In total, Ford assembled three generations of the Eight (before and after World War II).

During its production, the Eight offered a full range of body styles, including coupes, sedans, convertibles, and station wagons.

[2] The Mercury two-door sedan was listed at US$946 ($20,721 in 2023 dollars[4]), several hundred dollars more than the 1937 Ford V-8, several hundred less than the Lincoln-Zephyr and about the same as the upper-range Oldsmobile and Dodges, Hudsons, and the lower-range Buicks and DeSotos, sales from all of which, it was hoped that customers would trade in their cars for the new Mercury.

A 1940 09A model has the words "Mercury Eight" in an emblem that runs from front to rear alongside the top hood lines on both sides.

The new body featured door bottoms that flared out over the running boards, allowing for wider seats and interiors.

The car had 2.0 in (51 mm) more headroom, two-piece front fenders (three-piece at first), and more glass area.

The front pillars were made slimmer and the windshield was widened, deepened, and angled more steeply.

The woodie wagon's body behind the engine cowl was identical to Ford's, and produced at the company's Iron Mountain plant in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

In 1942 the Mercury Eight's slender bullet parking lights were replaced with rectangular units placed high on the fenders inboard of the headlights.

Output was halted in February 1942 as American auto plants were converted to the exclusive production of war material.

Although Mercury's prewar history was short, the Mercury Eight had already earned for itself the image of being a fine performer in mph as well as mpg, this "hot car" image quite in keeping with its name, chosen by Edsel Ford, that of the fleet-footed messenger of the gods of Roman mythology.

[7] It had thin vertical bars surrounded by a trim piece painted the same color as the car.

[7] The major changes consisted of different dial faces and no steering column lock.

[8] Marketed as the Mercury Club Coupe Utility,[9] it was built on a 118-inch wheelbase and had a carrying capacity rated at 10–12 cwt.

In a change to the model line, the four-door station wagon was replaced by a two-door model; the design of the wagon body structure had shifted to steel, relegating wood to body paneling (still manufactured at the Ford Iron Mountain Plant).

For 1950, the Monterey name made its first appearance, as Mercury introduced a high-end two-door coupe, similar to the Ford Crestliner, Lincoln Lido, and Lincoln Cosmopolitan Capri; the Monterey was intended to compete against the two-door hardtop coupes introduced by General Motors in 1949.

In 1990, Hot Wheels created the Purple Passion, a model based on the 1949 Mercury with a chopped top.

[citation needed] Fiberglass replicas of the Eight, inspired by Sam Barris's car, are still in production and are popular with custom and rod enthusiasts.