1966 · Mercury · United States
1966 Mercury S-55: its own line again
The S-55 returned as its own line, a hardtop and convertible with the 345 hp 428 'Super Marauder' V8.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
The S-55 returned for 1966 as its own line again, offered as a hardtop and convertible powered by the 345-hp 428 "Super Marauder" V8. Wikipedia's own S-55 table gives 2,916 two-door hardtops at $3,292 and 669 convertibles at $3,614, the two body styles this record documents as the whole of the 1966 S-55 range, with the hardtop far outselling the convertible by more than four to one.1
Production is given as 2,916 hardtops and 669 convertibles, summing to 3,585 for the year as a whole; this record's own production note states plainly that the hardtop and convertible were the only two S-55 body styles offered in 1966, so the sum accounts for the entire line rather than a partial count. The same note flags that these are Wikipedia's own "sold" figures, and that no second lineage was found to check them against, leaving this record's 1966 production data resting on a single source rather than two independently corroborating ones, so no second figure exists in this record against which the 2,916 and 669 counts could be checked.1
Prices are given as $3,292 for the hardtop and $3,614 for the convertible, a $322 spread between the two body styles, with the convertible commanding the higher price of the two despite being the lower-production body that year. The 428 "Super Marauder" V8 is rated 345 hp SAE gross and is documented as standard equipment, the only engine recorded for the 1966 S-55 in this record, with no optional engine, no alternate carburetor or exhaust configuration, and no performance package found in any source consulted for the year.1
Mercury's own 1966 exterior color folder is unusually informative about the breadth of choice available that year: this record's own key facts note that the folder offers 17 exterior colors and 26 two-tone combinations for full-size Mercurys, against a separate 15 colors and 39 two-tones for the smaller Comet line, a direct comparison the folder itself draws between the two ranges. All 17 named colors are charted with their own factory codes, from Onyx and Caspian Blue through Jamaican Yellow and Blue Ice, with two colors, Coventry Gray and Palisade Turquoise, specifically marked as available on the full-size Mercury only rather than across the whole brand. Two S-55-specific interior trim codes are documented, 46 for the two-door convertible and 49 for the two-door hardtop, both offered in an all-vinyl finish across the same four colors, blue, red, black, or white.
No transmission listing, no options, no specifications, no performance-test data, and no identification detail were found in an accessible documented source for the 1966 S-55, so those sections carry nothing further in this record beyond the production, price, engine, paint, and interior data already described. This leaves the year's coverage notably uneven: rich color and trim detail from a surviving factory brochure sits alongside a near-total absence of mechanical specification or option pricing, a gap this record does not attempt to close by assuming carryover content from elsewhere, so a would-be buyer's picture of the 1966 S-55's wheelbase, weight, tires, or factory options remains entirely undocumented here.
Fact sheet · 1966 · United States
The numbers
1966 Mercury S-55 — The S-55 returned as its own line, a hardtop and convertible with the 345 hp 428 'Super Marauder' V8.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
- Mercury's 1966 colour folder offers 17 exterior colours and 26 two-tone options for full-size Mercurys (15 colours and 39 two-tones for the Comet).
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-55 2-door hardtop1 S-55 · 2-door hardtop · 428 · as published | 2,916 | sold, model-year | Reported |
| S-55 convertible1 S-55 · convertible · 428 · as published | 669 | sold, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 1966 S-55s1 S-55 · hardtop and convertible · 428 · as published Sum of the hardtop (2,916) and convertible (669) rows above; hardtop and convertible were the only two 1966 S-55 body styles. | 3,585 | sold, model-year | Reported |
Rows are separately scoped. Wikipedia's 'sold' counts; no second lineage was found.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| S-55 2-door hardtop1 | $3,292 | list price as tabulated, 1966 model year |
| S-55 convertible1 | $3,614 | list price as tabulated, 1966 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 428 'Super Marauder' V81 428 cu in · as published | 345 hp (SAE gross) | standard | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
A |
Onyx | Not yet sourced |
K |
Caspian Blue | Not yet sourced |
T |
Cardinal Red | Not yet sourced |
Z |
Sage Gold | Not yet sourced |
M |
Polar White | Not yet sourced |
U |
Turquoise Frost | Not yet sourced |
F |
Tiffany Blue | Not yet sourced |
P |
Bronze | Not yet sourced |
V |
Emberglo | Not yet sourced |
4 |
Sheffield Silver | Not yet sourced |
H |
Sandstone | Not yet sourced |
R |
Olive Mist | Not yet sourced |
X |
Burgundy | Not yet sourced |
8 |
Jamaican Yellow | Not yet sourced |
Y |
Blue Ice | Not yet sourced |
C |
Coventry Gray (full-size Mercury only) | Not yet sourced |
2 |
Palisade Turquoise (full-size Mercury only) | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
46 |
S-55 2-door convertible, all-vinyl: Blue, Red, Black or White | Not yet sourced |
49 |
S-55 2-door hardtop, all-vinyl: Blue, Red, Black or White | Not yet sourced |
Identification
Read a 1966 Mercury VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1966
- Buick Riviera A longer, heavier new body on the same X-frame; 5,718 of 45,348 carried the GS option, and the dual-quad Super Wildcat went from dealer add-on to factory MZ engine in March 1966.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX The Gran Sport became its own Skylark series (44600) on the restyled body, still with the 401 at 325 hp; 13,816 are tabulated.
- Buick Wildcat The one-year Wildcat Gran Sport: 1,244 built, 242 convertibles, 22 Super Wildcats.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The first full year of the SS 396 as its own series, with a 396 V8 in every car: 66,843 sport coupes and 5,429 convertibles.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova The source engine table lists the 327 L79 at 350 gross hp. Enthusiast-compiled production: 172,485 cars; Super Sport 20,986.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS No factory Super Sport El Camino is documented for this year; the record carries the host El Camino production as context.
- Chevrolet Impala SS Impala SS falls to 119,314 as the 427 arrives; 3,247 full-size Chevrolets got the 390-hp L36.
- Dodge Charger Dodge's first Charger, a fastback on the Coronet platform introduced on 1 January 1966, built 37,344 times, 468 of them with the new Street Hemi.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The first year the 426 Hemi was sold as a street engine; in the Coronet it was an option on ordinary sedans, hardtops and convertibles, before any R/T package existed.
- Ford Fairlane A new, wider Fairlane could take the 390 big-block for the first time, bringing the Fairlane 500 GT and GTA, and a small run of R-code 427 hardtops was built for Super Stock racing.
- Ford Galaxie The 428 became the big-car performance engine and gave its name to the Galaxie 500 7-Litre hardtop and convertible, with the 427 still available.
- Ford Thunderbird A 345-hp 428 became a $64.77 option, and the Town Landau outsold every other body combined.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone The Comet moved to the larger Fairlane-based body, and the Cyclone GT brought the 335-hp 390 with twin hood scoops, bucket seats and a heavy-duty suspension.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 package gained the L69 three-two-barrel 'Tri-Carb' option at 360 hp, and a handful of factory W-30 forced-air cars were built for drag racing.
- Oldsmobile Starfire The last Starfire of the 1960s: coupe only, moved downmarket, 13,019 sold.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The last glassback-era year: one fastback body, the 273 Commando as the top engine, and production that fell to 38,029.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite The 426 Street Hemi reached showrooms in the Belvedere and Satellite, and 1,546 were built into Plymouth intermediates.
- Pontiac Catalina 2+2 and Super Duty The 2+2 was listed as its own model for the only time, and production fell to 6,383.
- Pontiac GTO The GTO becomes its own Pontiac series and has its biggest year: 96,946 built.
- Pontiac Grand Prix Production fell to 36,757 as the GTO and 2+2 drew performance buyers.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans Pontiac's overhead-cam six and the Sprint package arrive beside the 326 HO.
- Rambler and AMC Marlin The Marlin's second year: production fell to 4,547, less than half the 1965 figure.