In a number of respects the 1970 Mercury Montego exuded a last-of-the-wine vibe. For one thing, it was the final reskinning of the mid-sized platform that the Ford Motor Company introduced in 1962. Let’s just say that it got porky as it grew older.
The Montego’s high-performance Cyclone models also represented the last gasp of the muscle-car boomlet. To add a measure of corporate intrigue, the lineup’s styling reportedly reflected the predilections of Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen during his short stint as president of the Ford Motor Company.
When I saw that the latest issue of Collectible Automobile had a feature story on the 1970-71 Montego, the first thing I looked for was any intelligence on Knudsen’s involvement with the car’s controversial styling. Writer Paul G. McLaughlin didn’t have specific anecdotes to share, but he noted that Knudsen “may have influenced the designers” because of his frequent visits to the design studio (2025, p. 48).
McLaughlin referred to the Montego’s long nose as “Bunkie’s Beak,” but Mercury’s mid-sized offerings weren’t the only ones that sprouted them at Ford during this time period. So too did the 1970 Thunderbird, the 1971 Cougar and the LTD.
The 1970 Montego wasn’t your father’s Meteor
Mercury’s mid-sized entry had come a long way since the utilitarian Meteor was introduced in 1962. It had functioned more like a stretched compact because it was only one inch wider than the Mercury Comet but nine inches longer, roughly 400 pounds heavier and $200 more expensive.
The Meteor was discontinued in 1964 but the Comet would effectively take its place two years later and and begin to be supplanted by the Montego nameplate in 1968. By 1970 the car’s body had gradually grown six inches in length (to almost 210), six inches in width (to 77) and around 370 pounds (to 3,258 for a base four-door sedan). This was getting close to the size and weight of a 1962 big Ford.
Also see ‘Ford got crushed in 1960s mid-sized field despite early entrance’
What did that extra bulk buy? The same front- and rear-seat hip room, an inch less headroom and a half-inch less rear leg room than a 1962 Meteor. Ford Motor Company designers were apparently focused on making its mid-sized cars look as low, long and wide as Big Four competitors that had newer bodies.
The 1970 Montego followed in General Motors’ footsteps by offering a four-door hardtop for the first time. However, Ford held out on cutting the wheelbase of its two-door models to give them more sporting proportions. GM had started that trend in 1968 and Chrysler would follow along when redesigning its mid-sized lineup in 1971. Ford waited until its own major redesign in 1972.
Mercury doubles down on high-performance cars
One of the most interesting strategic decisions that Mercury apparently made was to make the Cyclone the brand’s leading high-performance nameplate and shift the Cougar toward being a luxury personal coupe with its 1971 redesign. In retrospect that was a questionable decision, but perhaps it reflected Mercury’s attempt to make inroads in NASCAR racing.
Richard M. Langworth wrote that the 1970 Montego’s “one distinction — if you can call it that — was a radically sculptured nose with a center proboscis big enough to frighten an anteater.” He went on to argue that the aggressive grille was “no compensation for loss of the pretty 1968-69 fastback styling” (1987, p. 283).
Also see ‘Collectible Automobile sheds little light on why 1971 Mercury Cougar was ugly’
What Langworth was referring to is that for 1970 all Montego two-door hardtops were given a semi-fastback roofline. This was in contrast with the mid-sized Ford Torino, which continued to offer a fastback on both regular and high-performance models. However, the fastback ditched its teardrop shape in favor of a more squared-off look that may have improved rear-seat headroom.
Take a look at the photos below. Which design approach do you prefer — the 1968-69 Cyclone’s fastback, the 1970 Torino’s fastback or the 1970 Cyclone’s semi-fastback roofline?
Mercury guesses wrong about market’s direction
McLaughlin argues that the Montego and Cyclone represented “mixed messages” — which is true to a degree (2025, p. 46). The regular Montegos had a fairly understated luxury ambiance whereas the Cyclone were unusually aggressive looking even for muscle cars. That said, I would suggest that the Cyclone was given more emphasis by designers.
Consider the snout, which appears to have been primarily designed to fit the Cyclone’s gunsight grille. Since the front bumper and hood shape were shared with the rest of the Montego lineup, all models were stuck with the same protrusion. Their grilles toned it down, but there’s only so much you can do.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of McLaughlin’s article are photos of rejected design proposals. They include a number of them that have a family resemblance to the highly successful 1969-70 full-sized Marquis lineup. I suspect that one of those approaches could have sold better than Bunkie’s Beak because they were more in line with the luxury orientation of the Mercury brand.
Alas, Mercury was vainly trying to build street cred in the muscle car field just as it was imploding. The brand’s mid-sized lineup saw output decline by almost 12 percent in 1970 to under 104,000 units. Then, in 1971, production fell by 45 percent to roughly 57,000 units. Cyclone sales saw the steepest drop, but the entire lineup took a big hit. This bottle of wine was very much done.
NOTES:
Production figures and list prices are from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (2006), Consumer Reports (1963, 1970), Flory (2004) and Gunnell (2002).
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, Ill.
- Consumer Reports; 1963. “Basic Body Dimensions.” April issue: pp. 164-165.
- Consumer Reports; 1970. “Basic Body Dimensions.” April issue: pp. 221-223.
- Flory, J. “Kelly” Jr.; 2004. American Cars, 1960-1972. McFarland & Co., Inc.
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Langworth, Richard M.; 1987. The Complete History of Ford Motor Company. Publications International, Skokie, IL.
- McLaughlin, Paul G.; 2025. “1970-71 Mercury Montego and Cyclone: Mixed Messages.” Collectible Automobile. August issue: pp. 46-57.
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- fordheritagevault.com: Ford Torino (1970); Mercury Montego (1970)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Ford Torino (1970); Mercury Meteor (1962); Mercury Montego/Cyclone (1968, 1970)
Interesting that the Mercury intermediates never gained much traction in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This hurt Ford in the intermediate segment. The corporation was even bested by Chrysler Corporation during some years, for while the Fords outsold the Plymouths, the Dodges easily bested the Mercury – enough for Chrysler, as a whole, to edge out the Ford Motor Company in that segment.
The Montego MX Brougham four-door hardtop isn’t bad looking (thanks to the hidden headlights), but it would have worked better with a toned-down version of that beak. In some respects, it reminds me of the nose on our family’s 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 Holiday sedan. Even Oldsmobile backed away from that look on its full-size cars after only one year. One therefore wonders why Bunkie thought it would be a good idea for Mercury.
It does work better than the nose on the 1970-71 Thunderbirds, which I’ve never liked. That front was enough to ruin the entire car for me.
My father had a 1970 Fairlane 500 wagon that was the platform mate of the Montego. He had it over 11 years and 200,000 miles. These were durable cars. The 302 still ran great, but it needed a new gearshift and it was badly rusted.