Mercury Meteor
For only three years, Mercury manufactured an automobile called the Meteor. The car had a short-lived run from 1961 to 1963. The first year, the Meteor was a low-end full-sized vehicle. The succeeding two years, it was manufactured as a mid-sized sedan. At the time, the Space Race was in full swing during the Cold War and the Meteor was another vehicle caught up in the marketing hype. Unfortunately, Mercury could not capitalize on the excitement of the event.
The Meteor had never gained prominence as a solid performer in the automotive marketplace. It is more of a footnote in Mercury’s history instead of a well-known product from the company.
The Circumstances Giving Birth to the Meteor
In order to compete with GM in the mid-1950s, executives at Ford Motor Company decided their organization would need to offer a unique product in each sales segment. To do this, the plan was to introduce a completely new platform and body design. Such an accomplishment had not been done since World War II, but the decision was made in an attempt to differentiate Mercury from other Ford products. The year was 1957.
Traditionally, Mercury was considered by consumers to be a low-end car with a medium price point and was most often likened to Dodge and Pontiac. The plan of Ford execs was to move Mercury up in status in the marketplace so it could compete directly with Chrysler, Oldsmobile, and Buick. Then, Edsel would take Mercury’s preceding role as the low-end medium priced car.
The plan didn’t work because consumer buying habits in the late 1950s were not the same as the early years of the decade. Sales of the Ford Edsel were disastrous.
Mercury vehicles were unable to reach expected sales levels. As a result, cost-cutting measures were enacted at the start of 1961 model year. Mercury and Ford utilized the fundamental body shells by Ford and relied upon distinctive trim elements to differentiate models from one another.
Edsels were discontinued. The never released Ford Edsel became the newly released 1961 Mercury Meteor.
Specs of the Mercury Meteor
The Meteor 600 and the more expensive Meteor 800 were released in 1961. They were nothing more than iterations of the Medalist and Custom vehicles that were offered in 1956. The Meteor was a full-sized vehicle that showcased different taillights and trim from the Monterey.
The standard engine was a 223 cubic-inch inline six-cylinder with a single barrel carburetor. It was able to generate 135 horsepower. Other optional engines included a 292 cubic-inch V-8 with 175 horsepower, a 352 cubic-inch Marauder V-8 with 220 horsepower, a 390 cubic-inch Marauder V-8 with 300 horsepower, and a 390 cubic-inch Marauder V-8 with a whopping 330 horsepower.
The Meteor offered a three-speed manual transmission as standard. Overdrive was available as an option in addition to Merc-O-Matic and Multi-Drive automatic transmissions.
The Meteor S-33 of 1963 was a two door sedan with a premium exterior trim. Interior amenities included a center console and bucket seats.
A year later, Mercury offered two new body styles: a four-door station wagon and a two-door hardtop coupe.
