Mercury Messenger concept
by Christopher A. Sawyer

The design future for Mercury has definite overtones of the division’s past. A past from the heyday of Ford’s “Total Performance” racing program when a 1964 289 Cobra could provide the basis for then Ford Design director Eugene Bordinat’s two-seat sports car, the “Cougar II.” A time when the GT40 (or more correctly the Ford GT Mark 1, to use its official name), was first breaking cover, and its roofline was inspiring high-performance vehicles the world over.

The Mercury Messenger isn’t a copy of the Cougar II, though it has some intriguing similarities: the B-pillar slant, the way the front and rear fenders suggest a crisp point at their ends, and the use of an air exit behind the front wheels that establishes a strong body character line. However, it can also be said the roof line/rear deck area is a near-copy of the 1963 Ford GT prototype, with a hint of 1963-1967 Chevrolet Corvette greenhouse thrown in for good measure. Or, on a more recent note, that the entire upper surface is a less harsh, more mature rendition of that found on the Lotus M250 concept of 1999, the side scoop is borrowed from Ferrari’s 456 GT, and the divided nose inspired by the Oldsmobile Aurora.

What would be missing from this “spot the genetic traits” competition is any mention of how these elements combine to disguise tall body side sections, the wedge profile, short overhangs, and surprisingly blunt front and rear end caps. The 4.6-liter V8 dictates the width and height of the front end, and the section height through the front fenders and cowl. Normal practice would have demanded a sleeker, “faster” shape that emphasized the 460 horsepower within, replete with swells and bulges mimicking muscles. Yet the Messenger uses few of these devices, opting instead for a less adorned, “cooler” form with restrained hood and decklid sections, and large front and rear lamp clusters and vents that suggest a determined watchfulness instead of overt aggression.

The interior is similarly restrained. A simple gauge cluster sits directly ahead of the driver, secreted in a dark blue leather band atop the lighter blue instrument panel. Brushed metallic trim spans the panel’s bluff face, and the navigation screen, gauge, and switch faces are finished in an electric blue. As with the exterior, the surface detailing is kept to a minimum, creating large expanses of crisp forms punctuated by stitch lines and the occasional tight radius as one form flows into another. The effect combines masculine and feminine shapes, yet stops well short of a Michael Jackson-like androgyny.

Given Mercury’s 1960s-era reputation for producing performance cars for suburban gentlemen (like the Marauder) and vehicles driven by upper class suburban women, the Messenger may be the clearest statement yet of the division’s intention to dominate this market segment once again.

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