Hidden Breeze: 1968 Mercury Park Lane
If you require a roll down rear window on a new vehicle today, your choices are limited to trucks and SUVs. For many years, Ford felt you should be able to get this feature not just on station wagons, but two and four door cars as well. This particular 1968 Mercury Park Lane would be the last time you could get a roll down rear window on a sedan. This white and blue example can be found here on Craigslist for $4100 in Hinesville, FL.
Most Mercury’s with the Breezeway option were of the reverse slant variety. Great for ventilation and carrying long items with the window down, the Breezeway equipped cars were both stylish and useful. Not wanting to give up this unique selling feature when a more aerodynamic roofline debuted for 1967, the Breezeway took on a new slant to stay on the options list. The glass was still inset from the sloping roof, but sadly could only lower two inches instead of lowering completely. A lot was lost in translation and the once useful feature was dropped for 1969.
This 1968, top of the line Park Lane with Breezeway rear window, is both rare, regal, and rarely seen. Nice to see whitewalls present since so many sellers cheap out with blackwall tires, though the hubcaps aren’t correct. A cracked front turn signal and graying headlight should be an easy fix. The recently installed dark blue vinyl roof with miniature flying buttresses make the car look both sporting and luxurious with the white paint. Painted two years ago, the car has some cracking in the paint but is still very presentable and helps to emphasize the sharp lines.
The original 390 V8 has been rebuilt and is said to run well with a new Edelbrock four barrel carb. Would be nice to see the original air cleaner fabricated to fit the new carburetor, but a small nitpick when compared to having a good running engine. Inside, a new headliner and carpeting help to highlight water stained, saggy front seats. The back seats still looks clean and complete as do the door panels. The dashboard could use some work where the radio has been removed and the steering wheel is cracked at six and twelve o’clock. All looks functional but could stand some cosmetic work. The Breezeway window still works, making the price for this running and driving luxurious Mercury, quite a unique bargain. Would you buy a new car with a roll down rear window? Or does this Park Lane fit the bill?
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Comments
The steering wheel looks vaguely familiar… Quite similar to a 1969 Datsun bumble bee….
I have had a few 1963 Breezeaways, but I did not know they continued the window on the later models.
This is a cool feature and it might be a good idea that the window only goes down two inches.
That was the kids in the back seat can’t crawl out onto the trunk like they could on the 1963 model.
If I remember correctly, the 1957 model had a roll down rear window with the handle being in the back seat so the kid can roll it down, then crawl out.
Its an early child disposal device..quick and easy.
My folks had a new 64 mercury parklane marauder, and I remember laying up on the rear deck many times while on long drives. My sister had to crawl thru it while partially opened one time due to my mom locking the keys in the car. ours was tan…pretty cool car for the time. Wish it had the rare 427 and 4 spd tho… :P
Ft. Stewart and Hinesville are in Georgia not Fl.
Five-0
ACZ That’s what I was going to say. Thats all Steve drove on that set and man he was rough on then always squealing tires taking off and coming to a stop. LOL. Bruce.
I always loved it when they
showed his black dress-shoe
stomp on the accelerator, lol!
Kinda reminds me of the Mercury Monterey’s Steve McGarett and Danno drove around in on Hawaii Five-O…Da Da Da Da Daa Daa…
In my youth, my father had a ’66 Park Lane breezeway with a 390 that I thought was the greatest car ever built…he drove it for 12 years until our Canadian winters and rust finally won out. He passed away 10 years ago and of all the cars he owned over the years, he only regretted selling two…his ’66 Park Lane and his ’58 Edsel.
Learned to drive on my parent’s 66 Montclair with the standard roof. 10 years in the family as well, from new. And the rust got it eventually, Canuck.
Those long rear fenders were perfect places for rock chipped paint to allow rust to start.
Check-out those weird guys at
ColdWarMotors for a YT video of a
64 Canadian Meteor. Light blue.
It’s a stripper with a 223 Six and
3 on-the-tree. Bizarrely, it has the
reverse-slant rear-window, but it
appears to be non-functional, lol.
Actually, it’s one of the best cars
in their LARGE selection of videos.
Honesty looking for the rare Breezeway option, but don’t see it. Also the ad does not mention it anywhere. Am I missing something?
You can see that the back window is rolled down in one of the pictures above. It only goes down two inches so it isn’t as obvious as earlier years.
Thanks. I see it now!
Advertised compression for 4-V
390s was 10.5:1 for 1968. Figure on
buying premium gas. Advertised
gross horsepower was 315.
Wheelcovers look period-correct for a 1968 Ford, not Mercury. That design was used up through the 1970’s on Ford pickups and vans sometimes with the body-color centers as shown.
After further lookie-lookie, those wheelcovers appear to be from a 1955-1956 Ford!
DOES ANYONE HAVE OR KNOW WHERE I CAN GET THE MPC HAWAII FIVE O STATE POLICE 4 DOOR HARDTOP 1968 mercury park lane kit/
I have a 1967 Mercury Parklane Brougham Breezeway and i need a Relay for the Breezeway funktion.If anybody have the part number or a Relay please give me a sign.
Thanks Ralf from Germany