Automotive icon steps in to make it happen
The Mercury Park Lane was a full-sized automobile produced by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. It was the flagship of the Mercury model line upon its introduction. Typical of the big cars in the mid-60’s, long wheelbase, nicely appointed interior, and a big V-8. While it would easily keep up with traffic, it wasn’t really a speed demon. Except for this example.
John Kroll visited his local Lincoln-Mercury dealer in Escanaba, MI, seeking to elevate his Park Lane. Starting with the top-of-the-line Park Lane S55, his goal was to equip it with the Special Police Interceptor Package. Beyond the upgrades to the chassis and suspension, it included a Super Marauder 428 Q-code V-8 with 345 horsepower and 362 ft pounds of torque. The dealer sent the order, only to have it cancelled by Ford, stating that the package ordered was only available to police departments.
Not to be denied, John picked up the phone and called Detroit to find out the reason for the order being cancelled. He made his case, and it got sent up the line, way up the line. The next voice he heard was Lee Iacocca, yup, Lido himself, asking if he could help John with something. Iacocca told John his order was cancelled because Ford Motor Company didn’t make Police Specials in 2-door hardtops with bucket seats, especially for civilians. But John persisted and on March 22nd of 1966 took delivery of the only car of its kind in the world with the elements of the Special Police Interceptor Package!
This car is located at The Automotive Gallery in Green Bay, WI. Oh, and just happens to be run by fellow car geek Darrel Burnett. My car spots run every Friday, so check back next week to read about another interesting car I found. Have a great weekend.
Savage On Wheels 
Paul, thank you for making those corrections. It helps maintain the car’s integrity and the history of how things happened back then. That’s not easy to do these days with the advent of AI, endless clickbait and armchair writers who are more interested in building a following than anything else. The fact you reached out to Darrel and confirmed these facts helps separate you and Mark from this morass of bad influencers and no gooders. A big cheers to you both for that. Best, Roger
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Thanks so much Roger.
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When will my comment be published??
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That’s my friend’s car. I want to share your comments with my friend who owns the car.
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If your friend Darrel Burnett? Because that’s who Adrian and I worked with on the research report.
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This article has false information. First, in 1966 Ford offered the 428 engine in Thunderbirds and full-size Ford / Mercurys only. It was not available in “Cobras and Mustangs”, whether a “Super High-Performance 428” or not. Secondly, Mustangs & Cobras didn’t get 428s until YEARS later so any reference to them as it relates to a 1966 Ford, Mercury or Thunderbird is irrelevant. Third, NO 428 offered in 1966 was rated 400hp. There was the Q-code 428 rated at 345hp and P-code Police Interceptor 428 rated 360hp only available to law enforcement. There were no other 428s. Fourth, Darrel Burnett, Director of Curation & Preservation at the Automobile Gallery and current owner of this car will tell you that Adrian Clements and I did a thorough research report on this car. Among things we decoding the Build Sheet and every tag, casting number and code inside and out. The conclusion was clear that this car did not NOT have a police package or P-code 428. There were no HD seats, rubber floormats, roof wiring or extreme duty suspension components. Instead it was the standard 345hp Q-code 428 with mostly conventional equipment for a Mercury. Only exceptions were a calibrated speedometer, police driveshaft and high-RPM water pump. That’s it.
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Hi Roger: I had a couple of emails and phone calls this morning with my friend Darrel. You are correct that the information was incorrect. I had taken it off the display card at the Gallery and Darrel told me that he had written that one week after he got the car so there was false information as you stated. Darrel and I worked on the copy and corrected it per your comment. Thanks for catching this. I do extensive research in all of my car spots before publishing them, more than what you would find on the internet, I usually find the owner or a source that has the correct information. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you come back again.
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