Mercury was introduced by the Ford Motor Company in 1938 under the direction of Edsel Ford to fill the market niche between the mainstream Ford and luxury Lincoln brands. The inaugural Mercury Eight debuted in late 1938, featuring a robust 95-horsepower V8 engine and stylish aerodynamic bodywork, establishing Mercury’s reputation for performance and refinement. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Mercury offered models such as the Cougar, launched in 1966 as a distinctive personal-luxury coupe, and the Marauder performance sedan, which featured a high-output V8 and aggressive styling. In 2000, Mercury entered the SUV market with the Mountaineer, leveraging Ford’s Explorer platform while adding upscale appointments. Despite strong sales peaks—Mercury sold over 400,000 vehicles in certain years—declining demand and overlap with Ford and Lincoln led to the marque’s discontinuation in 2011. Mercury’s legacy endures through collector enthusiasm and iconic innovations such as the 1967 Cougar XR-7’s sequential turn signals and hidden headlamps.