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Mercury's Palomar two-door hardtop station wagon featured a roof with an opening rear section. When open, the rear seat rose, and a small windshield popped up, allowing the passengers to see over the roof. The concept car was named in honor of Mt. Palomar Observatory in California.
The 1961 Mercury Palomar (named after Mt. Palomar, where the largest telescope in the world at the time was located) was Ford Motor Company's first station wagon concept car. The silver-blue fiberglass prototype had some very atypical features; it was a four-door hardtop on the driver's side only with "suicide" type doors, had a so-called flying bridge third passenger seat inspired by boats, and a sliding roof section. This design was proposed as a 1966 Mercury, but unfortunately, the design got no further than this singular concept car. It was never seriously considered for production. The Palomar was on display inside Ford's Rotunda building for some months and is believed to have been destroyed when a fire engulfed the building on November 9, 1962.
Source: www.chicagoautoshow.com; David W. Temple - powerbyford.blogspot.ru/
Images: Ford Motor Company; www.chicagoautoshow.com
