Back when the Mercury division of Ford was a happening thing, they were all about getting on the performance bandwagon like the rest of the world was. Of course they, like the divisions of GM were basically retreading other products with their badges on them but that’s how the world worked back then. For Mercury it was the Lynx version of the Escort and the Capri version of the Mustang. Weirdly, they do not show the Cougar in this video which seems like it would have been a good fit, especially the performance themed model.
This is an old laser disc preview that potential customers could have sent away for or maybe scooped up at their local Mercury dealer. We never really knew anyone with a laser disc player so we’re guessing that finding one of these things in good shape is akin to find the Holy Grail.
It’s neat that car companies did stuff like this back in the 1980s. I used to send away for all kinds of VHS tapes and stuff as they were all promotional materials. You’ll see the Capri getting worked out a little here, the incredible virtues of sequential fuel injection and roller lifters explained, and plenty of bad haircuts. All in all this is a fun trip back to the 1980s and the hopeful year of 1986 when performance was powered by a 5.0L small block.
