The owner of this beautiful 1972 Mercury Marquis Brougham two-door hardtop says that it’s one of the smoothest cars that they have ever driven. I don’t doubt that one bit. This smooth operator can be found here on eBay in Saint James, New York with bids of over $7,500 and the reserve isn’t met! Let’s check it out.
I’m trying to remember if I’ve seen a Mercury Marquis from this era in white. I like it. This is a second-generation Marquis and they were made for a solid decade, from 1969 to 1978. The 1972 model would be the last of this design before the cars got really big and square and not quite as sleek looking. The convertible and X-100 models went away the previous year but this beautiful two-door hardtop is one nice looking car, and the hidden headlamps appear to be staying down, that’s a good sign.
Yo, that’s a big booty, or boot, or trunk. A full six-body Joe-Pesci-approved trunk. This car is over 19-feet long, that’s longer than my former two-door ’66 Lincoln that didn’t even fit in our garage! The seller says that this is a one-owner Arizona car with 55,000 miles on it and it sure looks good, doesn’t it? I would actually prefer a four-door hardtop but that’s just me.
The interior looks about as good as the exterior does and that brocade fabric is my absolute favorite. I’m not sure why it has a steering wheel cover, that might make it hard to enjoy the rim-blow horn. The Marquis came in three models in 1972, the Marquis, Marquis Deluxe, and Marquis Brougham. The seller mentions that this car has all options and has never had any rust, ever. It doesn’t get any better than that. This car has the optional Hi-Back Twin Comfort Lounge Seats in vinyl and brocade cloth and they look like new.
The engine is a monster, at least in sheer size if not horsepower by 1972. It’s Ford’s 429 cubic-inch V8 which by 1972 had 208 hp and 322 ft-lb of torque. This car runs and drives excellent, according to the seller. This looks like a really nice example of a gigantic top of the line Mercury for 1972. Have any of you owned a similar car to this two-door Marquis Brougham?
The baby Lincoln. For the guy that was an assistant manager, didn’t make quite enough for a Lincoln, but close. These were really nice cars. Didn’t the ads show a guy cutting a diamond in a 4 door? And of course, SNL’s rendition of that ad. Uncle Buck drive a car like this. John Candy was great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8It6KFhlsBo
I completely forgot about that SNL bit. It was a classic.
I wish these cars were worth this much. I have the Ford Brougham version.
Bro ham plus big block plus more interior room than some small apartments minus 5 gallons per mile…gotta slop the hog! IM IN!!
Where do you get 5MPG?
I got 14 or 15 on the highway with mine.
5 gallons per mile..it was a joke..get it?
Clearly not. *sigh*
Frank Cannon would approve.
I am indeed a smooth operator.
This was my new car/ barge I bought at age 24 in the mid 70’s. Beautiful 4 door grey on grey leather. Was such a great ride on the highways. Had the
Brougham edition. Wow , loved this Mercury. Gas mileage was terrible , but at that age, not smart enough to care. Not my smartest purchase. Traded it after 2 years for a new 280X , 3 pedal car. About the opposite of a car and still not the smartest purchase. But it was sure fun to drive.
how can a 429 with a 4 barrel only produce 208 hp????
Because it has a broomstick for a cam combined with 7.5:1 compression with the help of retarded timing. Add bottle cork heads with a restricted exhaust flow and you viola’, you’ve got an impotent big block.
This is also a net horsepower figure. everyone did it in the early 70.
Very true Bill. But I doubt this motor made more than 250 gross H.P.
Jeez, that’s a big car; about a foot longer than my ’72 Galaxie. Haven’t seen one of these for a long time, either. It looks like a really nice original car, a car that apparently needs nothing and is ready to enjoy. The only drawback for some might be storage; you’d better have a really big garage for it. My two-car garage is too short for my Galaxie so I have to rent a bigger one from a friend about 10 miles away. That’s a pain in the butt but you just can’t leave a car outside all year long here in New England. Vintage cars in such good original condition are getting harder to find and this 48 year-old looks like a very nice survivor. GLWTS.
Hey Fordguy! What’s an easy fox for the
starter problem these cars had when equipped with the 429 or 460 big blocks?
A friend of mine had the wagon version of this car in the early ’80s and loved it–
except for the tendency of these cars not
to start after having been driven a great distance. Both my friend and my late wife were stranded at a St. Louis truck
stop for almost 4 hours waiting for the
starter to cool down long enough to get
the car started again. When the girls called me and saud the car wouldn’t start,
I called Dad and asked him about it. He told me that since the starters on these
cars were so near to the exhaust manifold, the heat from that manifold would cause the internal parts if the
starter to swell up and not allow it to
function properly when the key was turned. When they got home, Dad and I
tried everything we knew to solve the
problem with no luck at all. The young
lady who owned the car traded it off for
something more reliable. Any comments?
Well, Ken, I did own a ’72 Ford Custom with a 429 and I never had that problem. I took it on many a 500 mile trip to Northern Maine and drove it pretty hard the whole way. Never gave me a problem restarting when I stopped for fuel and coffee. My uncle had a ’72 Lincoln with a 460 and the starter wasn’t an issue with him either.
For those who do have that issue, maybe you could rig some sort of a heat shield? Did Ford/Lincoln issue any info to dealers back in the day about hot starters? I wish I had an answer for you Ken but I never heard or encountered that issue. I do remember one time having that issue on a Chevy pickup with a 350 but a buddy said the starter was probably worn out so after I replaced it, the hard start problem when hot was gone. Anybody else heard of the Ford big block hot starter problem?
Ended:Jan 03, 2020 , 6:30PM
Current bid:US $7,560.00
Reserve not met
[ 17 bids ]
Beautiful car, and the 429 4V despite the low horsepower number is well suited to this behemoth. I learned to drive in my dad’s ’73 Marquis Brougham sedan…gold with a brown vinyl roof. Great memories.
My Uncle had sold his Buick, and ordered a 1972 Lincoln and needed a ride to pick up his new car which the salesman stated was in and prepped and placed on the show room floor for his inspection and delivery. When we arrived we went into the showroom and looked at the most Beautiful cream colored Lincoln that we had ever seen, that is until the salesman came over and directed us to his Lincoln , we had been looking at a Mercury Marquis same color as the Lincoln , that’s how nice those Mercurys were !!
I would have taken that high bid.
Do not think that he will get more.
Land yacht, road barge, garbage scow, …. what the hell went wrong with American car design after 1967 ? I was a punk-ass kid, enthralled with cars of all types in the 60’s. Could hardly wait to see what exciting things the new year’s models brought. And then it all started turning south …. enormous, bloated examples of what was offered the year before, less and less body shape, overstuffed claustrophobia-inducing interiors, and slug-bomb propulsion systems … I have been bitter ever since !
To be honest, I watched on with amusement and *can* see the certain coolness in such a beast. But I will never forgive my father for trading in Mom’s 66 Mustang GT fastback for a similarly depressing Pinto, but it was highly representative of that time, when people were trading off the last great generation of cars for the post-70 junk, under the old paradigm of “newest-is-best”. My friend’s dad bought one of these monsters. We called it “the sofa”, because it rode like you took the living room out for a drive. Many ski trips were taken in that thing. After a day on the hill, the well-working heater and that absurdly sumptuous seating never failed to bring on the urge to catch up on some Z’s.
I am glad that some of these survived, but not a car I would ever want to own or care for. A comparable 63 Park Lane, you bet ! But this poor thing is too much of a beached whale for my automotive tastes.
My neighbor had a 71 Ltd brougham, medium blue, black vinyl top, black brocade interior, beautiful looking car. I turned 16 in 76, and the neighbor put it up for sale, of course the ol man said ain’t no way, (probably smart, did pass everything but a gas station). I would love to have this sled zeppelin!!! If you took it to cars and coffee, it would take each person 20 minutes just to look it over, sweet ride!!
In my opinion, the owner should have grabbed the $7560. offer. These do not have much of a following.
Totally agree.
I too had one of these, dark green from my dad… went and got married… sold it. Now 40 years later of course I wish I still owned it. So did Dad, as he knew it was good to save and protect automobiles. When younger though, not many of us had the land or garage space; what we ‘did’ have though, were growing kids and family needs. Nice vehicle here. Loved all the comments !
Seeing this car and learning that it is from Arizona makes me wonder if it is the one that my friends had in the late 70’s. It is an exact duplicate. I drove it and loved the car.
Would’ve loved to buy this.cheap in like 78,79, quick trip to the Strauss store, pick up 4 15 x 7 Superior double spokes, tire guy for 1.5 inch white wall radials, lil pinstripes, and wa lah Disco pimp mobile NY style
I am picturing this with the wire rims & white walls & I agree…this would be awesome like that!
It was the closest thing to a Lincoln, rode like one, had the length, options,
Nice find, Scotty! I’ve been eyeing up various land barges lately. Many start around $6000, which is probably what they’re worth on a good day, but then they sell for $4000 or less, and that’s if everything works! I’m planning to own one in less-than-perfect condition, take up cigar-smoking, and (as per Seinfeld) stop looking behind me when I back up. “I’m old, and I’m coming back!”