Quick! Can you name the brand that joined the bucket-seat-and-console brigade and offered this configuration in three classes of cars? This brand began offering these cars in 1962, at least a year before Brand X. Need another hint? These cars were organized under an umbrella of being part of the S-series, followed by a number that reflected a size hierarchy. Did you guess Mercury?
While researching this week’s story on the Mercury Brougham, I was reminded that Mercury (along with big brother Ford) were all-in with this sporty, Euro-influenced trend. Model years 1962-63 were the only time that Mercury grouped these cars under a certain umbrella.
Comet
The Comet S-22 was the first of the bunch to cash in on the popularity of sporty compacts, initially appearing mid-year for 1961. A brochure dedicated to this upscale two-door sedan claimed to be the “newest, niftiest interior under the smartest roof in the compact field!” Foam-contoured bucket seats up front, vinyl-clad steel console with hinged-door glove box in between the front buckets. Tasteful ornamentation. Extra insulation. Plus, cigarette lighter, front-door courtesy light switches, bright metal door and window frames
It was a “beautiful combination of interior appointments and exterior styling [to] make it one of the most thoroughly luxurious compacts you can own.” However, you wouldn’t find that sportiness underneath the hood because only the Thrift Power Six and Thrift Power 170 were available.
A tasteful facelift for 1962 resulted in refined styling including trimmed fins and new brightwork that brought the Comet closer to the rest of its portfolio, if not the ’61 Monterey. The Comet S-22 benefitted from those changes and showed distinction from lesser Comets by having six taillights (versus four). Both the two-door sedan and six-cylinder would continue to be the only choices until 1963, when a convertible joined the lineup; mid-year, an optional 260 small-block V-8 appeared, as did a slick-topped hardtop.
Nineteen sixty-three would be the Comet S-22’s swan song because it was replaced by the 1964 Cyclone, which also came equipped with a standard 210-horsepower 289.
Meteor
When Ford introduced the mid-size Fairlane for 1962, Mercury received its own version called the Meteor (not to be confused by the Ford-build Canadian brand). Though it was the perfect name considering the theme established by the Comet, the name had already been mainstreamed the year before in Mercury’s 1961 full-size series. Unlike the Comet, the mid-size Meteor bore a closer resemblance to full-size 1962 Mercurys, including the rocket-like taillights. “The new-size car that fills the gap between big cars and compacts,” claimed the Meteor brochure, emphasizing the balance between compact handling and big-car roominess.
The Meteor was available as base and Custom trim levels; mid-year, Mercury added the Meteor S-33 two-door sedan. Can you guess its equipment? Yup — buckets, console, and a higher level of trim, plus ammeter and oil pressure gauges, exclusive door panels, deep nylon-rayon carpeting, tri-color wheel covers, and standard 260 V-8.
For 1963, the Meteor received mild tweaks in styling and trim, though a two-door hardtop was added to the lineup, replacing the Meteor S-33’s two-door sedan. Like the Comet S-22 above, 1963 would mark the end of the Meteor S-33; in fact, 1963 would be the end of the mid-size Mercury until 1966.
Monterey
Nineteen sixty-two was the year that many full-size cars jumped on the sporty bandwagon, and Mercury was no different. Available as a hardtop or convertible, the mid-year 1962 Monterey S-55 “joins the bucket-seat sizzlers” with contoured bucket seats and console, three-spoke steering wheel, “deep, rich carpeting,” distinctive door panels with armrests and carpeting and courtesy lamps, padded instrument panel, electric clock, back-up lights, and pedals “edged and ribbed with bright metal.” Standard was a 292 small-block V-8, with 352 and 390 big-blocks as options. Eventually, a four-speed and two versions of the new 406 V-8 became available.
For 1963, Mercury added plenty to the Monterey S-55’s luster. Initially, a hardtop and convertible were available, with the hardtop being the new “Breezeway” with reverse-slant, retractable backlite. Standard power was an upgrade from lesser Monterey and Monterey Custom models — a 300-horsepower 390 four-barrel — so it could be suggested that the S-55 was a performance model as well. This was unique among full-size bucket-and-console models in the industry. Top engines initially were the pair of 406s.
In the spring, the slick “Marauder” roofline was added (to make three available Monterey S-55 models), along with two versions of the new 427 to replace the 406.
Mercury dropped the Monterey S-55 for 1964, though buckets and console continued to be available as part of the Sports Package. However, the S-55 was revived for 1966 as a way to highlight the introduction of the new 428 V-8 (much like Ford’s 7-Litre). The S-55 would appear for one more year and then disappear.
