Author Archives: Bill

About Bill

I have enjoyed a life-long fascination with American cars, particularly Mercury and its Canadian relative, Monarch. I'm old enough to remember Turnpike Cruisers when they were new, but not the 118's. The Merc is now scheduled to cease production after over 70 years and so will join Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Imperial, DeSoto, Thunderbird and of course Edsel in history's graveyard. Perhaps this is as it should be -they all became pale shadows of what they once were.

Step Out With the New 1946 Mercury

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Bill

World War II was finally over. Elation combined with immense relief was the order of the day. United States emerged from the cataclysm as the world’s dominant economic and military leader. But of course, joy eventually had to make way … Continue reading →

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More of Everything You Want! 1947 Mercury

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Bill

During the war, an agreement between the unions and the National War Labor Board kept strikes and labor disruptions to a minimum. With the war over and wanting to participate in the anticipated oncoming prosperity, workers were not happy when … Continue reading →

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1948 Mercury – More of Everything You Want

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Bill

By 1948 the Cold War was well underway. Its onset had no doubt been accelerated by Stalin’s growing paranoia which had been in evidence since the suicide of his second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva in 1932 at the age of 31. … Continue reading →

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1949 Mercury – New … All New!

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Bill

By 1949 Japan was rising from the devastation of its defeat In World War II although it still relied heavily on food and financial aid from the U.S.A. In his normal cynical style, Stalin had declared war on Japan on … Continue reading →

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Better than Ever – 1950 Mercury

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Bill

1950 in history became symbolic for Communism’s deceit and duplicitous chicanery. I can think of no other phenomena or mortal creation that has been responsible for greater human misery, suffering and death than Communism in all its various forms. Mao … Continue reading →

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For the Drive of Your Life – the New 1951 Mercury

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Bill

The Korean War labored on with no end in sight, and nobody sure about the size of the Chinese presence in Korea or even if they intended to engage in combat. Both questions would soon be answered. The Chinese army … Continue reading →

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1952 Mercury – The Most Challenging New Car of Any Year

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Bill

By 1952 the Korean War had degenerated into a bloody stalemate – a comparison to World War I’s trench warfare has been made, and accurately so. Prolonged and frustrating peace negotiations had begun in 1951, but the combatants still sought … Continue reading →

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1953 Mercury – Further Than Ever Ahead of Its Field

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Bill

Two events in 1953 shook the communist world to its foundations. On March 5 Stalin died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage. The evening of March 1 Stalin had enjoyed a late dinner and drinking session with sycophants Beria, Malenkov, Bulganin, … Continue reading →

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1954 Mercury – A New Kind of Car That Makes Any Driving Easy

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Bill

After having had a presence in Viet Nam since the eighteenth century, France was forced to watch its hold over its Indochinese colonial dependencies start to crumble. The Viet Minh communist insurgency was gathering steam and preparing for the culminating … Continue reading →

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1955 Mercury – Brilliantly Engineered in Three Great Series

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Bill

North America continued to enjoy the post-war economic glow and everyone seemed to have caught the optimism bug. Although it cost an unheard of $17 million, Disneyland seemed like a miracle when it opened in Anaheim in 1955. I can … Continue reading →

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