Mercury was founded in 1939 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry, in order to sell entry-level luxury automobiles between the regular Ford line-up and the luxury-only Lincoln vehicles. From the heydays in the 1950's through the 1970's, Mercury tried hard to distance itself from Ford and Lincoln by offering larger, performance-oriented cars. Names like Cougar, S-55, Bobcat, and Comet would be linked with racing. Mercury experimented with bring in vehicles from other markets. The Merkur, the Tracer, the Mystique all had roots in Fords other divisions. The 1990's brought Mercury back in line with using Ford platforms.
As Mercury departs, research and development on Ford and Lincoln will continue. Look forward to new Ford and Lincoln models coming soon!