 460 cubic inches from 1974 forward—was available throughout the entire run.
NASCAR
Mercury Montego NASCAR
In the 1968 NASCAR Grand National stock car season, the fastback Fairlane body style proved much slicker than other makes, but the nose of the Mercury Cyclone Fastback was the main reason pointed to it being even slightly faster than its Ford counterpart. Cale Yarborough drove a Wood Brothers Cyclone to victory in the Daytona 500, and the Mercury bodies would remain a major force in NASCAR through 2 generations of bodies. The battle over aerodynamics would prompt Chrysler to respond with specialized "winged wonder" Daytona and Superbird bodies after its own fastback bodies proved disappointing.[5]
2005–2007
Main article: Ford Five Hundred2005–2007 
Also called Ford Five Hundred Production 2005–2007 Assembly Chicago, Illinois, United States Predecessor Mercury Sable Successor Mercury Sable Class Full-size Body style 4-door sedan Layout Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive Platform Ford D3 platform Engine 3.0 L Duratec 30 V6 Transmission Ford/ZF CVT
6-speed Aisin automaticWheelbase 112.9 in (2,868 mm) Length 200.4 in (5,090 mm) Width 74.5 in (1,892 mm) Height 61.5 in (1,562 mm) Related Ford Taurus
Ford Freestyle
Volvo S60
Volvo S80Mercury again used the name for their 2005 version (D333 program code) of the Ford Five Hundred, which along with the Mercury Milan filled the Mercury Sable's place in the brand's lineup. The Montego had a standard 203 hp (151 kW) 3.0L Duratec DOHC 24 Valve V6, and 6-speed Aisin AW F21++ automatic. A CVT transmission was used on models with all-wheel drive. The Montego was classified as a fullsize/large car. The car started at an MSRP of $25,000. The car was praised by owners and received generally positive, if not glowing reviews.[6] But to an ever greater degree than the Ford Five-Hundred, the Montego experienced lackluster sales through the 2005 and 2006 model years, partly attributed to the name change from the Sable which had established a stronger level of brand equity.
The Montego was built in Chicago, alongside its former cousins, the Ford Five Hundred and Ford Freestyle crossover. This plant formerly built both the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. The Montego was marketed in the US and Mexico, however it was not sold in Canada as the Mercury line had been discontinued there.
Sales
Calendar Year American sales 2004[7] 2,974 2005 27,007 2006[8] 22,332 2007 10,755 Discontinuation
Along with a minor redesign, the 2008 Five Hundred was renamed the Taurus, and the Montego was renamed the Sable as it was felt that these long-standing nameplates had better consumer recognition. [2] The new Sable went on sale in Summer 2007 and featured a new 3.5L V6 already available in the smaller Lincoln MKZ.
References
- ^ a b http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/mercury/69merc/bilder/24.jpg 1969 Mercury Brochure
- ^ a b http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/lincoln/74lm/bilder/31.jpg 1974 Lincoln-Mercury Div. Brochure
- ^ Flory, J. "Kelly", Jr. American Cars 1960-1972 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Coy, 2004), p.911.
- ^ a b Flory, p.914.
- ^ [1] 68 Mercury Cyclone GT
- ^ Edmunds review
- ^ "Ford Achieves First Car Sales Increase Since 1999". Theautochannel.com. 2004-11-17. http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/01/04/204860.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- ^ "Ford Motor Company 2007 sales". January 3, 2008. http://media.ford.com/article_download.cfm?article_id=27379.
- Encyclopedia of American Cars by Publications International, ISBN 0-7853-6275-4
- Standard Catalog of Ford 1903-1998 by Krause Publications, ISBN 0-87341-636-8
External links
- MyFord500/Taurus - The first Mercury Montego & Ford Five Hundred enthusiast web site
- Mercury Montego Project Car and Technical Articles
Mercury, a division of Ford Motor Company, 1939–2011 Category · Vehicles Final models
(2010-2011)Historic models Bobcat · Brougham · Capri · Colony Park · Comet · Commuter · Custom · Cougar · Cyclone · Eight · LN7 · Lynx · M-Series · Marauder · Marquis · Medalist · Meteor · Monarch · Montclair · Montego · Monterey (car) · Monterey (mini-van) · Mystique · Park Lane Brougham · S-55 · Sable · Topaz · Tracer · Turnpike Cruiser · Villager · Voyager · ZephyrConcept cars Mercury passenger vehicle timeline, 1950–1989 — next » Type 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Subcompact Bobcat Lynx Tracer Compact Comet Comet Comet Zephyr Topaz Topaz Monarch Mid-size Meteor Montego Cougar Cougar Marquis Comet Comet Sable Full-size Eight Montclair Meteor Montclair Monterey Monterey Monterey Monterey Monterey Monterey Park Lane Park Lane Marquis Marquis Marquis Grand Marquis Brougham Turnpike Cruiser S-55 S-55 Marauder Marauder C. Park Colony Park Colony Park Colony Park Colony Park Colony Park Commuter Commuter Commuter Voyager Sports car Capri Capri Cougar Cougar LN7 Personal Cougar Cougar Cougar Cougar Cougar « previous – Mercury passenger vehicle timeline, 1980–2011 Type 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 Subcompact Bobcat Lynx Tracer Compact Tracer Tracer Zephyr Topaz Topaz Mystique Mid-size Monarch Marquis Sable Sable Sable Sable Milan Full-size Marquis Grand Marquis Grand Marquis Grand Marquis Grand Marquis Colony Park Marauder Montego Sable Sport compact Capri Capri LN7 Cougar Personal Cougar Cougar Cougar SUV Mariner Mariner Mountaineer Mountaineer Mountaineer Minivan Villager Villager Monterey Categories:- Mercury vehicles
- Vehicles introduced in 1968
- Vehicles with CVT transmission
- All wheel drive vehicles
- Front wheel drive vehicles
- Rear wheel drive vehicles
- Mid-size cars
- Full-size vehicles
- Coupes
- Sedans
- Muscle cars
- 1960s automobiles
- 1970s automobiles
- 2000s automobiles
- Ford D3 platform
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