The 1940 Mercury Club Coupe was envisioned by Edsel Ford, who is fondly remembered as a man of impeccable good taste. It was he who took credit, with designers John Tjaarda and E. T. "Bob" Gregorie, for the startling, aerodynamic 1936 Lincoln Zephyr.
 The 1940 Mercury Club Coupe was the brainchild of Edsel Ford, who had a reputation for good taste. See more classic car pictures. |
 The 1940 Mercury Club Coupe used strip-type instruments. |
The engine introduced with Ford's latest remained in production through 1948, a 239-cid L-head V-8, slightly larger than Ford's 221-cid V-8/85, and -- at 95 bhp -- 12 percent more powerful.
Mercury's 116-inch wheelbase stretched four inches longer than Ford's, enough to add elegance to the styling and make the car look larger. The dash, aping Ford's, used strip-type instruments; both featured a column-mounted gearlever and (finally) hydraulic brakes. Mercury's 1940 styling looked Ford-like: a crisp, pointed nose; flush-mounted headlamps; and rounded lines that tapered to a beetle back.
 The 1940 Mercury Club Coupe had multiple body styles, including the one shown here. |
The five body styles were priced from $946 for a two-door sedan to $1,212 for the seldom-seen convertible sedan. One of the prettiest models offered was the five-passenger Club Coupe, or coupe-sedan. Its trim B-pillars and neat chrome moldings around the side windows almost predicted the hardtop, which became the rage in the late Forties.
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