This Time Capsule 1990 Mercury Sable Wagon Taught Me What A Sable Is
I love seeing old, well-preserved normcore cars, and I know our audience appreciates them, too. Naturally, then, the moment I saw this Crystal Blue Metallic 1990 Mercury Sable GS Wagon with just 68,000 miles on its odometer listed for auction on Bring A Trailer, I knew it deserved a blog. It also made me ponder a question I somehow never considered prior to seeing this listing: What the hell is a sable?
I always loved the front light bar that was Mercury's signature styling cue back in the day, and though the one on this particular wagon is a bit yellowed, the ad mentions that the headlight filler panel is illuminated, which is a good sign that it still works. The exterior of this Sable may not be 100% factory fresh, but the interior basically is, complete with blue cloth upholstery, a power-adjustable front bench seat, and the rear-facing third row jump seats.
As a child of the nineties, I grew up seeing Mercury Sables on the road, and I almost bought an Arizona Beige 2004 Mercury Sable Wagon at one point in my life, but I never questioned the namesake of this slightly elevated Ford Taurus. Until today.
As it turns out, a sable is an adorable small omnivorous mammal
Upon investigation, I learned that a sable is an adorable small omnivorous mammal that's a species of marten, which means it's weasel-like with a bushy tail, large paws, and partially retractable claws. Sables are primarily found in forest environments in Russia, Siberia, and northern Mongolia, with a natural habitat that borders several Asian countries. Males usually have bodies that measure between 15 and 22 inches in length, and tails measuring 3.5 to 4.7 inches in length. Females are slightly smaller, and there are about 17 different species of sable in different regions. Their fur was highly sought after during the middle ages, and it remains highly valued and still used in modern fashion. There's also a breed of goat called the sable goat, but the Mercury Sable was named after the little fella, not the goat.
Mercury made the Sable from 1986 through 2005, and revived the name for two more years in '08 and '09. In the '80s, Mercury sold a couple other models with animal-themed names, including arguably the brand's most famous car, the Cougar, as well as the short-lived Lynx, which was a gussied-up first-generation Ford Escort. This particular blue-over-blue Mercury Sable is a rolling time capsule, complete with 15-inch mesh-style aluminum wheels, and oh-so-retro Mercury Sable GS decal adorning the bottom of the rear hatch, and it could be yours!