Engine Specifications
RATING:
The 1950 Mercury 8 cylinder, V-type, L-head engine develops 110-hp at 3600 rpm. Maximum torque: 200 foot pounds at 2000 rpm. Taxable hp., 32.5. Bore, 3 3/16 in. stroke, 4 in. Total displacement, 255.4 cu. in. Three point rubber mounting. Compression ratio, 6.8 to 1. Counter-balanced crankshaft with 3 main bearings. Heat treated aluminium alloy pistons with steel struts. Two compression and two oil rings. Alloy steel exhaust valve inserts for long life. One piece valve guides.
LUBRICATION:
Gear type oil pump. Forced feed to all crankshaft and camshaft bearings. Heavy duty oil filter. Sludge traps in crankshaft. Positive crankcase ventilation to reduce moisture condensation. Oil capicity, 5 quarts.
COOLING SYSTEM:
Full flow system circulates all coolant through block and cylinder heads, for uniform cooling and longer engine life. Two high velocity water pumps. Long water jacket warms oil in cold weather - cools oil on long drives. Silent fan. Coolant capacity 22.25 quarts.
FUEL SYSTEM:
Fuel tank capacity 19 1/2 gallons. Camshaft driven diaphragm-type fuel pump. Automatic choke. Oil bath air cleaner*. New dual-downdraft "Econ-O-Miser" carburetor, concentric type, Checks vapor lock, saves fuel.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:
Battery, 17 plate, 100-ampere hour. High capicity generator with automatic voltage control. Automatic spark. Single breaker distributor.
Chassis Specifications
FRAME:
Heavy steel, cold-riveted and welded. X-member frame with K reinforcement bracing. Frame for convertible reinforced to provide even greater rigidity and strength.. Wheelbase, 118 inches. Over-all length, 207 inches; station wagon 214 inches.
BODY:
All steel., heavily reinforced with welded steel floor. Insulated against noise and heat. Roomy luggage compartment with counter-balanced lid.
WHEEL SUSPENSION:
Front, independent coil springs, with hydraulic shock absorbers inside. Stabilizer bar to reduce roll. Rear, extra-long longitudinal semi-eliptic leaf springs, with full length liners which require no lubrication. Telescopic shock absorbers mounted "sea-leg"fashion to reduce vertical shock and sidesway.
DRIVE:
Single dry-plate clutch with low pedal pressure. Standard 3/1-speed silent transmission with synchronizers to provide quiet shifting. Hotchkiss rear drive with semi-floating rear axle and hypoid-type ring gear and pinion. Gear ratio, 3.9 to 1. Integral hub and axle. rear wheel bearings permanently lubricated. Touch-O-Matic Overdrive* reduces enging speed 24%, saving engine wear, fuel, and oil. Axle ratio for Overdrive is 4.27:1
BRAKES:
"Duo-servo" type, four-wheel hydraulic brakes. "Auto-action" decreases pedal pressure required for quick straight line stops. Cable-type parking brakes on rear wheels.
TIRES:
Super-balloon 7.10 x 15 tires are mounted on pressed steel wheels with extra wide rims for safety and riding comfort.
* Optional equipment at extra cost. White side-wall tires and rear fender shields available also at extra cost.
RATING:
The 1950 Mercury 8 cylinder, V-type, L-head engine develops 110-hp at 3600 rpm. Maximum torque: 200 foot pounds at 2000 rpm. Taxable hp., 32.5. Bore, 3 3/16 in. stroke, 4 in. Total displacement, 255.4 cu. in. Three point rubber mounting. Compression ratio, 6.8 to 1. Counter-balanced crankshaft with 3 main bearings. Heat treated aluminium alloy pistons with steel struts. Two compression and two oil rings. Alloy steel exhaust valve inserts for long life. One piece valve guides.
LUBRICATION:
Gear type oil pump. Forced feed to all crankshaft and camshaft bearings. Heavy duty oil filter. Sludge traps in crankshaft. Positive crankcase ventilation to reduce moisture condensation. Oil capicity, 5 quarts.
COOLING SYSTEM:
Full flow system circulates all coolant through block and cylinder heads, for uniform cooling and longer engine life. Two high velocity water pumps. Long water jacket warms oil in cold weather - cools oil on long drives. Silent fan. Coolant capacity 22.25 quarts.
FUEL SYSTEM:
Fuel tank capacity 19 1/2 gallons. Camshaft driven diaphragm-type fuel pump. Automatic choke. Oil bath air cleaner*. New dual-downdraft "Econ-O-Miser" carburetor, concentric type, Checks vapor lock, saves fuel.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:
Battery, 17 plate, 100-ampere hour. High capicity generator with automatic voltage control. Automatic spark. Single breaker distributor.
Chassis Specifications
FRAME:
Heavy steel, cold-riveted and welded. X-member frame with K reinforcement bracing. Frame for convertible reinforced to provide even greater rigidity and strength.. Wheelbase, 118 inches. Over-all length, 207 inches; station wagon 214 inches.
BODY:
All steel., heavily reinforced with welded steel floor. Insulated against noise and heat. Roomy luggage compartment with counter-balanced lid.
WHEEL SUSPENSION:
Front, independent coil springs, with hydraulic shock absorbers inside. Stabilizer bar to reduce roll. Rear, extra-long longitudinal semi-eliptic leaf springs, with full length liners which require no lubrication. Telescopic shock absorbers mounted "sea-leg"fashion to reduce vertical shock and sidesway.
DRIVE:
Single dry-plate clutch with low pedal pressure. Standard 3/1-speed silent transmission with synchronizers to provide quiet shifting. Hotchkiss rear drive with semi-floating rear axle and hypoid-type ring gear and pinion. Gear ratio, 3.9 to 1. Integral hub and axle. rear wheel bearings permanently lubricated. Touch-O-Matic Overdrive* reduces enging speed 24%, saving engine wear, fuel, and oil. Axle ratio for Overdrive is 4.27:1
BRAKES:
"Duo-servo" type, four-wheel hydraulic brakes. "Auto-action" decreases pedal pressure required for quick straight line stops. Cable-type parking brakes on rear wheels.
TIRES:
Super-balloon 7.10 x 15 tires are mounted on pressed steel wheels with extra wide rims for safety and riding comfort.
* Optional equipment at extra cost. White side-wall tires and rear fender shields available also at extra cost.
THESE SPECIFICATIONS WERE IN EFFECT AT THE TIME THE BROCHURE WAS APPROVED FOR PRINTING. MERCURY DIVISION OF THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY, DETROIT, MICHIGAN, WHOSE POLICY IS ONE OF CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT, RESERVES THE RIGHT, HOWEVER, TO DISCONTINUE OR CHANGE AT ANY TIME, SPECFICATIONS, DESIGN, OR PRICES WITHOUT NOTICE AND WITHOUT INCURRNG ANY OBLIGATION.
The first thing you need to know is that there wasn't much of it. Mostly, in the afternoons and evenings. The second thing you need to know is that it was black and white. Actually, it was various shades of gray. Dithered, sort of. And, ladies, just think of it, No Remote Control!!!!!!! We were enthralled. This was much better than radio. You became very popular, very quickly if your family had a T.V. And people would linger outside the windows of stores that sold this new wonder - hoping to catch a glimpse of the future. Our view of the world around us would forever be shaped by the images on the television. For those of you too young to know, it was as revolutionary a change as the world before and after the Internet. 
We all loved Lucy, and Ricky and Fred and Ethel and Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV, the real, Little Ricky... 
American Bandstand began as a local program in Philadelphia in 1952. Then it was called Bob Horn's Bandstand. In July of 1956 the show got a new host, a clean-cut 26 year old named Dick Clark. When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing it's first national show on August 5, 1957. Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. I knew all their names. I knew when couples broke up. I imitated all the dance steps, sometimes with the refrigerator door as a partner. My mother thought I was nuts. To many of you, it was about the music and the artists. Forget that. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. And, for me, the kids on Bandstand were all I aspired to be.
Aw, shucks, pardner... Things were so simple in those golden days of yesteryear. Good guys wore white, bad guys wore black and none of the guns were fully automatic. See how many of these you remember....
The P245/50VR16 Goodyear Eagle GT tires don’t hurt, either. Together, all these pieces make the GTA a real threat on the skidpad. Our test car generated 0.87 lateral g, with mild understeer and a relatively small amount of body roll. On a swervy road, the GTA works wonderfully, provided the pavement is fairly smooth. The unsophisticated rear suspension has a lot of unsprung weight, and, as a result, is reluctant to follow sudden bumps and pavement lips effectively. So in smooth turns, the GTA feels balanced and accurate with mild understeer; in the bumps, the car’s tail end gets looser and looser in direct proportion to the severity of the bumps, while the front end stays planted. Not to worry, the Trans Am’s steering is quick and accurate, with just the right amount of assist. The car is great fun to work through a series of fast turns; it feels solid and forgiving. The Pontiac GTA really handles better than it has any right to, given its low-tech underpinnings. In some situations, the automatic transmission surprises you in mid-turn with an unexpected downshift; rowing the selector manually allevates that problem. The GTA is also a little short on braking power for protracted sessions of tight back road abuse. The quartet of ventilated discs can make a big stink and fade significantly if repeatedly called upon to haul the 3604-lb GTA down from speed. Given just a bit more time to shed heat, they hold up well. We’ve driven around roadrace courses with the same brake setup (on a Firebird Formula) without noticeable fade, and, for anything close to normal street use, the brakes are adequate. Life with the GTA is just what you’d expect, only a little better. First, the stuff you’d expect. Like any proper musclecar, the GTA is the model of classic American inefficiency. 
The music of the 50's, 60's and 70's holds a special memory for those who grew up with it.It was music you could sing along with, music you could dance to, music you fell in love with. 
Most of the songs of the Early Fifties were "feel-good" tunes, which genuinely reflected the mood of post World War II America. Artists like Pat Boone, Rosemary Clooney and Perry Como dominated pop charts.This bored the newly independent
