Nineteen sixty-six was a facelift year for the full-size Mercury, which had been completely redesigned from the frame up in 1965 and dressed in new styling that was advertised as being “in the Lincoln Continental tradition.” Still, there was enough new to give prospective customers plenty to think about. The Park Lane nameplate was enjoying a second life. First used from 1958 to 1960 on the highest-priced Mercs, it made a comeback in 1964. For ’66, Park Lane shoppers had a choice of 2- or 4-door hardtops, a 4-door sedan with the distinctive retractable reverse-angle Breezeway backlight, or a convertible. Starting prices ranged from $3,387 for the hardtop coupe to $3,608 for the convertible. As the costliest Park Lane, the convertible was among the rarest big Mercurys of the year—2,446 were built, approximately 1.5 percent of overall production.
