Yes, we’ve had a lot of Brougham action goin’ on lately (and a little Bro-ham’ and Bro’-gum thrown in for good measure too). Today will be no exception thanks to this Zephyr Cove, Nevada domiciled 1969 Mercury Marquis Brougham. It’s available at no reserve, here on eBay for a current bid of $3,599 with seventeen bids tendered so far.
My initial thought was how’d they get an aircraft carrier to Nevada to use as a backdrop but obviously image posturing shouldn’t be at the top of the what’s noticed list. And that leads me to number two, this Merc has four doors. The Brougham came in a two-door hardtop variety but the four-door sedan and hardtop were considerably better sellers. The Brougham sedan managed 14K units in ’69, a match for the four-door hardtop, while the two-door racked up sales of a bit under 8,400 copies.
So what sets a Brougham apart from a non-Brougham, just known as the Marquis? Not much really, mostly a vinyl top covering, a “jewel-like” Brougham crest, and unique ornamentation. Inside is where the real differences reside with items such as a split bench seat, nylon and vinyl upholstery, fake burled wood veneer slathered about, and diamond pleated door trim. A pleasant enough environment, Mercury called it “elegant” though that may be a stretch. In the case of our subject car, the upholstery is in sound and clean condition with no noted detractions and that goes for the door panels, carpet, headliner, and dash pad too. The instrument panel is intact with clear instrumentation (all working according to the seller) though it seems pedestrian for a Mercury wearing a “Brougham” tag – it would seem more appropriate for a Galaxie or LTD.
Outside, this Marquis is, “…highly original. The body is straight with no damage or corrosion. The original maroon paint shines nicely. The original vinyl top has no rust or bubbles on the edges” so says to the seller. The exterior presents well, and there’s a lot of it to present. There are some small dings, scrapes, and dented trim visible but it’s all minor stuff. I’m not quite certain what it is, but this four-door sedan’s lines just don’t flow as well as those of the four-door hardtop. The lack of white-stripe tires, which would have been commonplace with wheel covers back in ’69, seem like a miss for a car of this vintage.
The seller’s big sales pitch seems to be this car’s 360-gross HP 429 CI V8 engine. Research indicates that all Marquis Brougham’s came standard with a 429 CI motor though the 320 HP version was standard. That being the case, this car received an upgrade in the engine room. The weight is reported as 4,200 lbs. so this Merc should still be able to move out in style and its claimed 64K miles works to its advantage. The seller suggests, “The Merc is a strong running car and has the power to get out of troubles way or get you in trouble depending on how you look at it“. Here’s a driving video for your review.
There are three days to go in the bidding, and so far the action has been light dollar-wise (six bidders). What’s holding it back? I’m convinced it’s the two extra doors. It’s a neat old car, the kind that we took for granted years ago, but rarely seen today – especially one with those two extra doors. Regardless, this Marquis will end up going to a new home and I’m sure its new owner will be very happy with it, wouldn’t you agree?
Good write-up Jim. Looks like a nice car, but for whatever reason it doesn’t reach out and grab me. I agree, the two-door looks better, and I think a set of whitewalls would make a big difference. But as-is, an inexpensive, comfortable cruiser.
Quick – Which one’s bigger – the carrier,or the Marquis?
The Hornet, by 860 feet long and 160 high.
There is a YouTube channel where the presenter features many four door hardtops and sedans…and he has a fondness for Mercury. Maybe he’ll buy it.
Interesting to see dual power seats, standard (black) seatbelts, and manual windows.
Are you referring to Adam Wade’s “Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History” YouTube channel?
https://www.youtube.com/c/RareClassicCars
Great site! I love seeing stuff you never see anymore.
I watch nearly all of his videos, and quite honestly him featuring the kind of cars he does had re-invigorated my interest in older style cars that most of us tended to forget.
At one time all these big American cars were everywhere to the point that they were mocked and ridiculed as boats, barges, etc. Since watching his channel i’ve picked up a couple of my own now.
76 Lincoln Continental and a 91 Cadillac DeVille. To be honest, both are actually quite high quality cars that stand out just because they once were common, and now are not. Truly miss this kind of car being made. If Mercury were still around and made the 91 Grand Marquis, I’d be at my dealer today.
Thanks for the tip on that YouTube channel. Looks interesting, I just subscribed.
Yes….this is just what he likes! Can you imagine his video of this car?
I managed a tire store up until about 6 months ago and I can tell ya…finding white wall tires is getting more and more difficult. When you do find them, they are almost always an off brand Chinese tire, sometimes you get lucky with a Cooper product or maybe a Tiger Paw.
So although not correct, I can live with the black wall tires, hoping the seller opted for quality over appearance.
For the current bid (still at $3,599) this is a bargain!
I am heading to Phoenix & Vegas in a couple weeks. I might bid on this & bring it home!
https://www.cokertire.com. Not cheap, but not outrageous, either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RFoY6B6mY8
Check out 69 Mercury Marquis brougham at Imcdb.
I have a soft spot for these boats, probably because my dad’s first new car was a ’69 LTD, basically the same car. The mercs have class in spades though. It looks like a 4 door HT at first glance. Good luck Stevieg, hope you get it!
Yes, you are correct, it is a hardtop, the windows are frameless, but does have a B pillar.
A relatively new design feature of Ford, Mercs, (and Continentals.)
Ford and Merc four door sedans, had the full frame door windows.
The growing threat of legislated roll over standards was the impetuous of the hardtop B pillar.
Which also led to the decline of the convertible.
Regardless, Mercury called this model a Marquis Brougham Four-door Sedan.
JO
In later years, Ford and Mercury referred to this body style as a “pillared hardtop.”
Thank you Fred. I will keep everyone posted.
I have some really cheap tendencies so it’s gotta stay pretty low on the price spectrum for me to get it.
Don’t under estimate these floats for value. My buddy buys these “oft not seen” vehicles and rents them out to movie studios, commercials, etc. Made a fortune off that service alone. If you buy it to drive it, enjoy! If you buy it to sell 20 years from now for $20K or more, keep it dry, stay hands on.
This was my Father’s favorite car of all time, a 1920 Star was his first car, but he always referred to this one as being his number one. He was 61 when we bought it to go to Florida for Christmas. I was only 6 years old, but I remember how happy he was when we took delivery on a frosty morning. You had to burn Super Ethyl gas, or it didn’t run like it was supposed to. The 429 was a powerful motor, and my Father kept it pegged at 90 mph. The coolest thing was that it had sequential tailights that really set this car apart from the competition. The trunk was a true Mafia car, you could put 5-6 grown men in that thing, it was gynormous. It was the best Highway cruiser that I have ever been in. When we stopped for gas or to eat, it drew a crowd of people to it even in the rain. Great memories of the car, and especially my Father. I am 1 year and a half from being 61, and there better be an afterlife, I miss him everyday.
If you couldn’t afford a Continental you’d get a Marquis. What year were skirts added onto the Marquis lineup?
All the comments and not one referencing KISS’ Cold Gin in the title of this ad. Maybe it’s just the rock n roller in me. Sweet car. Slap some Coker wide whites and let’s cruise Detroit Rock City.
A pre smog 429, sweet. The 360 horsepower was standard fare in the X100 Marauder, so it’s possible for this one if the box was checked.
Yes, this is the N-code 4-barrel 429 with 360 horsepower. The standard engine in the Marquis was the K-code 2-barrel 429 with 320 horsepower. Both required premium fuel. If you got a lower-trim Monterey the Y-code 390 was standard. It took regular.
We had a K- code 2 barrel 429 and it was fast. I could do burnouts in that car for a block! More than my 67 Firebird 400. Surprised a lot of muscle cars back in the day!
It’s a bummer that the right headlight cover has the BB sized dent almost in the middle of it. For as big of a car as it is, it really stands out, more so than two on the right rear quarter. Still a very nice survivor overall. I think I’d even consider it for a daily driver.
All that and no power windows….
In case anyone wonders, the UAN aircraft carrier in the background is U.S.S. Hornet, buils about 1943, served in the Pacific, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam. Now preserved & moored at N.A.S. Alameda CA, open to the public.
my brother bought one of these in 1981, paid 125 for it if i remember correctly, stuck a battery in it and drove it home. 429 2 barrel. Pulled the motor out to put it in a 70 torino and our dad had another cow about putting a big motor in a little car
When my 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe needed tires I wanted white walls. Blackwell were a little over $1000. But to put whitewalls on it would double the price. I stayed with the Blackwell.
Coker tire is a good place to get vintage whitewall tires, but as pointed out, not cheap. I’ve seen a lot of Cadillac CTS with Vogue whitewall tires here in Vegas. But it is getting more and more difficult to get reasonably priced whitewall tires.
Hyundai Sante Fe? Say it ain’t so, ACD, I had you pegged in a Escalade for your part of the country,, :)
Unfortunately Howard it’s true. I see myself in an Escalade myself, but when you’re poor and on disability, you take what you can afford. Actually, I was going to get a Jeep, but couldn’t get financing for it, so I got the Hyundai which is bigger than the Saturn SUV my husband wrecked.
I’ve always bought American, except for the MG Midget.
Next time I’m getting Ram truck!
I love my Cadillacs and Lincolns and Imperials, but in real life gotta be utilitarian