Mercury [7] – Concept 50

The Mercury Concept 50 was a concept car shown by Mercury, a brand Ford Motor Company had launched between Ford and Lincoln on November 4, 1938, for the 1939 model year, an idea credited to Edsel Ford, son of company founder Henry Ford. The Concept 50 was unveiled at the Detroit auto show in early 1989 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Mercury brand, and it also received its Canadian debut at the Montreal Auto Show. It took the form of a semi-fastback coupe with a hatchback rear, styled in an elegant and understated manner, and seated four.

The car was conceived as a look at what a small, specialty front-wheel-drive vehicle of the future might be, aimed at young singles aged 18 to 30 or young two-income couples. It was envisioned either as an affordable, fun-to-drive sporty car or as a performance-oriented model, built around a small multi-valve V6 engine paired with all-wheel drive (described in some sources as permanent four-wheel drive). Its wheelbase measured 260 to 261 cm, matching that of the European Ford Sierra, placing it in size between Mercury's own Topaz and Cougar production models. Overall length was given as 451 to 452.5 cm, close to that of the Topaz, with an overall height of 128.5 cm. The interior was designed in a sporty, elegant style consistent with the exterior. The Concept 50 remained a design study and was never put into production.