Mercury

Founded in 1939 by Edsel Ford, son of Ford Motor Company’s legendary founder, Henry Ford, the Mercury brand was intended to slot between the Ford and Lincoln brands in both prestige and price. Though Mercury vehicles shared many mechanical components with their sister divisions, they were set apart with unique styling and performance upgrades.

Highlights over the years included the high-performance Mercury Cougar muscle car and the Mercury Sable family sedan, which featured unique aerodynamic styling that was said to boost fuel economy. The Mercury Marauder arrived in 2003 with muscle car attitude and a 302-horsepower V8 engine.

After years of falling sales and an unsure brand identity, Ford announced that the Mercury division would close by the end of 2010. The final lineup included the Mercury Milan and Milan Hybrid, the Mercury Mariner and Mariner Hybrid, and the Mercury Mountaineer sport utility vehicle. The fullsize Grand Marquis sedan was also available.