1969 Mercury Brought Choices Galore to New Car Buyers - Part 2
The Fun Cyclone and Cyclone CJ
The Cyclone was a fun car to drive in any weather - sun, rain, wind, or even snow. It was a smoothly designed fastback with sweeping lines and a beautiful all-vinyl interior. An optional bucket seat interior with a Sports console was one option for those who wanted to go all out. The Cyclone was built on a 116-inch wheelbase with an overall length of 203.2 inches. It was powered by a 302-2V V-8 engine with 220 horsepower at 4600 RPM and a three-speed manual transmission. It had 17.0 cubic feet of luggage space.
The Cyclone CJ was a high-performance fastback with standard all-vinyl interior. It provided exciting performance to sports car fans with bold styling and a number of unique features. It was based on a production engine - the CJ 428-4V V-8 with a four-speed manual transmission and a competition handling package. It also featured low-restriction dual exhausts. The Cyclone CJ was built on a 116-inch wheelbase and had an overall length of 203.2 inches. Its engine was rated at 335 horsepower at 5200 RPM.
On the Prowl with the Cougar and Cougar XR-7
The Mercury Cougar this year was offered as a hardtop or convertible. The convertible was designed with a bold new styling, a new grille that wrapped around the rear bumper, and a body that was longer than before by more than three inches. Everything from the fuel tank to the trunk was roomier. Some of the Cougar’s usual top features were kept for this year, including hide-away headlamps, sequential rear turn signals, carpeting in the full compartment, and contoured bucket seats.
A Decor group option was standard in the Cougar convertible, which included custom-grade interior trim. A Sports console was optional. The Cougar was marked by ventless windows, a racy curved side window glass, dual full-length paint stripes on the upper body sides, and a European flare for the design.
The Cougar XR-7 featured a distinctive XR-7 insignia, a side view racing mirror (remote control), bright and black curb molding, and tasteful wheel covers with the XR-7 emblem. Inside was supple vinyl upholstery, which was accented with touches of genuine leather. It had beautiful burled-walnut simulated inserts and numerous switches and dials including a tachometer, an electric clock, and a trip odometer.
The Cougar XR-7 was available as a hardtop or convertible and came with floor-shift, bucket seats, and stylishly concealed headlamps. The convertible had a powered top that was tempered and stain-and-scratch resistant. There was a glass rear window that allowed the top to be lowered, whether the window was up or down.
The Cougar and Cougar XR-7 models were built on a 111-inch wheelbase and had an overall length of 193.8 inches. Their standard engine was a 351-2V V-8 engine with 250 horsepower at 4600 RPM and a three-speed manual transmission. The cargo capacity was 10.2 cubic feet.
Comet Sports Coupe – The One-Model Series
A one-model car series, the Comet Sports Coupe was available to those who wanted to custom-make their sports car. It had options such as a 290-horsepower 351-4V engine with a four-speed manual transmission and deluxe wheel covers with spinners. The "Luxury" Comet was available in a Special Appearance Equipment Group, which had a four-way power bench seat, an optional 335-horsepower CJ 428 engine, Traction-Lok differential, and power front disc brakes. The instrument cluster was designed with teakwood-toned appliqué accents, and the interior had soil-resistant cloth and durable vinyl.
The Comet Sports Coupe was built on a 116-inch wheelbase with an overall length of 206.2 inches. It used a standard 250-1V Six engine rated at 155 horsepower at 4000 RPM. It had a three-speed manual transmission and offered 18.0 cubic feet of cargo space.
Details of Mercury Station Wagons for 1969
Several station wagons were offered this year. The Marquis Colony Park was built on a 121-inch wheelbase with an overall length of 220.5 inches. It was richly styled with luxurious appointments and had elegant paneling on the body sides and tailgate. It featured a Dual-Action tailgate, a power-operated rear window, concealed headlamps, wrap-around taillamps, and beautiful brightwork. Its options included a 429-4V V-8 engine with a Select-Shift transmission, Twin Comfort lounge seats, tinted glass, power assists, luggage racks, and many other options.
The Monterey and Monterey Custom were built on a 121-inch wheelbase with an overall length of 218.0 inches. These and the Marquis Colony Park all used a 390-2V V-8 engine with 265 horsepower at 4400 RPM and a three-speed manual transmission. They offered 105.3 cubic feet of luggage space.
The Montego MX wagon was built on a 113-inch wheelbase with an overall length of 204.0 inches. It used a 250-1V Six engine with 155 horsepower at 4000 RPM and a three-speed manual transmission. It had 92.8 cubic feet of luggage space. Some features for this wagon included all-vinyl upholstery, deep-loop carpeting, a deluxe steering wheel, woodtone interior appliqués, and an optional rear-facing third seat. It also had a standard Dual-Action tailgate for simple loading. Dual center-facing rear seats were optional for the Colony Park and Monterey station wagons.
With so many choices, Mercury out-did itself while trying to please the masses. Auto buyers could in reality find their dream car easily without ever leaving the Mercury sales lot.
