We’re here to answer all of the big questions here at Hooniverse. And here’s a big one: Is the model that is, uh, “perched” on a 1980 (I think) Mercury Monarch Coupe a real person in an incredibly awkward pose or a mannequin that has been very ungracefully placed in a press photo? Regardless, this Monarch—the Granada’s forgettable slightly-upmarket cousin—came with a base price of $5,262 with the optional Ford 302 V8 making an earth-shaking 130 horsepower plus the coast of the Malaise Era-beige Landau roof (a mere $118) and some classic rally-style wheels ($310). The giant Mercury hood ornament is free of charge.
Malaise Era Press Photo: Mercury Monarch Model or Mannequin?
By Eric Rood
Sep 19, 2018
Jeff Glucker 
William Byrd
Even this shitbox coupe looks good to an eye used to seeing jellybean CUV’s.
Honestly, I see potential here. Ditch the Landau roof, drop in a Ford crate engine, revise the bumpers, update the suspension, throw on some 18s. This could be interesting, if not outright cool.
or hell, keep the wheels as is and just get more aggressive tires
“…a 1980 (I think) Mercury Monarch…”
The Monarch lost its round headlights for the 1978 model year, so this one’s a ’75-77. Narrowing it down further is tricky. Were the aero mirrors available as an option before ’76?
It’s almost as if I did this with minimal research.
Research? I’d have thought the transition year for Monarch headlights was common knowledge.
I kinda like the lines of the Granada/Monarch coupes but with out the ugly padded top. Lots of hot rod mods available for this platform. Could be a real sleeper. Can’t tell if the model is real or not but was the pose an inside joke?
Malaise Mehness. This is my idea of a Monarch.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/36/3d/d5/363dd5a384cca22393e30a682f213bc8.jpg
Hell yes.
I tried dropping this picture into Google Images, apparently this is a Lincoln Continental Mk V.
out of curiosity I decided to look to see if there was any for sale (not like I have the room or money for a project) and found this…. Did a gator bite this car??
https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1975/mercury/monarch/101016202
ps. Sorry, I know this isn’t Last Call
Florida Man, bath salts, etc.
I found it on another auction site, apparently there was an engine fire. Maybe firefighters did that to get the hood open?
Not a bad looking car at all. But it drives like a 1960 Falcon, because it is.
We had a ’76 Granada. Can confirm.
Is she dry-humping that thing?
They call it artificial intelligence for a reason ..
Just pushing it, Truth in advertising laws in the 70s required that pose.
She’s a mannequin, baby! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b4c431370669a7ca7c83275ef5822b96087245855b400ca274dfe208e019dfab.jpg