Mercury Magnanimous

Model year 1951 was a downturn for most of America’s car companies, but Mercury bucked the trend. Ford’s upper-middle-class division mostly left well enough alone on its single-car line for 1951, focusing instead on trim changes. There was a new full-width grille, and minor rear styling revisions that included a one-piece rear window, and vertical taillamps in rear-quarter extensions that were a baby step toward the stylish tail fins that would dominate later in the decade. Engineers found two more horsepower in the 255-cubic-inch flathead V-8, bringing total output to 112 horsepower, and a new two-speed Merc-O-Matic fully automatic transmission was a $168 option.

Despite selling only 17,000 more cars in 1951 than in 1950, Mercury vaulted from ninth to sixth place in U.S. sales, passing Oldsmobile