Parking Lot Sighting: 1972 Mercury Comet GT

Note the rare Dodge Dakota Sport Roadster pickup visible in the background.

Classic Ads: 1971 Mercury Montego

Better ideas make better cars. That's true, and better marketing helps even more. This lovely color ad appeared in the November 27, 1970 issue of Life magazine to advertise the 1971 Montego MX coupe. When your better idea is a slightly less attractive Ford Torino with a beak and a body from 1969, you may be in trouble. I'm not sure if I've ever seen one of these cars, at least not in recent memory.

The fact that the ad is worded as "Mercury makes better cars to buy, rent, or lease" hints that the brand was perhaps on a slow downward spiral a lot longer than most of us thought.