Back in early 2010 I was "desperately" trying to save Mercury in the only way I could: with renderings. It was my idea that Mercury could become FoMoCo's high-tech, hybrid division. Ford would be the mainstay bread-and-butter cars, the volume sellers, in a position it has held for more than 100 years. Mercury would be a step-up in price and features, but instead of just "fancy" upholostery, the drivetrains would have been exclusively hybrid and electric. The styling, inside and out, would be more contemporary and high-tech than Ford's more traditional looks. Lincoln would have been pushed further upscale, ensuring Ford's presence in the full luxury market. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Mercury was dead not long afterwards. In all, I believe I created more than 40 Mercurys in about 2 years of trying to bring the marque back to relevancy.
My first car was a '69 Comet sport coupe, the bottom-of-the-line pillarless coupe. It was nicely optioned though with 302 V8, power steering, power brakes, air conditioning and a power trunk opener. I'm not sure how many low-line Comets were equipped like that.
The renderings:
Subcompact "B" market Comet sports hatch.
Compact-sized Medalist sedan. "Medalist" was last used in the mid '50s by Mercury.
Slightly larger Marin sedan, a prototype to replace the then-current Milan, but...
... then I created this new Milan 4-door "coupe" which I preferred.
Sitting at the top of the Mercury heap would have been this Cyclone sedan, a full size hybrid sedan with supercar levels of power.
Moving to crossovers, this Villager would have anchored the compact segment ...
... and the Mountaineer would have elevated their top-shelf SUV to Range Rover levels of capability at Land Rover prices.
So much work for nothing! : )