March 28, 2024

October seventeenth, 2022 9:20 AM

Ford presented a newly rounded Crown Victoria at the late-Nineteen Seventies-vintage Panther platform for the 1992 type 12 months, and the Mercury Department was once proper there—because it so ceaselessly was once, from the very starting in 1939—with a Mercurized model. The 1992-1997 Grand Marquis has turn out to be a rarity within the large self-service automotive graveyards I widespread, so I determined that this worn-out ’93 deserved to be documented for this collection.

As was once the case with maximum 1939-2011 Mercury fashions (with the notable exceptions of the 1991-1994 Capri and the 1999-2002 Cougar), the Grand Marquis by no means differed a lot from its Ford-badged siblings.

The Grand Marquis identify started existence within the 1974 type 12 months, as an internal trim bundle at the Marquis Brougham, itself in line with the Ford LTD. For 1975 via 1978, the still-LTD-based Grand Marquis was once a sumptuous trim stage for the marquis Marquis, after which the primary true Grand Marquis debuted for 1979 and stayed in manufacturing via 1991.

After all, the 1992-2011 Grand Marquis will at all times be referred to as the “Grandma Keith” to many people, due to a hilarious speech-to-text glitch. This one is an upscale LS, however do not get too enthusiastic about that—there have been simply the GS and LS trim ranges for 1993, and so they were not a lot other. The LS were given energy seats and a few nicer material inside of, and that was once about it.

The MSRP at the 1993 Grandma Keith LS was once $22,609, whilst the GS price $22,092 (that is about $47,060 and $45,980 in 2022 greenbacks). In case you did not thoughts Mercury homeowners obvious down their snoots at you for saving a dollar, the $20,493 ($42,655 now) Ford Crown Victoria was once kind of the similar automotive.

No one knew it on the time, however the then-newish Modular 4.6 engine would grow to be considered one of Ford’s maximum dependable engines of the generation. This one was once rated at both 190 or 210 horsepower, relying on whether or not the auto had the non-compulsory twin exhaust (which seems to had been buried in a many-item choice bundle).

The aluminum wheels added $440 to the associated fee ($915 these days).

This automotive seems to have subsidized right into a pole at a gorgeous excellent clip, or possibly it spun out first.

The motive force’s-side entrance window was once plastered with “Transfer This Automobile Or Else” pink tags from Greeley, Colorado (about 30 miles to the north of this backyard). Ultimately, the tow vans arrived.

This decal is a bit of redundant on a Grandma Keith.

This automotive seems to have the $543 “Digital Crew” choice bundle ($1,130 in 2022 dollars), which incorporated a virtual device cluster and automated HVAC temperature regulate.

All 1993 Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis got here with air con as same old apparatus. A decade previous, such don’t have been the case.

The Securicode combination-lock characteristic is going means again for Ford merchandise, all of the option to the early Nineteen Eighties.

The unique proprietor’s handbook was once with it to the very finish.

As you would be expecting, promoting for the Grandma Keith emphasised a protracted record of same old options. In hindsight, we will say that those had been lovely excellent automobiles for the cash.

This industrial for the ’97 Grandma is not the standard factor.

[Images by the author]

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