Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia - 1975
According to the May 1976 edition of Car and Driver, Henry Ford II and three out of five of Ford’s top executives used the Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia as their personal car.
A luxury car --- at a sensible price
According to the 1975 Lincoln-Mercury Division advertising brochure, only two American luxury models had disc brakes on all four wheels with a sophisticated central hydraulic power system as standard equipment --- the Continental mark IV and the new small luxury car, Grand Monarch Ghia. Other Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia standard luxury features include:
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Genuine leather seating surfaces
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Thickly padded handcrafted vinyl roof
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Quartz crystal digital timepiece
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Leather-wrapped luxury steering wheel
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Power steering
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Dual beam map-reading lamp
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Illuminated visor vanity mirror (passenger side)
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14 inch Cast-alluminum spoke wheels (apparently the wheels are actually magnelleum, 10 percent magnesium and 90 percent alluminum), Part Number on LF (Drivers) E-D5DA-1007-B3(raised?)
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Solid-state ignition
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White sidewall steel-belted radial tires
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Fully reclining bucket seats with matching map pockets
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Deep carpeted interior and luggage compartment
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Deluxe sound and ride package
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Wide color-keyed bodyside molding.
No doubt there will be imitators. But who will be able to match the Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia's luxury and engineering at its sensible price?
According to the 1976 Lincoln-Mercury Division advertising brochure sent to me by John B, the Grand Monarch Ghia is one of the few American luxury models offering four-wheel disc brakes with a sophisticated hydraulic power system as standard. The other standard features are:
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250-IV "Six" engine (probably most cars were ordered with the 302 automatic)
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3-speed manual transmission
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Power four-wheel disc brakes
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Solid-state ignition
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Power windows
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Power steering
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Dual Dome map reading light
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Luxury steering wheel
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Contoured bucket seats with leather or velour seating surfaces
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Cast-aluminum spoked wheels
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Fully-padded Normande grain vinyl roof
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High level ventilation
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WSW steel-belted radial tires (however, the photo does not show wide side wall tires)
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Deluxe sound insulation and ride package
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Dual note horn
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Digital clock
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Deep cut-pile carpeting
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Day-night interior mirror
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Deluxe color-keyed seat belts
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Carpeted luggage compartment
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Ford Motor Company Lifeguard Desigh Safety Features
Occupant Protection Features
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Safety-designed front end structure
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Safety-designed roof structure
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Double-yoke safety door latches and safety hinges
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integral lap and shoulder belts with individual lap and shoulder belt retractors and starter interlock for front outboard occupants
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Positive reminder warning light and buzzer for all front seat occupants
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Energy-absorbing steering column and steering wheel
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Energy-absorbing instrument panel with padding for right and center front passengers
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Padded sun visors
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Energy-absorbing front seat back tops with padding
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Self-locking front seat backs on two-door models
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Safety-designed radio control knobs and push buttons (on all cars equipped with radios)
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Head restraints or high-back seat for front outboard occupants
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Safety glove box latch
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Inside yieldaway rearview mirror
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Impact-absorbing laminated safety glass windshield
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Flame resistant interior materials.
Operating Safety Features
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Safety rim wheels and load-rated tires
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Dual hydraulic brake system with warning light
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Corrosion-resistant brake lines
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Turn indicators with lane-changing signal features
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Hazard warning flasher
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Backup lights
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Side marker lights
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Parking lights coupled with headlamps
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Two-speed or variable-speed windshield wipers
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Windshield washers
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Outside rear-view mirror driver's side
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Glare-reduced instrument panel padding, windshield wiper arms, steering wheel hub and windshield pillars
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Uniform transmission shift quadrant
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Illuminated controls (wiper/washer, defrost/defog, climate control)
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Continuously variable control illumination intensity
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Safety hood latch system.
Anti-Theft Features
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Locking steering wheel column with warning buzzer
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Non-reversing odometer
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Visible vehicle identification number.
History of this Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia
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On April 3, 1975 this Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia (VIN-5W37F538333) rolled out of the factory in Wayne, Michigan.
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Later in 1975, Mr. Bev Lewis purchased the Grand Monarch new for his wife Margaret when they were living in Bangor, Maine, USA. They always kept it in a garage.
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In the 1980s, moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. Always kept in a garage.
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In January 2000, Benjamin Keevil purchased the Grand Monarch with 54,500 original miles from Mr Lewis and licensed it in Bradenton, Florida. Driven occasionally, always kept in a garage.
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In November 2002, Elmer's Automotive shop in Florida replaced most of the exhaust system, distributor, and upgraded the air conditioner to the new 134-type refrigerant from the old freon refrigerant. Elmer's Automotive, 6732 15th Street Ct. West, Bradenton, Florida 34207. Tel 941.755.7499. Previously, a local garage replaced the alternator; however, it might not have been necessary as there was an electrical short in the distributor.
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In November 2002, Benjamin and
David Murphy
drove the Merc from Florida to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The car cruises great on the highway. During a stopover in Dalton Georgia,
Chastain Auto Glass epoxied a small chip in the windshield. Chastain Auto Glass, 800 North Glenwood Ave., Dalton GA 30720. Many of the car carpets sold in North America are made in Dalton, Georgia.
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Benjamin imported the Merc into Canada and licenced it in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The mileage in November, 2002 was 56,000 miles and on April 3, 2004 was 58,500 miles. Therefore, during the past four years the car was driven an average of 1,000 miles a year. During the past 30 years the car was driven an average of 2,000 miles a year.
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In June 2003, the Grand Monarch participated in the Ford 100th Anniversary Celebration in Dearborn, Michigan and visited the Ford factory in Wayne where it was built.
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In June 2003, four new Firestone FR380 (P195/75R14) all-season, thin, whitewall tires were installed. In October 2003, a new radiator was installed.
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In the summer of 2004, the Grand Monarch participated in the Ford 100th Anniversary Celebration in Oakville and Classics against Cancer in Georgetown, Ontario.
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In the summer of 2005, the Grand Monarch again participated in the Ford Celebration in Oakville, Classics against Cancer in Georgetown, Ontario, and many of the weekly Classic Car Cruises at California's restaurant in Toronto (near QEW and Dixie). The mileage for the Monarch is now over 60,000 miles.
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In Oct 2005, replaced the rear, driver-side, manual window crank (Ford part number D5DB54266A72AA, made in USA) because the plastic cover on the knob broke with a crank from Tony's 78 Granada (Ford part number D6DB6623348AA, made in Canada). Also, replaced the driver front door handle (Ford part number xxx, made in USA) with a handle from Tony's 78 Granada (Ford part number D6EB-6222614-AB, made in Canada). The first owner had spliced the broken handle with a piece a wood and the head mechanic at Legendary Motor Cars in Milton broke the handle when the Monarch was in storage.
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In August 2009, the local auto mechanics temporarily repaired the broken caliper anchor on the right front brake and setup the carb at about 61,000 miles. Now, we only drive the Monarch around town to the car shows, not on the highway.
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On Oct 17, 2011, sold my Monarch privately to Sheldon in Toronto. Sheldon will repair the broken caliper anchor on right front disc brake, Ford part number D4DZ2B292A, and do some other minor cosmetic repairs.
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Front view of Merc and
Rear view of Merc
Almost all Parts are Original
Most of the parts are original 1975 factory except for the usual replacement of the tires, hoses, battery, distributer cap and wires. In the 1980s when the car moved to Florida from Maine, a Lincoln air-conditioning system was installed and in 2002 was changed to the new 134-type refrigerant. Also, the following parts were replaced and we have some of the original parts that eventually will be refurbished and re-installed on the car:
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Wiper arms and blades (have ordered NOS)
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Positive and negative battery cables (have original but they are frayed)
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Alternator (probably did not need to be replaced and have original)
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Voltage regulator
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Control module (have original).
