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Current Video: American Muscle Car: The Big M

Much of Ford's NASCAR success in the '50's thru the '70's was due to the "Big M." But this car was just as successful in the '50's as the car to have.

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Full Transcript (Automatically generated. May not be 100% accurate)

" Since its introduction in 1939. Big gamut that has -- left guard for offering Morris standard for our more luxury and more prestige."

" The postal -- Mark Grace found Mercury to be a very -- car indeed especially those long low lives away. As the fifties progressed Mercury had no trouble carbon itself but niche in the market. It was -- the styling was way out there and the car was a favorite of car lovers from mild to wild. Of course it didn't hurt that -- Big Brother would that be all and end all and personal luxuries the Lincoln. For an automobile Mercury enjoyed the best of all were. If you dip into the Lincoln Park been a drop from the finest automotive luxury in south components in the world. And it can also go across the -- record and load up with the best of the best to go -- equipment I'm."

" Mercury division of Ford Motor Co. really has kind of a cut above the sport itself you know American manufacturers were were pretty savvy marketers back in the day. And I would have multiple levels. That finished for him things like that for the buyers in other words if you're afford buyer. You didn't move up to a Mercury and -- Mercury could move up to a Lincoln. You know I wanted to keep buyers within the Ford family as the buyer got older and had more discretionary incomes."

" When the entire automotive world discovered stock car racing in the fifties Mercury jumped in head first. The Mercury team headed up by racing legend bills dropped was one of the young sport's most professional efforts with school uniforms great looking guards. And top to bottom organization. In his sport where a lot of the competitors still drove their race cars to the track race called the eighth inning drove what was left him home. Drop Mercury Records plays of the -- that's stock car super team. That would hit the sport during the sixties. Sharp five Mercury fans also of note of Indian names that hinted at things up."

" In 1958. Is when Mercury first or music beat marauders name not as they vehicle nameplate. But as an engine line. And -- what I can't hear is a 58. 400 horse -- former -- tried power. Which was built on the -- Yeltsin's engine is an acronym for Mercury -- Lincoln. And now in the Mercury -- came 33 cubic inches with a horse power ranging from 330. -- 400."

" But despite all of -- successes this -- well oiled machine jumped the tracks in 1957. And all the Detroit auto makers signed a gentleman's agreement to curtail all their racing activities specifically they banned the."

" Advertising of high performance they thought it was a not very socially responsible I guess you can say. They got together and 57 they all sign the band. And then of course certain factories. Pretty much disregarded and treated it just signed with the others Henry Ford actually reviewed the policy in the early sixties in the got rid of the moralist."

" The truth was -- GM and Chrysler had stayed involved in racing during the band even if they had to do it on the sly. But after mr. Ford shredded the agreement it was Bulls -- dead. From that point on Ford Motor Co. adopted a corporate philosophy called total performance."

" The total performance campaign really was total performances. Drag racing ran around right racing it was sports car racing overseas. You know that really all encompassing program. As."

" He's got faster and handling became more important the racers were discovering the importance of an -- shape to go with a dominating engine. No one understood that better than Ford who had struggled all the way through 1962. With a formal botched up roof line. -- problem was even worse if that was possible Mercury's -- roof line was a fast back in reverse. It actually -- backwards the other option there was -- of what he called recently roof. Which was that the reverse slanting down power win. The -- it was too cool for words in the show or but it was not an asset on the racetrack. But there was a very racing roof line and Mercury's option list. And when you check this box on the order form it turned your big damage is something very special and beat -- Pomeroy water. Actually. In in 63 informed broader really is fast back. It is what it is you you could have a 319 -- And you could also have a part pulling her daughter. Underneath it all more broader it was a Mercury. Even though it -- support running here -- on the -- slip proof line it was no Cologne. Wheelbase was a lengthy 120. Inch one inch longer than four. Overall -- was 215. Inches more than five inches forward."

" Well this fifty travelers racing version of the standard -- My understanding is it was somewhere around 500 of them made most of that 500 went to the racing industry. Somewhere around fifty some of went to the public. Most of crash most of -- no longer exist and Navarro understanding there's about two leftists in --"

" Cammarata it was a perfect mix of speed and style. And just like it did in the fifties Mercury was going to use it to create huge visibility for its entire model line. That's next on the American muscle cars."

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