Mercury Eight

The advertisements for this car declared it to be "The car that truly dares to ask 'Why?, referring to the idea that a big car could not also be economical. Although "Eight" script would not appear on the front of the hood until the 1941 model year, sales literature prominently referred to the car as the "Mercury Eight" from the very beginning. This is no doubt because the actual series names, 99A in 1939 and 09A in 1940, were somewhat less enticing. A 1940 09A model has the words "Mercury Eight" in an emblem that runs from front to rear alongside the top hood lines on both sides. It appears as chrome wording on top of a double red bar. By the end of 1940 Mercury could run with the headline "It's made 150,000 owners change cars!" ==Second generation (1941–1948)==

The 1941 Mercury Eight got all-new styling and some engineering improvements. The Mercury now shared its bodyshell with the Ford Super DeLuxe and the wheelbase was expanded by to . Marketed as the Mercury Club Coupe Utility, it was built on a 118-inch wheelbase and had a carrying capacity rated at 10–12 cwt. The 1946 version was coded as the Model S9A and the 1947 and 1948 variants as the Model 6M. A panel van model was also offered. ==Third generation (1949–1951)==

For 1949, Mercury introduced its third-generation design as its first postwar line. The first models released under the combined Lincoln-Mercury Division, the Mercury Eight now shared its body with the Lincoln (which no longer carried a divisional nameplate). Keeping its 118-inch wheelbase, the third-generation Mercury was sized between its two divisional counterparts. The "pontoon" body design eliminated freestanding fenders and running boards (along with widening and lowering the hood). Substantial modernization was made to the chassis, as Ford retired its long-running transverse-leaf suspension and torque-tube drive axle (the former feature, used since 1908 on the Model T). While the rear axle was remained leaf-sprung (with more conventional longitudinal springs), the front suspension was independent with stabilizer bars. The Flathead V8 (resized to 255 cubic inches) made its return, producing 110 hp. A new overdrive system was optional, activated by a handle under the dash. In a model change, the four-door station wagon was replaced by a two-door version; as with the Ford Country Squire, wood construction was relegated to side paneling (still manufactured at the Ford Iron Mountain Plant). For 1950, the Mercury Monterey made its debut as the flagship version of the Mercury Eight. Developed in response to the two-door hardtop coupes introduced by General Motors, the Monterey was a counterpart of the Ford Crestliner, Lincoln Lido, and Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri, featuring a fabric-covered roof and upgraded interior. the Hirohata Merc, for customer Bob Hirohata in 1953. Setting a style and an attitude, it had a "momentous effect" on custom car builders, appeared in several magazines at the time, and reappeared numerous times since, earning an honorable mention on Rod & Customs "Twenty Best of All Time" list in 1991. ==See also==