Just to show you how confusing these things can get to outsiders - i.e., most of us who don’t pay too much attention to the jostling of brands in the ever-shifting hierarchy:

Over its 22 years of production, the Monterey served as the flagship, mid-range, and entry-level offering of the full-size Mercury product range. The only Mercury nameplate to be in continuous production throughout the 1960s,[2] the Monterey was positioned above the Medalist, Custom, and Meteor; later, it was positioned below the Turnpike Cruiser, Montclair, Park Lane, and finally the Marquis.

So one year it’s “he must be doing good, he bought a Monterey” and another year it’s “he must be coming down in the world, he bought a Monterey.”

This was one of the more prestigious years. Look: the back window retracts - and I dearly hope this was accomplished with a push of a button.