Junkyard Find: 1982 Mercury Zephyr

The super-Malaise-y Granada/Monarch was replaced by the Fox platform-based Fairmont/Zephyr in a process that lasted through the late 1970s and early 1980s (a Fox-based Granada lingered on until 1982). The Fox was like science fiction next to the well-seasoned early-60s chassis that came before, and car buyers who wanted a sporty two-tone coupe went right to their Lincoln-Mercury dealers to buy Zephyrs like this one. You'd never know the 1970s had been over for a while after a glance at this tan-and-gold disco cruiser. The good old Ford 250 inline-six engine— which I just learned came with the official name of "Thriftpower Six"— was a straight early-60s flashback for the purchaser of this Zephyr. Ford certainly got its money's worth out of the Fox platform; depending on the strictness of your definition of new-versus-upgraded chassis designs, it was built until either 1994 or 2003. I couldn't find any '82 Zephyr ads, so here's one for its Fairmont sibling. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 680102