What an era, what a car! I was still in the single digits when this 1972 Mercury Marquis Brougham two-door hardtop was made, but it really brings me back to that time. This long, low beauty is on Craigslist in Sandpoint, Idaho with an asking price of, gulp… $15,000! If the CL link goes away the info can be found here. Thanks to Shane F. for submitting this Marquis!
The Nixon era was pretty interesting, to say the least; and not just politically. It was sort of in-between the who-cares-if-you-get-killed car designs from car companies who obviously could care less if you did. We all know are in it for the profit and nothing else; always have been always will be. And, it was the beginning of the here’s-what-you-need-to-survive-car-crashes era, forced on car companies by the evil government.. Things like seat belts, padded dashes, and even air bags were around (if not in production than in testing) well before this era, but the late-60s and early-70s is when automotive safety and emissions regulations really started to take hold. And, let’s not forget about gas crisis after gas crisis and the invasion of inexpensive, reliable, small Japanese vehicles that flooded the market with precision timing.
Even with two major hurricanes in a couple of weeks and the usual spike in gas prices, at 11 mpg or not, who doesn’t love and want this gorgeous Marquis two-door hardtop Brougham?! I know that I do, but not for $15,000. I could turn my ’66 Lincoln into a jewel box for that price. Speaking of Lincolns, and luxury cars, and the length of cars (were we?!), this Mercury Marquis is several inches longer than my 1966 Lincoln Continental Coupe is! I have it in my gourd that the Lincoln is, or should be, the longest, but it’s not even close. The seller of this chunk-o-gold says that they have owned and driven this car for twenty years and it’s so reliable that you can just jump in it and go.
There are no engine photos, unfortunately, but this monster has a monster 460 V8, which by 1972 only had 224 hp. For a 4,800-pound car that isn’t a lot, but I can almost feel how smooth and quiet this car would be. My Lincoln has 340 hp, but, at 5,200-pounds, it isn’t a speed demon, either. The body on this Merc was repainted fifteen years ago but there’s no word on if there was any bodywork done. I’m assuming that it’s originally an Idaho car, and as such it may not have been ravaged by rust, at least as much as if it were from the Midwest or Northeast portions of the US. The beautiful interior was also redone at the same time as was the vinyl top. The owner must be trying to get every dime out of what they spent on the refurbishment, and that most likely won’t happen. What do you think this one is worth? NADA has a high value of about half of the seller’s asking price.
If it were a convertible, he might get 12k.
Mercury stopped making the full size convertible in 1970; Ford continued the full sized convertible as the LTD in 1971 and 1972.
The quit offering it as a convertable in 1970. Mr Douglas on Green Acres had a Marquis convertable in 1969 when they no longer built the Continental as a convertable.
Maybe it’s the rare “Marquis de sade” collector edition (like a Lincoln) to command that price? Although that probably would have been triple black with 5 point harnesses….I know bad joke.
I love it, I would take this as a fun weekend car over any CRX or 240sx.
IMHO car is worth between 4900-6K, max. Although the interior was redone at some time in the past, along with the vinyl top and paint, the cloth material used for the seat inserts is not correct. The original looked almost like a polished cotton, sort of shiny and smooth. I have had 3 of them, 1 4 door sedan (post), 1 4 door hardtop (no post), and 1 2 door hardtop. I bought most of these in the early 1980s’ for less than $500.00 each, and when asked if I would sell it, did. The best I could pull mileage wise on the highway at a steady 65 was 12 m.p.g., in town about 8 m.p.g. but what a comfortable rind, and they all held me, the wife and 6 kids with no squeezing!
SIX KIDS!!!!!! WOW! I’m impressed. 4 in the back, and 2 between you and the wife. That is so cool. Any in the trunk? LOL
In the mid 90’s these were still running through car auctions for around $500. I know, I bought one in very similar condition (but it was a wagon).
What a beast. These days, the more fuel it consumes, the more they think they’re worth.
There will come a time in the distant future when examples such as this one will be in museums. The patrons will pass by slowly, whispering to each other…”what magnificent ingenuity and comfort in a transport device that consumed their renewable resources. If they only knew what we know now”.
Fresh off the set of “Cannon” – a glorious example of early ’70’s American excess! This was exactly the kind of bloat that floated my grandparents’ boat when I was little. Great find!
Or an Quinn Martin productions. I was thinking Barnaby Jones or Marcus Welby.
Fresh off the set of “Cannon” – a glorious example of early ’70’s American excess!
I get your point, but “Cannon” drove a ’72ish Lincoln MKIV, I think.
Yeah, I think this was one of the best Mercury’s made.( it would be hard to pick one) I know I complain about black and silver cars, but this color is the opposite extreme. I’d almost prefer a black or silver, than this. It would be tough feeding it, but still a very nice car.
What many around here call a “Tuna Schooner” or “Tuna Boat”, Useless except for the drivetrain and brakes for donor materials and the rest for scrap weight when scrap iron prices are up.
Rare these days but for good reason. Wear your polyester leisure suit, get a tan-orexia trailer park version of Loni Anderson missing half her teeth and recreate Herb from WKRP. Dont forget your tinted sunglasses, big gold chain and a 8 track of Sinatra or Barbara Streisand cranked up.
Make sure when you pull up (Often it would seem) to the gas station you bellow out “Fill it with Ethel”
Would it be OK if the trailer park queen had dentures? You can call her Ethel if you’d like, but the fuel is called ethyl.
But you get a HUGE upvote for “tan-orexia” – absolutely epic!
Wow, sluggo, clearly,,,you just don’t get it. This was one of the nicest cars you could buy in ’72. Where the heck were you in ’72? :)
Oh Howard I get it just fine. Horses for Courses. It just depends on what your taste is. Bloated barge with enough metal in it to build a Dozen Ford Escorts? Or a car that has performance and style? Some might say this IS style? But not mine or anyone I know. Some guys like Skinny girls, some like ones with curves and some have other tastes. But again, go to a car show or cruise in. When has anyone seen one of these? I have not since the 1970s.
So what else is out there for the early 1970s and not a muscle car? Well,,, Again not my tastes but If I wanted a big cruiser a souped up Monte Carlo would mix big cruiser with at least respectable driving. But The Germans were getting good at that point with classy cruisers, I would give big points to a E type Jag but thats a sporty car..
Me in 1972? I was at a Chevy dealership back in 1972 in Gresham Oregon with my parents, We had a Big Ford wagon and were looking for something more utility. They bought a new 1972 Chevy Suburban or Carry-all as they were often called. What I wanted? I was quite vocal about the Chevelles but what I lusted after was a Corvette. So much so the sales guy gave me a plastic model of a Corvette to shut me up. I still have it.
But while I admit some find this car attractive, I dont and did not back in 72 either. At one point my dad gave me a Pontiac version of one of these with a 455. Thought it would keep me safe with all the steel. I hated it. (plus as a poor teen, the gas mileage was about 5 mpg so no fun with no money) But I showed him. We pulled the 455 out and stuck it in a Trans-am.
Hey, sluggo’s here!
The pictures have all been taken near large bodies of water! Is that because this is one of those “Land Yacht’s”, I have heard about? But, I have never actually seen one!
Are you sure about the 460?
Would a Mercury have the Lincoln engine as opposed to the Ford 429 like the 1972 LTD Brougham would have?
I like the fact that my 1972 Ford LTD Brougham has the small block 400.
Hi Miguel, according to “Automobile Catalog”, Mercury’s built after Sept. 1971 had the 460. http://www.automobile-catalog.com/car/1972/1847645/mercury_marquis_brougham_2-door_hardtop_460-4v_v-8_select-shift_automatic.html
Should be worth about $ 1.00 per pound
I lived in a little gingerbread house about three blocks away from this lot the year this was built. Fought forest fires from the Nordman Ranger station for tuition money every summer. I wonder if Ron Hernvall is still crewing “half-shots”? Didn’t McGarrett drive the four door?
I’d install aftermarket fuel injection, shave the heads, and add an overdrive unit. I’m pretty sure if the compression ratio was up a bit so would the milage go up and the performance. I too think the price is high, but on the other hand it is already restored, how many times I have herd on this site when a beat down rust bucket is presented that you’d be better off buying a better car and pay more for it. Well here it is and it’s ready to go, the fact is this is not a car for daily driving it’s a weekend highway cruiser or a show and shine queen, and in that regard who cares how thirsty it is. My only concern would be is having a big enough garage to store it in.
Do sent that car look like Barnaby Jones. I’m sure it was in a few Quinn Martin productions. The wiseguy and gangsters always had black sedans.
Now that you mention it, I do recall some shows where cars like this are used, I Have always found it interesting to watch the weight transfer and body shift or roll. Some of these on old bias ply tires were downright unstable.
French connection, Dirty Harry movies, ADAM 12 & CHIPS, MOD SQUAD!!
Here is a IMDB listing of movies and shows…. its interesting.
See: http://www.imcdb.org/vehicles_make-Mercury_model-Marquis.html
Back in the 1980s at Shepard Air Force Base, Texas, They trained medical, Air crews and ground crews to my knowledge (might have been others) But while I was in Ground crew training (Tactical Acft Crew Chief & Technician) the air base was extensively used for Fighter jet training. At that time it was T-38s or F5s (Great acft!)
and many of the air crews/pilots trained many were foreign nationals.
While I was there in 84 there was a car very similar to this. I was told they took it to the auto hobby shop and they decorated it with Acft stickers. (Danger hot exhaust!. Oxygen here, No step!, Danger Avionics radiation hazard! along with unit and USAF placards/insignia,etc etc)
The roof had been crudely removed and it was full time convertible. Often you would up to 6-8 people crammed in it on beer runs and food to the commissary/BX or chow hall. On days it was raining they held up Umbrellas and kept the speed under 35. I was also told they passed this car off to incoming trainees so, it just cycled thru one group to another over the training classes.
What I found the most amusing was someone had cut a port into the front fenders and ran a length of shiny chrome chain to small motorboat anchors.
It was German aircrews driving it when I was there and I loved watching their performance. Once parked someone would come to attention and bellow “Drop Anchor!” In a thick german accent. (Think the Frau in Austin Myers “Fire the laser beam!”).
Someone reached under the dash and yanked on something and with a loud rumble and clanking they actually would drop the anchors. After returning to the car with supplies (Beer) Someone would have to reset the anchors.
Anywhere else it would have been epic, but at the time it just seemed only slightly odd or weird.
I was just a young PINGER at the time.
(PINGER is a young airman trainee with a shaved head recently out of basic training, They are identified by the red welts or bruising on exposed scalp or face. On a busy training base with near constant Jet acft traffic overhead young PINGERS walk around staring at the sky staring upwards instead of where they are going. They often run into the steel post for telephone poles/street lights on these bases. When they do you hear a loud hollow PING!)
Ladies n Gentlemen’s but we dont no ladys here but is all i am sitting in after hurricane irma wip our buts and something 50 people die my point is that i wont pay $15.000 for that marquis even if barnaby jones o macgarrett drove or not i love big classy cars in those days at $15k u couldnt buy a car for the price. A grand marquis LX or crown vic (ford LTD for those days) the last crown vic 2011 u could buy if u had a lil over $ 10k maybe. U all joke a lot and thats is why i still lije Barn Finds. Lol very amuse
I was at sheppard afb in ’72. 431 school. remember it well. another sad
reflection of what barn finds has become. strip off all the paint,put 47 coats
of “patina” on it and ask 40k!
This is mine. One of the most comfortable classic car interiors I’ve experienced. Something about the seat shape and cushion material, and driving position. I’m 6’3″ so shorter drivers might not agree.
Beautiful car!