They don’t make ’em like this anymore. The Colony Park was large because it was a station wagon, large because it was on a full-size platform, and on top of all that, it was a luxury car. Introduced in 1957, the Colony Park nameplate was distinguished by a hardtop roofline offered as standard when other makers charged buyers extra for that style statement. The model was produced in six generations through 1991. Here on eBay is a 1966 Mercury Colony Park wagon, still boasting its faded but intact faux woodgrain side trim, listed for $12,500 or best offer. The wagon runs well, so the new owner should be able to drive it home from Picayune, Mississippi. Thanks, Curvette, for finding this majestic people-mover for us.
Standard equipment was a 275 hp 390 cu. in. V8 coupled with Mercury’s Multi-Drive Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission. The big-block Marauder 410 was optional, offering a significant boost to 330 ponies (and most likely a significant downshift in fuel economy). Power steering and power brakes were standard. By 1965, the rear suspension was modernized from leaf springs to a coil spring/live axle combination – a good thing since these wagons weighed in at 4300 lbs. This honest old engine bay matches the rest of the car so well – I wouldn’t touch it.
The cabin, on the other hand, presents a conundrum: it’s ratty but original, and upgrading even one element will bring the rest of the patina into less flattering relief. I might opt for a seat cover and leave the rest of the finishes alone. A clock, chrome interior trim, power rear window, and Mercury’s “Channel-Aire” system designed to clear interior condensation were standard equipment on this luxury wagon. This example comes with its original owner’s manual.
Also, for ’66 Mercury introduced the Dual-Action tailgate, which could fold down or, as above, swing out. Plenty of space in there! These wagons came with a second-row front-facing bench seat, and an optional rear-facing set. Production numbers ranged around 20,000 units a year through 1978; the gas crisis and the advent of smaller imports caused a plunge in units sold as the decade faded. Prices are highest for first-generation examples, but cars from the ’60s draw plenty of interest. This survivor sold for $19,250 a few years ago; asking prices for better cars are well over $20k. What would you pay for a cosmetic project like this wagon?
Test,,oh the site is doing that stupid thing again, not counting the posts. Some things just don’t change,,oh, nice Merc, in case logging out DID work.