Sales of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles were down 10.7 percent from last August and down 5.2 percent from July 2010.

While the Cash for Clunkers gains from August of last year skew the results for year-to-year comparisons, Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury sales remain up 18.3 percent through the first eight months of the year.

Lincoln was the only brand to post an increase, at 9.4 percent, while Ford was down 10.7 percent and Mercury was off 22.5 percent over August 2009.

Ford’s F-Series trucks continue to perform well, even in advance of the 2011 models’ powertrain updates. The trucks are the only Ford model so far to surpass 300,000 sales this year.

Meanwhile, Mustang sales are down 25.6 percent from July to August. Even so, Ford notes that Mustang retail sales are up 15 percent. Ford also points out that the Taurus has become a hot seller, with more than twice as many sales year-to-date compared to last year.

Fusion sales are holding steady compared to July but are down 18.7 percent from last August, when the Focus actually sold 4537 units more than the Fusion.

SUVs were the Ford brand’s weak spot this month, as sales were down 26.6 percent. The Flex, Explorer, and Expedition all saw sales drop at least 44 percent compared to last August. The Edge was the best performer here, only dropping sales to 8951 this month, or 17.5 percent lower than last August.

At Lincoln, we’re guessing fleet sales were responsible for the 29.5 percent increase in Navigator sales and 194.6 percent increase in Town Car sales, compared to last August. Elsewhere, the new MKT sold 609 units (in July it managed 606) and the MKZ, MKS, and MKX were all down.

Soon to be phased out Mercury still sold 7040 units overall, including 2788 Grand Marquis sedans, only 1624 Milans, 2228 Mariners, and just 400 Mountaineers.

For the fourth quarter of 2010, Ford plans to produce 570,000 vehicles, the same as the third quarter of this year and almost identical to fourth quarter 2009 production of 574,000 vehicles.

“We continue to monitor the key economic indicators as we make adjustments,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales, and Service.

If you fancy yourself a Ford fan, you’ve likely noticed that a handful of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury concepts are destined for the auction block in a few weeks’ time. But how well versed in the company’s show-car past are you?

We’ve picked a few of our favorite show cars from the past few decades, and zeroed in on a few distinctive details. Think you know what you’re looking at? Send us your best guess in the comments section below.

Did You ID Yesterday’s Dream Car–er, Van?

Our kudos go to user d35442 who correctly identified this yellow hulk as the 1995 Ford SHOstar, which made its first appearance at the 1995 Detroit auto show.

Minvans typically carry a dowdy image, and Ford’s rotund Windstar was no exception. To spice up interest in the family-friendly hauler, Ford ripped the 220-horsepower, 3.0-liter DOHC Yamaha V-6 and a five-speed manual transmission from a Taurus SHO, and stuffed it into the Windstar.

Other unique features of the SHOstar included a revised suspension setup, unique rims, a lowered front fascia, and unique side skirts. Ford designers also worked in unique headlamps and taillights, although showgoers were likely distracted by an illuminated Ford emblem placed in the front grille.

If you fancy yourself a Ford fan, you’ve likely noticed that a handful of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury concepts are destined for the auction block in a few weeks’ time. But how well versed in the company’s show-car past are you?

We’ve picked a few of our favorite show cars from the past few decades, and zeroed in on a few distinctive details. Think you know what you’re looking at? Send us your best guess in the comments section below.

Did You ID Yesterday’s Dream Car…er, Truck?

We were more than a little surprised to find a photo of the 1964 Ford Gas Turbine Truck concept lurking within Ford’s digital media archives, but the big red beast was too good for us not to share in yesterday’s contest.

Ford had been playing with gas turbine powerplants since the early 1950s. A small, 150-hp turbine was installed in a 1954 Ford, but much like GM, the scientists within the R&D lab soon concluded the engine was best suited for trucks, buses, and heavy equipment.

Ford’s first attempt at playing with a turbine-powered truck came in 1964, when this fantastic beast was unwrapped at the New York World’s Fair. Although it was never officially named, literature referred to it as the Truck of Tomorrow, although most who saw it — even Ford officials — quickly dubbed it “Big Red” for obvious reasons. It did, after all, stand nearly thirteen feet tall.

According to period propaganda, the ToT was designed to meet the needs of transport professionals in the 1970s, and needed to keep pace with passenger cars on the ever-expanding network of superhighways. As a result, the truck needed to pull two 40-foot trailers (custom built by Fruehauf) at 70 mph for long distances.

Achieving that speed was achieved in part with some aerodynamic trickery (the cab was flush with the trailers’ roofs, and the entrance ladder was completely retractable), but we can’t slight the power offered by Ford’s Model 705 gas turbine. Engineers rated the powerplant at 600 horsepower, although its torque was what truly mattered. At engine speeds approaching stall, the turbine could throw down a whopping 1620 pound-feet of torque. The engine was mated to a five-speed automatic sourced from GM’s Allison division, which, ironically, was also charged with developing gas turbines for commercial vehicles.

Rumor has it Big Red was eventually passed off to well-connected Ford dealer Holman-Moody, although its history and whereabouts are currently unknown. The truck itself never reached mass production, although Ford did place a number of test engines in interstate coaches and semi tractors in the years to follow. The company optimistically opened a plant in Toledo, Ohio, to build gas turbines for truck, bus, and industrial uses, but ultimately closed the operations in 1973. Ironically, the gas turbine’s thirst wasn’t a match for the rising oil prices of the 1970s.