Big Survivor: 1977 Mercury Grand Marquis 460 V8
At just over 19 feet in length, this 1977 Mercury Grand Marquis two-door hardtop looks like it could have six doors rather than just two. Those are very heavy doors but they must not be as uncommon as I thought. We’ve seen three 1977 Mercury Marquis models on Barn Finds and two of them have had only two doors. Thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
We were constantly losing the rear wheel covers on my dad’s 1970 Olds 98 sedan. I don’t know why, it’s not like my brother and I would ever accidentally spin the rear wheels… That car had almost twice the horsepower and 50% more torque than this 460-powered Grand Marquis does, but I bet this 4.600-pound car could spin the rear wheels if a person ever wanted to do such a crazy thing as that (cough).
The second-generation Marquis was made from 1969 through 1978 and the Grand Marquis was the top of the bunch with all kinds of fancy trim and body side moldings. It’s hard to believe a car this huge was touted for its handling, but maybe Mercury was talking more about its cushy ride than its handling when they put badges above the glove box doors saying “Ride Engineered for Lincoln-Mercury.”
Other than a missing wheel cover and a dent on the front edge of the right fender, I don’t see any glaring trouble spots with the exterior. It’s hard to tell with the small photos and no underside photos, though. The interior looks great in beautiful matching gray leather and, of course, full power. The back seat, while not appearing overly spacious, most likely has more than enough legroom for long-legged passengers and the trunk appears as clean as the rest of the car does.
The Grand Marquis came with a standard 460-cu.in. OHV V8, other than in California where customers got a 400 V8. The 460 was factory-rated at 197 horsepower and 353 lb-ft of torque when new. It sends power through a three-speed automatic to the rear wheels and the seller has this one posted here on craigslist in Sterling Heights, Michigan for $8,500 or offer. Here is the original listing. Are there any fans of these huge two-door luxury cars out there?
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Comments
Good job Scotty. I don’t want one of these humongous two-door coupes, but I sure do like to see them. And remember when they were “normal” cars, successfully fulfilling their role as luxurious, quiet, smooth cruisers. This one has a couple flaws but isn’t bad. Not expensive.
The ad refers to “the seller”, so it must be from a dealer. And the verbiage is quite verbose and “fluffy”…. for me, skip all that, tell me about the features of the car and its history (which the dealer probably doesn’t have or hasn’t bothered to gather).
Beautiful car, I wish I could buy it. Eventually find the needed hubcap, preserve and enjoy it for what it is. Not a bad price, too.
The “Handling” was due to it have both front and rear stabilizer bars and the previous optional towing packages which had better shocks and such.considering it weight over 2 tons it was “decent” but not a handler..it just did not roll over terribly.As for the 460…it’ll burn rubber and create clouds of smoke for days as it was a torque monster,and as we know..torque is what ya want not HP.
I’ve heard for years that the camshafts were retarded on these 460s for emissions and fuel economy. Installing the cam straight up can gain back a lot of power.
I bought this very same car / color new off the showroom floor here in Tennessee in 1978. I was dumb and 24 years old. Even though I had a successful business, the gas’s mileage was just too low for me. Friends told me that it was the longest 2 door possible car. To me, it was beautiful. Year and a half later traded it for a 280Z. Went from the largest to smallest car. Near seeing this car again and the same color. Did not know it was a 460 engine. Never smoked the tires, as I don’t think it would actually do that.
Can relate, Steve … I was 27 and bought a Mark V Givenchy series with the 460, but went the opposite way, trading in a ’77 Vette … wouldn’t “smoke” the tires but got good rubber in first and “chirped” in second … put well over 200k miles on it without a problem … was a great interstate car … my bucket list is finding another just like it …
Would much rather have a early 70’s four door like the one listed earlier this month I called but only got a voicemail saying that he was to busy to answer the phone,, I left call back number but never received a call the cars listed here should be flagged as being sold if they are no longer available.
Comments about “ride engineering” were common in the early days of the changeover to radial tires.
Too few doors… for me anyway. Thanks for giving this one some love, Scotty!
Four-door Fitch 🚗
I’m with ya Todd.
My dad went to buy a new ’76 Monarch, saw a 4-door maroon Grand Marquis (49-state 460) on the showroom floor and bought the Marquis instead. I rode in it from Seattle to California and Arizona and back – two living room couches with seat belts. I remember my dad slamming the go-pedal to the floor, tires wouldn’t bake (unlike his previous ’73 429 Montego).
After a year at 11mpg he traded the Marquis on a ’77 Toyota.
My mother drove a 71 four-door until Russ got it some decade later. Regarding the heavy door, there was nothing light about that particular car man. It weighs several thousand tons it seemed. I could never get it to catch rubber unless it was off of sand.don’t tell my mother
Among my numerous upscale vehicles, was a 78 Triple green Grand Marquis. The 460 was definitely able to burn rubber on this BIG boat. On one occasion, a new white SAAB tried to Beat me at a stoplight. The Mercury left him in the dust! Just another SAAB story! 😁 🤣. True OTT luxury, size and panache. One of the GRANDEST Mercurys ever! 🏆.
Among my numerous upscale vehicles, I had a 78 triple green Grand Marquis two door. The 460 had no trouble burning rubber on that BIG boat. On one occasion, a white SAAB decided to race from a stoplight. The Mercury easily left that POS in the dust. 😅 🤣. Guess that’s just another SAAB 🙄 story. MERCURY knew how to put the GRAND in Marquis. One I wish I had kept. The price is right and has my check book itching!
My dad bought a new 76 Granada this same color in and out. It’s not silver as the seller describes, the Ford color description is “Dove Gray”. This car looks well kept and the seller is accepting offers. Could be a good opportunity for someone to get this beauty for a fair price.
ONE item to think about on a BIG Two DOOR like this is door hinges. MANY MOONS ago I had a 71 LTD Coupe and replaced the driver’s door hinge. That was back when you could to a dealer, and they probably had it in stock.
One of my favorite land yachts. I had a 1974 Marquis in brown, tan interior and top in 1984. Mine was a 4-door. Those bench seats are like living room sofas wrapped in fine leather. Very nice riding cars but not racers. A gentleman’s cruiser.
As I replied to my boss one time when he commented on the rear seating in my 1976 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, he said “you could fit a whole family in that backseat.” I replied “you could MAKE a whole family in that rear seat.” I don’t think he was amused.
I’m interested in seeing the 1967 or “68 Imperial parked in front of this beautiful beast.
Well ANGEL, once again we seem to driving similar roads! Definitely a LAND YACHT! It was once rumored they found the bodies of Jimmy Hoffa and Helen Voorhees Brach in the same trunk! 😉 Let’s face it, It’s HUGE! It guzzles gas! It pollutes the air! It scares the birds! I LOVE it! BTW, I’m clearing out storage unit. The Town Car trunk is large and in charge for moving most of the accumulated trash and treasures. As always, BEST to you! The double post above is another issue needing to be fixed in the BARN.
RICK,
Always a pleasure to hear from a fellow GALYS member. Yes, our land yachts are very good for moving things in their very large trunks. Sometimes even better than SUVs.
Most won’t remember a short lived TV show in the 70s of a vampire who slept in the trunk of his 1959 Cadillac by day because it was the biggest trunk of any auto in history.
Always nice to hear from you, and to see Frog and Kenneth and the others on here
It’s beautiful! Mercury is gone due to bad management decisions. The motoring press and the foreign car companies destroyed American made cars. Thus, we all live in truck world now!
Kind of. I sold domestic cars for over 35 years. What truly made cars vanish is the mini van. A little history. Chrysler introduced the mini van in 1984. That is what it was,a small van. Things came with it people liked besides it being a van.They liked the ease of getting in and out.They like the vision of the road.The mini lost it status as the suv’s came to market. That changed cars. You may call a Chevy Equinox a SUV if you like. What it really is,is a raised up Malibu! The Dodge Hornet a raised up Dart ect. The vary thing people liked about the first mini van!
What a sweet looking ride. These and the Chrysler fuselage cars used the long trunk to give them a close coupled appearance. Kind of like the old club coupes that always looked so good.