Mercury · 1939–1951

Mercury Eight

The Mercury Eight is an automobile that was produced by the American manufacturer Ford Motor Company under their now defunct division Mercury between 1939 and 1951. The debut model line of the Mercury division, Ford positioned the full-size Mercury Eight between the Ford Deluxe (later Custom) model lines and the Lincoln. In total, Ford assembled three generations of the Eight (before and after World War II). During its production, the Eight offered a full range of body styles, including coupes, sedans, convertibles, and station wagons. For its first generation, the Eight was produced with its own body, adapting its own version of a Ford body for its second generation; for the third generation, the Eight shared its body with the Lincoln. For the 1952 model year, Ford expanded its namesake division to three nameplates and Lincoln and Mercury to two each, with Mercury replacing the Eight with Monterey (introduced in 1950 as a trim option), lasting until 1974.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Mercury Monterey|Mercury Custom

All Mercury Eight data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

First generation (1939–1940)

The advertisements for this car declared it to be "The car that truly dares to ask 'Why?'", referring to the idea that a big car could not also be economical. The Mercury two-door sedan was listed at US$946 ($21,896 in 2025 dollars), several hundred dollars more than the 1937 Ford V-8, several hundred less than the Lincoln-Zephyr and about the same as the upper-range Oldsmobile and Dodges, Hudsons, and the lower-range Buicks and DeSotos, sales from all of which, it was hoped that customers would trade in their cars for the new Mercury. Its engine was a 95 hp version of the Ford flathead V8 engine, its styling was inspired by the Zephyr, and it had standard equipment hydraulic brakes using 12-inch drums. With a wheelbase of 116.0 in (2,946 mm) and an overall length of 196.0 in (4,978 mm), it was a good-sized car, which the Ford company advertised extensively, together with its up-to-20 mpg performance—"few cars of any size can equal such economy". Double sun visors became standard in 1940. Although "Eight" script would not appear on the front of the hood until the 1941 model year, sales literature prominently referred to the car as the "Mercury Eight" from the very beginning. This is no doubt because the actual series names, 99A in 1939 and 09A in 1940, were somewhat less enticing. A 1940 09A model has the words "Mercury Eight" in an emblem that runs from front to rear alongside the top hood lines on both sides. It appears as chrome wording on top of a double red bar. By the end of 1940 Mercury could run with the headline "It's made 150,000 owners change cars!"

Second generation (1941–1948)

The 1941 Mercury Eight got all-new styling and some engineering improvements. The Mercury now shared its bodyshell with the Ford Super DeLuxe and the wheelbase was expanded by 2.0 in (51 mm) to 118.0 in (2,997 mm). There were many chassis refinements, including improved spring lengths, rates, and deflections, plus changes in shackling, shocks, and an improved stabilizer bar, but the old fashioned transverse springs were still used. The new body featured door bottoms that flared out over the running boards, allowing for wider seats and interiors. The car had 2.0 in (51 mm) more headroom, two-piece front fenders (three-piece at first), and more glass area. The front pillars were made slimmer and the windshield was widened, deepened, and angled more steeply. Parking lights were separate and set atop the fenders for greater visibility. Headlight bezels were redesigned. In all closed Mercurys the rear-quarter windows opened out. Front vent wings were now crank-operated, and in closed cars the ventilation wing support bars rolled down with the windows. The 4-door convertible, offered in 1940, was gone, but a station wagon was added. The woodie wagon's body behind the engine cowl was identical to Ford's, and produced at the company's Iron Mountain plant in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The "Eight" script was moved to the rear of the hood. 90,556 Mercury Eights were sold in the 1941 model year. In 1942 the Mercury Eight's slender bullet parking lights were replaced with rectangular units placed high on the fenders inboard of the headlights. Running boards were now completely concealed under flared door bottoms. The instrument panel now features two identical circles for speedometer and clock with gauges to the left of the speedometer, a glove compartment to the right of the clock

Third generation (1949–1951)

For 1949, Mercury introduced its third-generation design as its first postwar line. The first models released under the combined Lincoln-Mercury Division, the Mercury Eight now shared its body with the Lincoln (which no longer carried a divisional nameplate). Keeping its 118-inch wheelbase, the third-generation Mercury was sized between its two divisional counterparts. The "pontoon" body design eliminated freestanding fenders and running boards (along with widening and lowering the hood). Substantial modernization was made to the chassis, as Ford retired its long-running transverse-leaf suspension and torque-tube drive axle (the former feature, used since 1908 on the Model T). While the rear axle was remained leaf-sprung (with more conventional longitudinal springs), the front suspension was independent with stabilizer bars. The Flathead V8 (resized to 255 cubic inches) made its return, producing 110 hp. A new overdrive system was optional, activated by a handle under the dash. In a model change, the four-door station wagon was replaced by a two-door version; as with the Ford Country Squire, wood construction was relegated to side paneling (still manufactured at the Ford Iron Mountain Plant). An 8 tube AM radio was introduced as an option; full instrumentation was added to the dashboard. For 1950, the Mercury Monterey made its debut as the flagship version of the Mercury Eight. Developed in response to the two-door hardtop coupes introduced by General Motors, the Monterey was a counterpart of the Ford Crestliner, Lincoln Lido, and Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri, featuring a fabric-covered roof and upgraded interior. For 1951, the Mercury saw minor styling revisions, but introduced the Merc-O-Matic 3-speed automatic as an option (identical to the Ford-O-Matic introduced

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

Manufacturer: Mercury (Ford)
Production: 1939–1951
Assembly: Main plant:Dearborn, Michigan, Wayne, Michigan (starting 1952), Branch assembly:Long Beach, California, Maywood, California (starting 1948), St. Louis Missouri, Metuchen, New Jersey (1939–1942), Bucharest, Romania
Layout: FR layout
Class: Full-size
name: Mercury Eight
Successor: Mercury Monterey, Mercury Custom

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1921516CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_EightCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1370402188 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_1939_Ford_Mercury.jpgCC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo: Michael Spiller from Bradford, UK · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.