highest-trim Marquis, slotted above the Brougham. Bridging the price and content gap between the Marquis Brougham and the Lincoln Continental, the Grand Marquis gave Mercury an opportunity to compete against the Buick Electra 225, Oldsmobile Ninety Eight, and Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. The Grand Marquis was equipped with the 460 V8; 4-wheel disc brakes were offered as an option. For 1976, in the interest of fuel economy, a 400 cubic-inch V8 became standard through 1977, with a 351 cubic-inch V8 becoming standard for 1978, except in California where the 400 V8 was standard. The 460 remained available as an option. For this generation, four-door models were thin-pillar sedans, with frameless door glass but a thin fixed B pillar between the doors. Coupes retained the hardtop body from pre-1975 cars but had fixed rear windows. For the 1979 model year, as Ford and Mercury downsized their full-size model lines, the Grand Marquis made its return, gaining interior space over its 1978 predecessor. For 1980, Ford introduced the LTD Crown Victoria as the first direct counterpart of the Grand Marquis. First generation (1979–1991) For 1979, Mercury downsized its full-size model line for the first time, with the Grand Marquis making its return as the premium model of the Mercury Marquis model range. Seventeen inches shorter and nearly 1000 pounds lighter (dependent on powertrain) than its 1978 predecessor. While its exterior footprint closely matched the Cougar (Montego) intermediate sedan, the 1979 Grand Marquis saw gains in interior and luggage space. During the early 1980s, all three Ford divisions underwent a substantial revision of their full-size and mid-size model ranges. Within Mercury, for 1983, the Fox mid-size platform was repackaged as the Marquis, with an all-new Cougar produced solely as a two-door coupe (the Zephyr was discontinued, replaced by the front-wheel drive Topaz). The Grand Marquis was left as the sole full-size Mercury; for the first time since 1951, the division produced a single sedan nameplate (alongside the Colony Park station wagon). During its production, the first-generation Grand Marquis was marketed against the Buick Electra, Oldsmobile 98, and Chrysler New Yorker (and Fifth Avenue) both in size and price; by 1991, it would be the final vehicle in its segment produced with a rear-wheel drive layout and a V8 engine. Chassis specification The first-generation Grand Marquis was built on the rear-wheel drive Ford Panther platform. While Ford and Mercury sedans had shared common chassis