“Marquis Brougham gives you elegance in styling and much more. Beyond its handsome exterior and plush interior, beyond its recognition for roominess and six-passenger comfort, it is steeped in amenities that make it a pleasure to own and drive.” So says a 1978 Mercury Marquis brochure. The seller has this one posted here on craigslist in Wichita, Kansas, and they’re asking $2,800 or best offer. Here is the original listing.
They have this car listed as a Grand Marquis Brougham, but there wasn’t such a thing in 1978 from what I can find, that combo went away in 1975. The Grand Marquis had a big trim piece down the side that this car doesn’t have. I like the clean look of this car with the standard Landau vinyl top instead of a full vinyl top, which also would have been available at no cost on the two-door. It sure looks like a Ford LTD in the photo above, doesn’t it? I like the optional wheel covers, but forged aluminum wheels would be nice, too.
Other than the deteriorated Landau top, I don’t see a big flaw on the exterior of this car, do you? The headlights aren’t closed, but that happens quite a bit with cars in storage for who knows how long. The seller says this is a one-owner car and that’s amazing after so many decades, although, I bet a few of you have had cars that you bought new longer than that? I wish we got to see inside the trunk, it looks like they opened, or tried to.
The “Flight Bench” seat in dark red in front looks great and the back seat looks even better, just maybe a bit dusty from sitting for a while. I hope rodents haven’t been in there. The steering wheel looks a little sus, as no Mercury Marquis owner has probably ever said, but it appears to have a CB Radio lying on the hump. It also appears to have cruise control – the two buttons on the steering – very cool.
Talk about sus, it looks like the hood may have been open for a long time, but we don’t know. And thanks to the seller for including two engine photos! One other head-scratcher on this one is that they list the engine as being a 390, which I don’t believe was offered. A 351 was standard, or a 400-cu.in. OHV V8 would have been an option. One source lists a 460 as another option in 1978. In any case, this one isn’t running but I would guess that most Barn Finds readers could have it purring again in no time. Any idea what engine this is? And about that price, $2,800 or offer doesn’t buy much these days, I like this car for that price, how about you?
Good job Scotty. I like the big cruisers of the era, before downsizing kicked in. One would like to think getting it running would be straightforward but who knows. The interior looks pretty good, and it’s even red. If it wasn’t for the paint being gone on the hood and the tattered vinyl roof the exterior isn’t bad either. The price certainly is reasonable. Maybe a chance for someone to pick it up and work on it as time and money allow.
Now this is a car that gets my attention, how come we never see nice examples of these, LTD’s, etc? The 70’s….I’m sorry were the best for American cars. (oil crisis) ruined it all and the convincing that the front wheel drive car was the way to go….Didn’t most of us learn how to drive rear wheel drive cars? In the snow???
It would be so cool to buy a 76 to 78 Ford LTD Landau 2 door!!! And the Mercury version is so cool!
i really like how you can look at a car up until the 80’s and tell what it was! Designers were house designers, today they all graduate from the same school, where A to Z cars all look the same!
Unfortunately most of these Land YACHTS ended up in salvage yards as the focus shifted to downsized mostly ugly melted jelly beans (like Ford FOCUS). A close friend bought first generation Taurus to replace her 79 Coupe de Ville! At least FMC gave full size buyers much of the same traditional formal design and luxury for next generation Crown Vics, GRAND MARQUIS, and TOWN CARS. Now even those are hard to find.
My Dad owned a 1970 Mercury Marquis Station Wagon, complete with Woodgrain sides,
when I was a kid.
Believe it or not, I have a Jade Green white Landou topped 1978 Mercury Cougar in mint condition. The a/c still blows cold. Love it.
A lot of modern car design is dictated by government mandates: crash/impact minimum requirements, minimum MPG mandates (probably the single biggest influence on car design), etc. Much, much more restrictive to design a car these days than it was in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. I think the low point of car design was the mid 90’s through about 2005. Designs are getting better (In my opinion) in the last 10 years or so, but sadly we won’t see things like this Marquis or even the good old Crown Victoria (which I have one of) ever again.
Designers have no imagination as they all come from the same California school. Maybe in Europe this might not be true. Cam manufacturers need to have their own in house taught designers.
Getting your money’s worth on a per pound basis. These were great cars in their day and the last time around the block for this body. Could be a good cruiser if you don’t have to spend a fortune to make it a runner.
“Marquis Brougham” sounds like a James Bond character.
Brougham, Marquis Brougham! Not shakin 🍸 🍹. Definitely stirring! 🏆 Successor to double 77. Suitable for Her MAJESTY s Service with PLUSHY 😻VELOUR. 😉
In the late 80S, I bought a 78 GRAND MARQUIS Coupe. The car was truly GRAND. This one is a Marquis Brougham. There was also an entry level Marquis. I don’t recall engine choices other than 400 and 460. Mine had 460. There was an issue with carburetor, which my long time repair shop fixed by modifying a Ford truck carburetor. Not ready to take this one on myself, the price and overall condition will inspire someone to make this Marquis Brougham really GRAND.
willing to bet there is no title.
Very nice mid-70’s land yacht’s don’t sell for a lot of money. In general they are value purchases, where condition and price matter more than make and model. This era of car is turning up more often as the long term owners are aging and downsizing or their estates are being sold off. Unless this is someone’s “dream car” there is no reason to take it on as a project.
Growing up my parents bought a new 1973 Chrysler Town and Country wagon to tow our trailer, it was right after the start of the 1973 gulf war and the start of the oil embargo. The dealers would do practically anything to get them off their lot. It was a great highway car, but sluggish around town and wallowed like a pig when the steering wheel moved more than 45 degrees at any speed. By 1986 they didn’t need it to tow any longer, my dad was tired or replacing the thermoquad every few years and the suspension needed work, even though it only had 25,000 miles, so it got replaced by a slightly used 1984 Honda Accord.
Steve R
Uncle Bucks ride…
It just needs to backfire like his did, then I’m all in. Take the rear shocks off and keep a really sharp hatchet on the trunk, in case any gnats need a circumsicion.
Judging by the air cleaner housing, I would say that one came with the 460. The 351 and 400 engine options were equipped with a bare aluminum air cleaner that was smaller and had a bit more dish to it.
It is possible that a 460 style air cleaner was swapped over at some point, but not likely. If memory serves, the 460 only made something like 212 horsepower by this point. Torque was adequate. The 400 made 165 horsepower, and the 351M was just plain sad. Any of them can be modified for way more power with the basic cam/intake/carb/headers/exhaust upgrades on the basic short block, although the 351 and 400 could benefit from a bottom end rebuild with higher compression pistons. Aftermarket heads are available for even more power.
I have a 1978 4-door with the 400M I am restoring. I’m aiming for an honest 400 horsepower when I rebuild the motor.
That might indeed be the big 460 under the hood. 351(M) and 400 engines of that period had a non painted or stainless air filter housing. Our 77 Cougar had a 400 and it was silver/stainless. Also, the valve covers appear to curve up from the block, which would be a 460. A picture of the valve cover sticker if it’s still there would help identify which engine it is.
Back in the mid mid 70s, I bought a 71 full sized Merc Monterey. An older lady where I worked saw it and told me that she bought a new Coupe de ville and her husband bought a Grand Marquis at about the same time. She admitted that her husband’s Merc was way better than her caddie. I believe that her next new car was a Lincoln. She was done with GM. Dealer wouldn’t address the problems so they lost a new car sale every other year. I drove my reliable, comfortable Merc until I was forced to trade it in on a Ford Country Sedan. Family was getting too big for a 2dr.
I’ve had 78 Town Coupe, 78 GRAND MARQUIS, 89 Signature Series 2007 GRAND MARQUIS and current Signature Limited. Also had 89 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham deElegance 👍 and 93 Cadillac Brougham. Overall, FMC was superior. Unfortunately now SUVS and crossovers masquerading as Luxury vehicles rule the roads.
The big Fords were always solid and seemed laid out the same from the early 1960’s until the last day they were built. I had a ’74 Galaxie 500 4 door sedan. Looked exactly like the one Carl Malden and Michael Douglas drove in Streets of San Francisco. There was a couple of things that car desperately needed. Sway bars! It rode like a class act but did not actually handle. At ALL! Also had a ’67 Thunderbird that handled like a European sports car in contrast. So body roll on the Galaxie was awful. I don’t believe these cars are as heavy as you might think.
Engine in this car is a 460. This one has a single exhaust. All ’75-’76 full size Ford and Mercury cars optioned with a 460 come standard with dual exhaust. Mercury Grand Marquis came standard with a 460 in ’75 and ’76. I have a ’76 Grand Marquis sedan. Mine runs and drives extremely well, very smooth, powerful, and quiet. Wonderful cars.
This reminds me of the ’75 LTD I drove in high school. Yes Ford made some really good cars and that LTD treated me a lot better than those four 89-92 Coupe De Villes I use to own. I would take this Merc over those four Caddy’s any day of the week.
Sure looks like a 460 to me. Just based on the size of the air cleaner. And if the engine isn’t blown to any degree, the price is terrific. Not a huge investment to clean it up pretty and have a fantastic land yacht for comfort rides.
This one makes me want to take a trip to Kansas, a trip not anywhere on my radar until seeing this post!
I grew up with these land barges as road obstacles to drive around. Looking at this now I’m thinking this ‘coupe’ would make a great cruiser. And with a little work under the hood the possibilities seem endless. Freshen up that 460 with a healthier cam, carburetor, and open exhaust … heavy duty shocks and sway bars …
Hmmm
Agree! I still would keep it quiet. Sway bars and shocks. Just do the slight ride and handling upgrades.