The 1975 Mercury Grand Marquis was the very first of its lineage. That’s a special and fitting position for a luxury coupe that got its name from French nobility. Its dynasty endured for four generations. Although bearing a French nobility title, North America was the 1975 Marquis’s target market. The rear-wheel-drive 4-door sedan was built by Ford and obviously intended as the Ford Europe answer to the Lincoln Continental.
These days, it’s far easier to see a '70s Lincoln and Cadillac than it is a Marquis of that era. The 1975 Mercury Grand Marquis is even rarer to come by. If you are in the market for the '75 Mercury Grand Marquis, it would take the better part of a year to find one worth buying.
The Marquis possesses an uncanny resemblance to the Lincoln Continental down to the emblem on the front fender, which isn’t surprising as the Marquis was built by Ford and the Continental was a product of the Ford Motor Company Lincoln Division. What you might find interesting about this noble Ford marquee is that it was an entry-level luxury vehicle. Talk about entering with a bang.
In-Depth Look At The 1975 Mercury Grand Marquis
The first three generations of the Mercury Marquis were American-made 4-Door Pillared Hardtop full-size coupes. The Grand Marquis was at the forefront of the transition to unleaded gasoline as Uncle Sam moved the US market away from leaded gas in the 1970s. Even by today’s luxury automobile standards, it’s obvious the Grand Marquis was tactfully made to suit the taste of society’s crème de la crème while keeping a progressive eye on the future.
The size of the thing is the Marquis’s most obvious feature. It is a jaw-dropping 19.5” long, more than 2 feet longer than the 9-passenger 2021 GMC Yukon XL that comes in at a little over 18 feet long. This length comparison is by no means a slight on the Yukon, especially the 2021 XL model that comes with a promise of three engine choices, luxury interior, and increased legroom. Later generations of the Marquis were not that long.
Moving on from the size of the thing, the Marquis was all about class to the minutest details. You have to gently twist the Marquis’s stately emblem to reveal the trunk lock, which must have been super-cool in that era. You can imagine the average Joe scrutinizing the rear of the Marquis, eyes trailing past the emblem, all the while wondering how to access the trunk.
Finally, you open the trunk lid to reveal a carpeted cargo compartment. Perusing the 1975 Mercury Grand Marquis in person today is like a time capsule to the definition of luxury in the Me' Decade. It’s okay to roll your eyes over the talk of a covert trunk opener, but it's totally not okay to be unimpressed by the exquisitely chromed front and rear bumpers.
Dave of Omega Auto Clinic showcased a near-mint condition '75 Marquis with built-in turn signals on the sides of the chrome, a thoughtful feature considering the length of the car. The side blinkers were in addition to the main traffic lamps bundled with the headlights.
A special edition of the Marquis comes with a few extra features like a key-lockable hood latch release. Pop the hood, and you are greeted by a built-in lamp illuminating the engine bay in case it is dark. Such lamps these days should probably be sensor smart, so they dim or don't come on at all, depending on the surrounding lighting. Why hasn’t anyone thought of that, right?
Under the hood sits a BigBlock 460 4-barrel (4V) carburetor, naturally aspirated V8 engine capable of 218 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. It was a 3-speed select-shift automatic powertrain and could go from 0 to 60 mph in 10.8 seconds.
The 1975 Mercury Grand Marquis factory-fitted wheels come with turbine-style hubcaps adorned with the brand’s symbol. The rear wheels have wheel well covers that enhance the car’s luxurious ambiance.
The interior of the car is just as elegant. The door panels are covered in high-quality leather materials, as are the sofa-style front and rear seats. The horn is conveniently located in the center cross-design thin bar steering wheel.
What Was The Best Year Mercury Grand Marquis?
The best Mercury Grand Marquis of all time? It depends on who you ask. Production of the Marquis brand ended in the Q4 of 2010 after 7 decades of licking the asphalt. Going by the votes on the online pollster Ranker, the 2004 Grand Marquis is the best of all time.
Well, Ranker didn’t ask the individuals behind the 222 votes why they thought the 2004 model is the ultimate Grand Marquis. So, it's not impossible that many, if not a majority of the votes, were in favor of their favorite Mercury in their family or friend's garage. So, we went to work comparing all four generations of the Marquis to determine, without bias, the overall best.
To that end, it became evident that the trusty Rankers voters were on to something. True; the Grand Marquis lived off its reputation of quiet class, comfort, and roomy interior. These are great qualities, but the average car buyer is not so keen on “quiet.”
That’s where the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis comes in, boasting high performance and class as its selling points. America was duly sold. Of course, the 2004 model is nowhere near the value of a '75 Mercury Grand Marquis, proving, yet again, the limits of popular opinion.