In the 1930s, Ford was getting slaughtered in the mid-priced market by the likes of Dodge and Oldsmobile. To save the company, Edsel Ford - the legendary Henry Ford's son - established the Mercury brand in 1939, serving as a bridge between Ford and its Lincoln luxury division. The idea worked like a charm, as Mercury produced some of the most iconic American classic cars from the 50s to 70s era.

RELATED: These Are The 10 Greatest Classic Fords Money Can Buy

Unfortunately, Mercury's success was short-lived, and it didn't take long for consumers to start losing interest in the brand. Mercury failed to distance itself from the Ford brand, eventually leading to its closure in 2010. Despite its troubled history, Mercury produced some memorable vehicles. The following are ten of the greatest Mercury classic cars ever.

10 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator

1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator
Via mecum.com

Most people don't include the Mercury Cougar in their list of the greatest classic muscle cars, but it fully deserves to be included. Introduced in 1967, the Cougar had everything muscle car fans love - a Mustang-based design, a mighty V8 under the hood, and fantastic driving dynamics. The Cougar was so good that it received the 1967 Motor Trend Car of the Year award.

1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator
via Hemmings

Following the successful launch of the Cougar, Mercury introduced several trims, with the highest-performing one being the 1969 Eliminator. This car came with a 4.9-liter V8 - the same engine in the Mustang Boss 302 - producing 290 horsepower, making it a joy to drive.

9 1950 Mercury Coupe

1950 Mercury Custom Coupe
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The Mercury Eight is one of the first cars Mercury built in the early 40s. However, it wasn't until 1950 that Mercury gave it the redesign that earned it a spot on this list. The 1950 Eight was based on the 1949 Ford, but had a distinctive design and a bigger Flathead V8 than the Ford.

1950 Mercury Custom Coupe
Via mecum.com

Available as a sedan, coupe, convertible, or two-door station wagon, the Eight quickly became popular in hot rod circles and even had songs written about it. It's also one of the most popular movie cars featured in James Dean's 1955 film Rebel Without A Cause.

8 1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone

1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone
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In 1964, Mercury gave the Comet a substantial redesign that replaced the earlier aggressive square lines with softer curves that many loved. During the same year, Mercury introduced the "Cyclone" trim as the Comet's performance version, replacing the S-22.

RELATED: Ranking The Most Badass Muscle Cars Of The 60s

Comet Cyclone
Via mecum.com

The Comet Cyclone was an instant hit with its beautiful pony car design and massive 289cid V8 that produced up to 271 horsepower, enough to make it as powerful as the Mustang and Camaro of the day. The Cyclone trim sold so many units that Mercury decided to make it a distinct nameplate in 1968.

7 1980 Mercury Cosworth Capri

1980 Mercury Cosworth Capri
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The 1980 Cosworth Capri was never mass-produced, but it's still one of Mercury's best creations and one of the most powerful hot hatches of the 80s. Built out of a collaboration between Mercury and McLaren Engines, this one-off car was developed for one reason - pure speed.

1980 Mercury Cosworth Capri
Via mecum.com

Although it was based on the Fox Body Mustang, the Cosworth Capri had a more European design featuring a flat, squared-off nose and unique blister-style fenders. Mercury equipped it with a slightly detuned version of the 1.6-liter Cosworth inline-four engine used in Formula-Atlantic racing, resulting in a power output of 186 horsepower.

6 1969 Mercury Marauder X100

1969 Mercury Marauder X100
Via welovemercuryspastpresentandfuture.blogspot

The Marauder is a nameplate used by several full-size cars produced by Mercury since 1963. The Marauder derived its name from Mercury's most powerful engines and was marketed as the top-performing version of Mercury's full-size product range.

1969 Mercury Marauder X100 rear
Via Car-from-UK.com

In 1969, Mercury repackaged the Marauder as a personal luxury car and introduced the most powerful version - the X100. Unlike other Marauders, the X100 was powered by a 7.0-liter V8 producing a whopping 360 horsepower. Mercury produced 8,281 X100s until 1970, when it discontinued the Marauder nameplate.

5 2003 Mercury Marauder

2003 Mercury Marauder
Via performance.ford.com

After a 33-year hiatus, Mercury revived the Marauder nameplate as a performance-oriented version of the Grand Marquis sedan. Designed to be Ford's equivalent of the mid-90s Chevrolet Impala SS, the 2003 Marauder had an upgraded chassis, powertrain, and suspension over the Grand Marquis and had a monochromatic appearance that made it look menacing in the rear-view mirror.

2003 Mercury Marauder
Via performance.ford.com

At the heart of the 2003 Marauder was a 4.6-liter modular DOHC V8 producing 302 horsepower, backed by performance tweaks such as a stiffer suspension, a free-flowing exhaust, and a high-stall torque converter.

4 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II

1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II
Via Mecum

In the late 60s, Mercury wanted to compete in NASCAR, so it built the Cyclone Spoiler II. The Cyclone Spoiler II was based on the Cyclone Sportsroof two-door hardtop but had several design tweaks to make it more aerodynamic. It had a sleeker front section featuring a new longer nose, a flush-mounted grille from the Ford Cobra, and a new close-fitting bumper.

RELATED: Ranking The Most Powerful Classic Muscle Cars

1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II side
Via Mecum

All these changes made the Cyclone Spoiler II a huge success on the track. It won 8 Grand National races between 1968 and 1970, earning itself a cult following in the process.

3 1955 Mercury Montclair

1955 Mercury Montclair
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In 1955, Mercury unveiled the Montclair as its newest full-size top-range sedan. The Montclair shared its body with the Ford Crown Victoria and had a height of just 58.6 inches, making it the lowest sedan available at the time. Body styles included a two-door hardtop, a convertible, and a four-door sedan.

1955 Mercury Montclair side
Via Mecum

The 1955 Montclair featured Mercury's best appointments - different two-tone paint combinations, and an extra chrome trim set it apart from any other Mercury car. Under the Montclair's hood was a 292cid OHV V8 pumping out a decent 198 horsepower.

2 1971 Mercury Capri

1971 Mercury Capri
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The 1971 Capri was a two-door coupe produced by Ford's European division but sold in the US with the Mercury badge. The Capri had a proper pony car design and a European-tuned chassis that made it one of the best-handling Mercury cars at the time and light years better than all Ford US compacts.

1971 Mercury Capri rear
Via Pinterest

When the Capri arrived in the US, it was initially powered by a 1600cc Kent four-cylinder engine generating only 70 horsepower. Thankfully, Mercury soon equipped the Capri with Ford's 2.6-liter V6, increasing the output to 120 horsepower.

1 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser

Mercury-Turnpike-Cruiser
via mecum

Following the Montclair's success, Mercury decided to produce an even more luxurious sedan - the Turnpike Cruiser. This elegant vehicle was available as a four-door and two-door hardtop sedan and had a wide range of advanced features, including a compound-curve windshield, a retractable rear window, and a trip computer. The Turnpike Cruiser was the first Mercury vehicle to use an exclusive body - not based on Ford or Lincoln.

Mercury Turnpike Cruiser
via mecum.com

Mercury knew that the Montclair was slightly underpowered, so they equipped the Turnpike Cruiser with a 368cid V8 producing 290 horsepower and paired it with a three-speed "Merc-O-Matic" automatic.

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