Mercury Grand Marquis
Classic · Mercury
Mercury Grand Marquis: The Longest-Running Mercury
The Mercury Grand Marquis is a full-size rear-wheel-drive sedan that Mercury built from the 1975 to 2011 model years. It started as the top trim of the Marquis, became its own model in 1983, and the last one built was the final Mercury ever made.
From 1979 to 2011 the Grand Marquis rode on Ford's body-on-frame Panther platform with the Ford Crown Victoria and, from 1980, the Lincoln Town Car. For over three decades the Ford and Mercury sedans were functionally identical. A four-door hardtop was offered through 1978 and a two-door hardtop coupe through 1987, and from 1988 on the four-door sedan was the only body style.
The 1992 second generation introduced Ford's Modular V8, and its 190 hp single-overhead-cam 4.6-liter was the first overhead-cam V8 in an American-market full-size sedan. Mercury added a sportier LSE trim at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, and the fourth generation, built from 2003 to 2011, was the basis for the 2003 and 2004 Mercury Marauder. For 2007 the 4.6-liter became flex-fuel capable, so it could run on E85.
Ford built the Grand Marquis at St. Louis Assembly in Hazelwood, Missouri, from 1979 to 1985 and at St. Thomas Assembly in Southwold, Ontario, from 1986 to 2011. About 2.7 million were made over 36 years, second in Mercury sales only to the Cougar. Ford announced the end of the Mercury brand in 2010, and the last Grand Marquis, which was also the last Mercury, was built at St. Thomas on January 4, 2011.