By Joe Tralongo

First it was Plymouth, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, and now another iconic American auto brand is about to bite the dust. Ford announced today its board of directors has voted to kill off  Mercury, halting production by year’s end. Once the middle child between Ford and Lincoln, Mercury cars sold by the hundreds of thousands, spanning a 72-year history that brought us such classics as the Cougar, the Montclair, the Comet, the Monterey, the Marauder and the Grand Marquis. Who among us (over 40) doesn’t remember envying those kids lucky enough to ride in the back of a Mercury Colony Park station wagon, complete with side-facing third row seats and a magnetic checker board table to help wallow away the hours? Farewell, oh winged messenger, you will be missed.

Join us as we take a quick look back at the Brand That Was. Playing Barbra’s “The Way We Were” in the background is optional:

And of course, the stunning Cougar. Well, three of them, actually: