Car Collector Corner; 1955 and 1956 Mercury memories and the end of the Ford Flathead V8

By Greg Zyla —

Q: Greg, what were the differences between the 1955 and 1956 Mercurys? I see you feel these models were some of the best looking of the 1950 decade. Also, when did Ford finally get rid of the Flathead V8 that arrived in 1932? Thanks, Scott S., Spokane, Washington.

A: Scott let’s start with the 1955 and 1956 Mercurys, which were indeed some of the best looking of that 1950 decade, in my opinion. Further, when it came to exterior changes, few decades featured as many yearly style changes as the 1950s, with exterior upgrades enhanced because most of the independent manufacturers were still in business.

To answer your questions, in 1955 Mercury restyled its car and underwent its first wheelbase stretch since pre-war 1941. It wasn’t much, going from 118 to 119 inches on the cars, while the 1955 Mercury wagons stayed the same at 118 inches.

The 1955 and 1956 Mercurys offered many different models and a nice station wagon to choose from. Many were built in the Ford – Lincoln – Edsel – Mercury assembly plants in Metuchen, N.J., also known as the Edison plant.

Three specific models were offered in 1955, namely Custom, Monterey, and Montclair. The station wagon was available only on the Custom and Monterey lines.  Only one V8 engine was offered in two horsepower offerings, specifically a 292 incher with 188 and 198 horses. The ratings for the 312 cubic inch engine in the 1956 models were 215 and 225 horsepower.

The price range for 1955 included a low retail of $2,218 for the 2-door Mercury Custom to a high of $2,712 for the Montclair Sun Valley hardtop coupe or the Montclair Convertible (both the same). The Monterey Wagon, however, was most expensive at $2,844, and overall sales for the year were good at over 329,000 units delivered.

In 1956, some minor exterior tweaking took place and the V8 engines were increased to 312 inches, accomplished by increasing both engine bore and crankshaft stroke. The 312 came in two horsepower designs, specifically 215 and 225 power outputs. A new model, a lower cost Medalist, joined the group again on the 119-inch wheelbase for cars and 118 for wagons.

The cheapest of the bunch was the new Medalist 2-door, which went for $2,254 while the Montclair Convertible jumped to $2,900. Still, it was the Monterey Wagon that brought the most greenbacks to Mercury, with a $2,977 retail price. In 2024 money, that Monterey Wagon would cost $34,829.57, as the dollar has lost 91% of its purchasing power since then. This means that today’s prices are 11.70 times as high as average prices since 1955, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index. A dollar today only buys 8.547% of what it could buy back then, resulting in the near 91% loss.

Back to those sharp looking Mercurys.

New in 1956 was a Phaeton model 2-door hardtop across all four lines, and sales were again exceptionally good at 328,000 cars sold in what was an inflationary time, and not a great year for sales. As a matter of fact, inflation carved into the Medalist, which was supposed to be a lower cost alternative for Mercury consumers. Still, the buyer went more for the Monterey and Montclair models instead.

Notable is the Mercury did not offer a six-cylinder engine in these 4th generation 1955 and 1956 model Mercurys. Ford felt Mercury was the upper middle class offering, and that meant V8 for power. If you wanted a six, you had to purchase a Ford, as Lincolns were also all V8 powered.

As for the Flathead V8 question, notable is that the 1954 Mercury and Ford lines deemed the end of the Ford Flathead V8, which had been in production since 1932. Ford is most responsible for bringing the V-8 Flathead to the mass market, and then allow hot rodders to roam the streets for many decades with flathead power hot rods in many forms. Further, midget racecars from the 1940s many times featured Ford FlatheadV8s, much to the delight of the fans. 

After more than two decades of service, the flathead V-8 was finally laid to rest permanently in 1954 in favor of the new Ford overhead-valve design, which first appeared in the 1952 Lincoln.   

The new 1952 Lincoln was surprisingly similar to sibling Mercury, something Mercury owners loved, and Lincoln owners disdained. The one significant difference was the aforementioned new overhead valve “Y-Block” V8, which awaited installation into the Fords and Mercurys because the 1952 and 1953 Ford and Mercury models utilized what was left of the Ford Flathead V8 inventory. 

My dad owned a 1949 Mercury with the Flathead V8 for about a year, so I don’t remember too much about it other than making a trip to New Brunswick, N.J. to see my aunt and uncle in 1956. I did like the car as it was very roomy and was faster than his first car ever, a 1940 Chevy business coupe. 

Personally, I loved the 1955 and 1956 Mercury cars and wagons, as my uncle worked in Metuchen, N.J. at the Mercury assembly plant. I used to love seeing all those brand-new Mercury cars lined up outside that plant when he would take my brother and I for a ride.

Overall, the 1955 and 1956 Mercurys were crisper and more modern in design than the 1954 Mercury, which, I must add, was an attractive design too.

The biggest change between the two years was Mercury going from a 6-volt electrical system (generator) with positive ground in 1955, to a 12-volt system with negative ground in 1956. However, 1955 and 1956 still used a (DC) generator, not an (AC) alternator. The alternator did not come into common usage on domestic vehicles until several years later in the early 60’s. The 1956 model also had a deep-dish steering wheel for added “safety.”

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader questions and input on everything about cars at greg@gregzyla.com or at Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840.)