The Mercury Montclair is a series of full-size sedans that were manufactured and marketed by the Mercury division of Ford. The nameplate was used by the division twice, from the 1955 to the 1960 model years and from the 1964 to the 1968 model years. While not offered as a station wagon, the Montclair was offered as two-door and four-door hardtops, four-door pillared sedan, and a two-door convertible. Through its production, the Montclair typically served as the mid-range Mercury sedan offering; always slotted above the Monterey, at various times, the Montclair was slotted below the Turnpike Cruiser and Park Lane in the Mercury line. While the true origins of the nameplate are unknown by Ford historians, the consensus is that is derived from Montclair, New Jersey, an upper-class community located near its then-new Mahwah Assembly facility. For 1969, Mercury discontinued the Montclair, repackaging the vehicle as the Mercury Monterey Custom, which was marketed through 1974. First generation (1955-1956) For 1955, Mercury redesigned its model line, adding the Montclair as a premium sedan line above the Monterey. Alongside a four-door sedan (sharing a different roofline from the Monterey), the Montclair was introduced in a two-door hardtop and two-door convertible configuration. As a styling feature, the Montclair received a color-contrast panel below the window line (typically color-coordinated with the roof). Adopted from the new Ford Thunderbird roadster, a 292 cubic-inch V8 produced 195 hp; along with a 3-speed manual transmission, a 3-speed automatic was offered as an option. The listed retail price for the 1955 2-door Hardtop Coupe was US$2,631 ($ in dollars ) and sold 71,588. Standard equipment included cloth and vinyl upholstery, full interior carpeting, with chrome window surround mouldings, and some of the optional equipment included a heater and windshield defroster, radio, power adjustable front seat, power windows, power steering, power brakes and auxiliary road lamps. For 1956, Mercury sedans underwent an exterior revision, trading its crest badge for a "Big M" emblem. The side trim was revised to a full-length multi-tier chrome spear, with two types of two-tone paint combinations, offering the traditional approach of a roof color over a different body color, and "Flo-tone" where the roof and lower body were painted in one color and the upper body painted in another color. There were a total of thirty-one two-tone combinations and twenty-eight "Flo-tone" combinations. The Montlair offered a special paint appearance where the area immediately below