Coming in at just over 19 feet in length, this has to rank as one of the longest American production cars made in the last five decades. If you owned this car in 1975, for sure you wore a suit, maybe even without a tie and your giant shirt collars sticking out over your lapels. Or if you were really daring and artsy, you wore a turtleneck and sport jacket. This was an interesting era. The seller has this beautiful 1975 Mercury Marquis Brougham listed here on eBay in Pompano Beach, Florida, there is no reserve, and the current bid price is $6,500.
You’ll notice that I said, “one of” the longest cars in the last five decades, not necessarily the longest, just for the record. In case anyone comes up with one that was longer. This car is gorgeous, in my opinion, period-perfect. The color, the hidden headlights with the crest on each side, the giant bumpers, the full wheel covers, vinyl top, just everything.
Yes, even the rear fender skirts. That feature would soon disappear from cars, but I was approaching driving age in this era and my dad had a 1970 Olds 98 sedan with rear fender skirts so I’ve always had a thing for 10-mpg gigantic luxury sedans from this era. This is a Mercury Marquis Brougham, not a Grand Marquis Brougham, there was no such model. The Grand Marquis had wider body moldings and a few extra touches, and there was also a standard Mercury Marquis.
It goes without saying that the interior of this Bro-Ham is also in outstanding condition, and appropriately brown. The seats look perfect both front and back, with maybe some staining on the driver’s seat, probably from a Fresca spilling over onto the driver’s polyester slacks. The second-generation Marquis was made from 1969 through 1978 with a major design change in 1973.
The clean engine compartment houses a monsterous Ford-sourced 460-cu.in. OHV V8, which had 218 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. The seller says that this beauty has a mere 49,000 miles and it runs like a dream. It sure looks good to me. Have any of you owned a similar Marquis? And, how about the longest, American, factory-produced car of the last five decades? Is this it?
Ah! the later favorite ride of Hawaii 5-0’s McGarrett. Alas, there never was a “de Sade” option, ( a runnung joke from Car & Driver) LOL!! A very nice beauty, GLWTA!! :-)
McGarrett drove a 1973 Mercury Marquis. At the end of the 5-0 series Jack Lord kept the car. Before he became a actor after he served in the military he became a car salesman for Ford/Mercury. The Mercury was his car of choice when he started Hawaii 5-0 with the Mercury Parklane.
Probably the same length as my 1979 Lincoln Town Coupe ( Town Truck now). 19ft6in As they likely share the frame and bumpers. I believe there was a longer Chrysler coupe in the 70’s. This is a beautiful example of a Mercury of the time but as popular as brown was then I believe that would make it a harder sell now.
Scotty is correct, this car has “period-correct” written all over it. A great example of its time. The owner back then was a little “higher up” than his neighbor with the LTD, but not quite up to the doctor with the Lincoln.
We occasionally go out to eat in a neighboring town with a couple in their 80’s, this would be a wonderful chariot for the trip.
“Mercury…..the Man’s Car”
Man, I love Scotty’s write-ups!
I have a 78 Grand Marquis coupe in antique Crème with matching Landau roof and gold velour interior. Mine just turned 2000 original miles. It was a true barnfind. I bought it 3 years ago with 909 miles. It’s the perfect Palm Springs cruiser where the parking spaces can still accommodate this beast. These are great road cars. GLWTA.
We had an 89 Grand Marquis LS. One of the nicest cars I’ve ever had.
Book ’em, Dano!!
She’s longer than a deuce and quarter
I loved my parents 1971 Mercury Marquis Brougham just like this brown one. My grandparents special ordered it in Seattle with a 7.3 V8. I wish they still had it today.
A friend of mine named mine, “Guido” as it was dark blue and he visualized it as a mobster’s ride. It was fine as a date night car, also to haul 5-6 kids around at times…
Date night car? 5-6 kids? That back seat must have got a lot of use. I’ll let myself out.
Reminds me of a friend back on the rez that had a similar car he called”three deer” because that’s how many the car could hold. Also had an endless supply of “get you home” car hacks.
In 1973 when I got my first car and my two older sisters were driving their own cars my mom was still hauling around my 2 younger brothers. She put her foot down…no more station wagons. The Country Squire woody was traded for a white /white landau Mercury Marquis Brougham 2 door. 2 years later the MMB was traded for a 75 white on white MMB four door. Great cars with 460 boat anchors. I had a 67 SS 350 Camaro and a 70 SS 396 Chevelle, but when it came to the drive in movies, Prom, Homecoming, Winter Sports dances, etc., the MMB were the preferred Rides. I had great times in those boats.
1975 buick regal 4 door was 20’6″ long. 5600lbs dry.
Parents had a 73 MMB! Great for hauling a bunch of ppl.!
Parents had a 73 MMB. Great car, good for hauling a bunch of friends.
I always thought of this car as a “land yacht”
Had a 1977 Chrysler New Yorker 2 door and that was 19.25 feet long! The doors alone were longer then some cars now, lol.
Anyway, period correct is true: why was brown the popular color of the time? My opinion is no car looks good brown. Stillo, looks in amazing condition!
This could be my mom’s old car, same colors and all. Ultra plush. First car I ever saw with a digital clock.
Fresca, that’s a good one Scotty! My mother used to drink that stuff back in the day.
Its big. It’s brown. And it’s a Mercury. Excellent write up on a very clean, very large, car. I’m left with- what were we thinking? These were often owned by older folks, and I expect that most of the time they carried one or two people. My father, who was vertically challenged, drove Cadillacs until he got suckered into a diesel Eldorado. Beautiful car sitting in the driveway. In his words, it “broke him of Cadillacs”. On to Lincolns. His ‘88 Town Car was the best of both worlds. Big as an aircraft carrier, (and similarly styled), but with the F.I. 5.0 It got quite respectable mileage.
This Merc is a beautiful reminder of days gone by- but as for me- there’s no temptation to relive them by trying to maneuver this thing into a parking spot designed for a Prius.
I have a 73 2dr htp. I bought last year with 38K miles. Yellow with dark Green Vinyl top and White Leather/Vinyl with green trim interior. Was Antique Car club of America 1st place winner. My winning bid was 13k.
One thing that threw me when my 73 arrives was the 460 4Bbl with single exhaust. No wonder the 218 hp rating. I will be upgrading mine to dual in the near future.
You forgot to mention the all important good ornament! How else are going to aim this thing?
I consider these Mercs “business-casual Lincolns”. The quality and luxury of a Lincoln at a fraction of the cost.
Proof: the TV show “Green Acres”, the Douglas’s drove Lincolns fr the first few seasons then a Merc in the last season of the show.
Because he was loosing his shirt on that dumb farm!
That’s because the Lincoln discontinued the convertible whereas they were still available as Mercury Marquis convertible until1970.
Cool old Mercury. These were great cars and provided excellent, comfortable, good cruising transportation. I’m not sure which one it was, but one of the early 70s “fuselage” style Chrysler or Imperials was actually longer.
These cars were very versatile and both powerful enough and durable enough to tow trailers, campers, boats etc. It was only after these large American cars went out of style did everyone have to have a pickup or SUV to handle towing duties.
I sure hope this finds a good home and is preserved.
I’d rather see that row of cars behind it at that used car lot.
Another great write up from Scotty! Nailed it with reference to Fresca and polyester suits. I was guilty of both. Don’t forget real wide neckties and platform shoes. Really nice Mercury. I hope it finds a good home. And brown works for me.
Just brought back another memory…one of our baseball coaches called the platforms Cadillac Shoes. It caught on like wildfire and is still used today when the subject comes up.
Wow nice car!!
70’s cars are gonna happen!
Would like a 2 door version.
My fave would be a Ford LTD 2 door landau (hidden headlights) red or black!!!!
O.M.G. That’s my car! Only mine was a ’74. Same color, same interior. I only had it for a short time in the early 80’s but it was a fantastic car! I’m not really a FoMoCo gal, except for the occasional Lincoln or Thunderbird, and this was my only Mercury but I loved it. So sorry I traded it in on a new 1984 Camaro. It was like going from a battleship to a dingy.
At one point the brake pedal went to the floor when I applied the brakes. The rusted out brake line opened up and I had to carefully drive it home 13 miles with only using the emergency brake. Fun times.
There are plenty of longer cars. Length of the 75 Merc is 229.0″. A few that come to mind: 1975-79 Lincoln Continental/Town Car, 1977-79 Lincoln Mark V, 1974 Chrysler Imperial, 1974-76 Full Size Cadillac models, 1974-76 Buick Electra. All of these exceed 230 inches, most of them 233-234 inches.
Brown. Dad used to say it was “brown so you wouldn’t have to wash the dirt off it.” I guess brown in those days is the equivalent of silver/grey today…every car was brown back then. Still, what a cruiser! Probably got almost 8-10 mpg but only going downhill… with a tailwind! Thanks for the write-up, and the trip down memory lane, Scotty!
A few years earlier Green was the color. I bought three used charger R/Ts 68,69,71 and all were green. Also two used Javelins 68 & 70 Both Green. Seam like when ever I went to look at a used car it was green.
My parents had a 1971 MMB with a 429. That car went, and went, and went. A fantastic car. The best in my life. It was almost indescribable. If the Foed Motor Company had continued to build cars of this quality, they would have destroyed the Japanese auto makers, and dominated the US market alas, they went for the cheap and unreliable, snd because of that alone, they still struggle to survive today. Short term profit is ALWAYS a losing proposition in the long run. Yet ford NEVER learns.
I had the doppleganger to this car, except mine had the 400, instead of the 460. One of the most-loved cars I’ve ever had, but was like driving a waterbed. :) Exactly the same color combination. These were prone to terminal rust of the frame, behind the rear wheels. A prospective buyer should check this area carefully.
Ours was a triple green. It was a Florida car and never had rust issues.
@TonyB
You’re right about the rust, Tony. As I said in my post, my brakeline rusted out and I had no brakes driving home.
After looking at photos, mine was a ’75, not a ’74
Yeah- forget all about gas mileage. These are just too good. What an article! CHOCOLATE BROWN is actually is one of the great colors for interiors. ALL chocolate brown might be a little to swallow. However, this one checks all the boxes for a beautiful, well kept, classy classic. Thanks for the great write up! AND- May the new owners really enjoy what the 1970’s were all about!GOD I love these.
I owned the very same car but in a different colour. With cruise control engaged and driving at 60 mph, my Merc delivered 21 mpg. As a Ford repair technician I was able to tune it properly and get that mileage. Soon my customer found out and flocked to my door.
Had a 72 Merc, same color but a 2 Dr. Those doors had as much steel in them as an entire import. Loved the ride, roominess & comfort.
I believe the longest non-limousine car is the 1973 Imperial LeBaron sedan: 235.3″
Ah, yes, I remember these. For you youngsters, these cars, their siblings, and their counterparts, once roamed the land aplenty. My Dad had a 1974 Ford Galaxy 500 as a company car (same basic architecture). My Dad bought it at the end of the lease (My Sister’s first car – another story – another time. Despite her running it without oil a few times, that car refused to die. She traded it for a new 1982 Mazda 626. I was sad to see the old Ford go.
This is (almost) the exact car in which I learned how to drive. Dads ‘78 Grand Marquis, same color, same motor… same everything. It was the spring of 1986 right before I turned 16. Seriously intimidating learning on such a HUGE car, but I’ll never forget how that thing just floated and how easy it was to parallel park using just one finger. Made driving anything else seem easy by comparison size-wise. I’ll never forget putting a couple buddies in the trunk and then driving around aimlessly until we got to some arbitrary location and then pulling over and popping the trunk and asking them if they had any idea where they were at. Such more innocent times.
I have a cousin out East that would love this car
Ok, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t SNL do a parody ad about one of these claiming it rode so smoothly that a doctor could perform a circumcision in it without a problem? Pretty funny at the time.
My parents’ 1976 Cadillac Sedan de Ville was the longest car they ever ouwned. If it wasnt at a perfect right angle to the back wall of the garage , the dior wouldn’t close!it was a 20′ deep garage too!!
So a “No Reserve… High Bidder Wins” auction has 35 bids ending at US$8,077.00 and the exact same car later relisted for a “Classified ad price” of US$16,900.00.
Something shady going on there.
Flippers. Doesn’t care about the car, just the profit. $$$$