Mercury S-55

The Mercury S-55 is a full-size car that was marketed by the Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company during the 1960s. Developed as a performance-oriented version of the Mercury Monterey, the S-55 was the largest vehicle of the Mercury "S" (Special) range introduced in 1962; its Ford equivalent was the Ford Galaxie 500XL. As consumer buying habits in full-size sedans shifted in the late 1960s, performance-oriented vehicles such as the S-55 fell out of favor, with personal luxury coupes and muscle cars taking its place. After the 1967 model year, the S-55 was discontinued; its role was largely taken over by the 1969 Mercury Marauder, produced until 1970. For the 1962 model year, to maintain interest in the Ford and Mercury product lines, Ford Motor Company introduced performance-oriented trim packages for both divisions. Mercury introduced the S (Special) line of sub-models. While the S-22 Comet and S-33 Meteorconsisted primarily of exterior trim, badging, bucket seats, and floor-mounted shifters, the S-55 (based on the Monterey) offered the same interior features along with a higher-performance powertrain.