In celebration and hope that most of America made it through the Independence Day weekend without starting a conflagration or losing a finger, we bring you this last in long line of American longroof family chariots. This 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park station wagon represents the beginning of the end for purebred full-size American wagons. As hard as it is to believe looking at the acres of genuine simulated woodgrain and plush burgundy leather luxury therein, this last of the Grand Marquis station wagons was lighter and smaller than its predecessor. It wasn’t enough. The Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park wagon was the first of the Iowa-class longroofs to cease rolling off the motor city assembly lines in 1991.
The last-gen Colony Park and its Country Squire cousin featured the ultra-cool dual underfloor third row seats for extra kid comfort, along with dual function rear door for E-Z loading and unloading. Stickers for the Teamsters and various surfing outfits on this longroof were evidence of steadfast family service, and subsequent surf seeking transportation. The Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and aptly named Buick Roadmonster Roadmaster full-size wagons lingered on longer than the Grand Marquis, but ended production in 1996 as American families embraced minivans for multi-person motoring. The serviceable condition and painted orange C letters on this road monster were evidence that the heavy landed in the junkyard under the federal Cash for Clunkers program. Now there is one less full-size station wagon, one less otherwise rebuildable 5.0L Ford V8, and one less marquee player.
Missed being ineligible from scrappage by 1 mpg (rated at 18 per fueleconomy.gov). Too bad. The merits (or lack thereof) of the program have been debated ad naseum, but to me, the worst part was the mandatory destruction of the engine. Unnecessarily wasteful.