The Park Lane name got its start in 1956 as a Ford-branded two-door station wagon (spelled out as a Parklane) that went head-to-head with the Chevrolet Nomad. However, the Nomad outsold the Parklane by a wide margin, and Ford elected to discontinue the Parklane after only one model year.
In 1958, the Park Lane was brought to life as a premium model for the Mercury Division in an effort to help bridge the gap between the Ford and Lincoln lineups. Following 1960, the model took a three-year hiatus as Mercury pushed sales of its other models like the compact Comet and the Monterey. Finally, in 1964, the Park Lane made its return, topping the Mercury line until its final discontinuation after 1968.
For the Park Lane’s final year, its exterior had some clearly apparent Lincoln cues, particularly in the grille design. And Mercury tried hard to highlight the Lincoln-Mercury relationship: One advertisement for the Park Lane said, “Mercury ’68 with Fine Car Touch. This is the closest any car can come to the ride and feel of the Lincoln Continental.” It continued to say, “A new swept-back roof gives the Park Lane the look of a sprinter crouched at the starting line.”
While perusing the cars on display at an Arizona-based car show earlier this fall, a well-kept Park Lane caught my eye. Indeed, it had Lincoln-like presence, courtesy of quad headlights, dual side mirrors, body side moldings, wheel skirts, dual exhaust outlets, and full wheel covers.
The Park Lane’s interior was similarly refined with Lincoln-esque touches. Mercury said, “In the comforting quiet created by 123 pounds and 19 kinds of sound insulation, with noise barriers like that, who needs to shout?” A brochure for the 1968 Mercury models outlined some of the features. The car I admired had generous woodgrain trim in the interior, even in the center of the steering wheel.
The standard engine for Park Lane in 1968 was a 315-horsepower 390ci Marauder V-8, while a beefier 428ci V-8 with 340 horses was available as an upgrade. This particular car had the Select-Shift Merc-O-Matic C6 three-speed automatic transmission, but a three-speed manual was outfitted as standard equipment.
At a listed retail price of $3,867 for the Park Lane coupe (compared to $5,736 for the Lincoln Continental), it’s easy to see why Mercury focused so much on its value proposition in marketing: The Park Lane cost only two-thirds the price of the Lincoln, yet it shared a lot of the same feature content.
I will say, though, I wish the original Ford “Parklane” two-door station wagon had stuck around for a bit longer.
