Thanks for posting this great remembrance of a bygone era musicom67. I never knew this long promotional film of the 1951 Mercomatic existed. I especially liked the view of the combination perimeter frame surrounding an X frame for the ultimate in protection and stability. Sadly this 72 year tradition of body on frame full size Mercurys came to an end just a few weeks ago as the last one rolled off the assembly line.
I think that's one of the reasons that Ford and Mopar have gone with reimagined versions of their classic performance cars. You can see the DNA of the classic cars in both the Dodge Challenger and the Ford Mustang.
My parents owned a new 1951 Mercury sedan as pictured; same color and all. It was automatic transmission, which I believe was made by Borg Warner. They had trouble with the transmission, which was repaired under warranty.
The problem is that as manufacturers have had to meet the CAFE standards, the easiest way to do that is to reduce drag. And since there aren't a lot of low-drag shapes, automakers have moved to having cars with very similar silhouettes
@@skonky If you're using that as an example of convergent design, it's a great example of what also drives sameness in car design. If you're saying most cars look like a big computer mouse, I can't really disagree, although it's just a coincidence that the shape that fits your hand and the one that moves through the air with the least drag are similar.
...'51 Merc... With that characteristic grille... I remember a coupe one of my relatives still had 15 years later when I was just a little kid... No automatic in that slightly souped-up Lead Sled! Almost like the one Stallone drove in the 1986 movie _Cobra_ , only in a customized cream white and no chop-top...
The unusual feature of MERCOMATIC TRANSMISSION is that it starts in 2 gear and then shifts into 3rd gear in D range. You could probably get a downshift into first gear on wide open throttle below 25 miles per hour or first gear on wide open throttle stand starts.
I was ford mech.back in the day and to me that looks like a cast iron cruise-O-matic and became the FMX trans for the 302,351w,351c 2V and the 351c 4V had the C6 just what I remember back in the 1970s
@@Patbooth1798 Ahh the Old FMX!!! 😳 Sweet memories - SOUR smell!!! Every time one of us dropped the Pan on one, 2 or 3 people yelled out "OK! WHO just opened a FMX?"
Thanks for posting this great remembrance of a bygone era musicom67. I never knew this long promotional film of the 1951 Mercomatic existed. I especially liked the view of the combination perimeter frame surrounding an X frame for the ultimate in protection and stability. Sadly this 72 year tradition of body on frame full size Mercurys came to an end just a few weeks ago as the last one rolled off the assembly line.
I think that's one of the reasons that Ford and Mopar have gone with reimagined versions of their classic performance cars. You can see the DNA of the classic cars in both the Dodge Challenger and the Ford Mustang.
My parents owned a new 1951 Mercury sedan as pictured; same color and all. It was automatic transmission, which I believe was made by Borg Warner. They had trouble with the transmission, which was repaired under warranty.
This was back when cars had personalites, today they have as much personalty as a toaster
The problem is that as manufacturers have had to meet the CAFE standards, the easiest way to do that is to reduce drag. And since there aren't a lot of low-drag shapes, automakers have moved to having cars with very similar silhouettes
@@almostfm computer mouse
@@skonky If you're using that as an example of convergent design, it's a great example of what also drives sameness in car design.
If you're saying most cars look like a big computer mouse, I can't really disagree, although it's just a coincidence that the shape that fits your hand and the one that moves through the air with the least drag are similar.
This was also back when cars were basically piles of expensive trash, so....
@@almostfm very true
All these beautiful colors were svailable, yet the only one I remember fron the late 50' s is a very weathered dark brown.
...'51 Merc... With that characteristic grille... I remember a coupe one of my relatives still had 15 years later when I was just a little kid... No automatic in that slightly souped-up Lead Sled! Almost like the one Stallone drove in the 1986 movie _Cobra_ , only in a customized cream white and no chop-top...
I can dig it!
They need to bring that grille back
These cars were basically a couch on wheels.
The unusual feature of MERCOMATIC TRANSMISSION is that it starts in 2 gear and then shifts into 3rd gear in D range. You could probably get a downshift into first gear on wide open throttle below 25 miles per hour or first gear on wide open throttle stand starts.
The "Merc-O-Matic" looks an awful lot like the FoMoCo C4 Automatic...
That would make it the longest running Automatic Transmission in History!
I was ford mech.back in the day and to me that looks like a cast iron cruise-O-matic and became the FMX trans
for the 302,351w,351c 2V and the 351c 4V had the C6 just what I remember back in the 1970s
@@Patbooth1798
Ahh the Old FMX!!! 😳
Sweet memories - SOUR smell!!! Every time one of us dropped the Pan on one, 2 or 3 people yelled out "OK! WHO just opened a FMX?"
70 years ago........
Why does GM say they invented the automatic transmission?
Cadillac
The General Motors Hydra-Matic became the first mass-produced automatic transmission following its introduction in 1939 (1940 model year)
And Ford bought their transmission from Borgwarner but still bought hydramatics from GM for the Lincoln through 1954
They did.
The Hydramatic in the 1940 Oldsmobile beginning in October 1939.
Cadillac got it in 1941.