The vehicle name was introduced in 1955 and applied to Mercury's premium automobile line. Ford historians are at a loss as to where the name originated; the consensus is that it's taken from the upper class community of Montclair, New Jersey. For 1955 and 1956, Montclairs featured Mercury's best appointments; extra chrome trim, and different two-tone paint combinations to set them apart from other Mercury products. 1956 was the year Ford introduced its Lifeguard safety program, and the Mercury Montclair came standard with a deep-dish steering wheel to help protect the driver from the steering column, safety door locks, a breakaway rear view mirror, and optional seat belts and padded dashboards. The dash was redesigned with a new three-tier instrument panel. The Montclair model line also included the Sun Valley, which featured a Plexiglas "bubble" over the front half of the roof section. While futuristic cars were often featured with clear glass tops in the 1950s, consumers rejected the tinted glass roof Sun Valleys because of the heat buildup in the interior of the vehicles. In 1956 the Montclair received some minor changes, including a new Z-shaped side spear incorporating a false vent behind the front doors, and a large, beefy, chromed "M" logo on the bonnet. In 1957, the Montclair name was pushed down market by the introduction of the Turnpike Cruiser. A new frame was used. Nevertheless, it could now be ordered with the same Lincoln Y-BlockV8 that came standard on the Turnpike Cruiser. Fuel economy was 16.2MPG at 50 mph. In 1958 the Turnpike Cruiser became a Montclair trim level, and Mercury assigned its premium model the name Park Lane. In 1959, Popular Mechanics wrote that head room was not good.
1964–1969
In 1961 Mercury dropped the Montclair and Park Lane in favor of Meteor and Monterey; in 1962 these were replaced by the Monterey and Monterey Custom, and the Meteor name transferred to Mercury's new intermediate line based on the Ford Fairlane. The Montclair and Park Lane models were resurrected for 1964 as trim levels on full-sized Mercurys. Intermittent windshield wipers were standard. They remained in place until replaced by the Monterey Custom in 1969.
