Do you know what the best-selling station wagon was in the 1960s? If you said the Ford Country Squire, you’d be correct. So how do you outdo the country’s best-selling wagon? Chevrolet and Plymouth may have had an idea, but the answer to the question also may have been found in Dearborn by a more prestigious brand, as demonstrated by our Pick of the Day, a 1965 Mercury Park Lane. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in St. Louis, Missouri. (Click on this link to view the listing.)
Mercury’s Colony Park first appeared in the market for 1957, a model year when dream car design distinguished the Mercury lineup. That was also when the brand dropped its Ford and Lincoln associations, so it was unique among FoMoCo vehicles. This wouldn’t last long due to the Edsel debacle, and Mercury ended up being a fancier Ford for a few years, even touting itself as “the better low-priced cars.” That inspires confidence after once competing with Buick, right?
After several years, Ford began its Total Performance assault on all forms of racing, and Mercury was on board. Gradually, Mercury started to be like its old self, even bringing back the top-line Park Lane model in 1964. The Colony Park continued to play the role of the top-of-the-line Mercury wagon, but now it wasn’t just a Ford facsimile.
For 1965, things would be different. Both Ford and Mercury restyled their full-size lines, with Mercury creeping into Lincoln territory with its styling. “Now in the Lincoln Continental tradition,” read the brochure. “For 1965, Mercury assumes a new posture,” especially in terms of elegance, interior appointments, and road-handling characteristics. Monterey, Montclair, and Park Lane were the series, with station wagons rounding the lineup. The Commuter corresponded with the Monterey, while the mahogany-tone-paneled Colony Park was trimmed like a Montclair, featuring an interior that clearly bridged the gap between Ford and Lincoln. Mercury wagons even featured Channel-Aire, a ventilation feature that “scoops in air and directs it across the rear window” to help keep snow and dust away from the window.
Standard power for the Colony Park was a 390 two-barrel, rated at 290 horsepower, with a three-speed manual or optional four-speed; opt for the Mult-Drive Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission and you scored a low-compression version of the engine rated at 265 horses, though the high-compression version was available as well. Other standard features included Deluxe wheel covers, an electric clock, interval windshield wipers, and Channel-Aire.
This 1965 Mercury Colony Park features outstanding Aquamarine paint with matching Turquoise cloth and vinyl upholstery. The write-up doesn’t say much about this vehicle, but in the pictures we can see under-dash air conditioning, rear-facing third-row seating, Deluxe wheel covers with optional spinners, an AM radio, a 390 two-barrel, an automatic, and a dual exhaust system. Wouldn’t you love to drive the kids to K-Mart in this? For $36,000, you’ll be on your way to Blue Light Special savings.
Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.
