Mercury Maurader, 1963-1965, American Classic Car

The Mercury Marauder is an American classic car that was produced from 1963-1965. Deriving its name from the most powerful engines available to the Mercury line, the Mercury Marauder was marketed as the highest-performance version of the full-size product range. The Mercury Marauder was distinguished by its sloped roofline. For the 1966 model year, the Mercury Marauder was replaced by the S-55.  The car returned briefly in 1969 but was discontinued in 1970. What would you pay for a Mercury Marauder?

Mercury Marauder Description

The Mercury Marauder was a type of car produced by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company, from 1963-1965 (mainly). The Mercury Marauder got its name from the most powerful engines available to the Mercury line. It was marketed as the highest-performance version of the full-size product range.

The Mercury Marauder was given a “fastback” rear roofline. In 1966, the car was replaced by a similar Mercury S-55. For its second production run, the car came back for 1969 as a fastback version of the Mercury Marquis. It was designed to bridge the gap between the Mercury Cougar and Lincoln Continental Mark III; it was repackaged as a personal luxury car. After the 1970 model year, the Mercury Marauder was discontinued.

The brand was revived for the 2003 model year as a high-performance variant of the full-size Grand Marquis using the Ford Panther platform. After lower-than-expected sales, the Marauder was discontinued at the end of the 2004 model year. It was the last rear-wheel drive sedan introduced by Ford Motor Company in North America.

The origin of the name is interesting, as it had to do with the engines. The Mercury Marauder name made its first appearance in 1958 as Ford introduced a new family of V8s, the MEL engines, for its Mercury, Edsel, and Lincoln brands. Within the Ford engine versions, two V8 engines were exclusive to the Mercury division. Dubbed Marauder, a 383 cu in (6.3 L) V8 was rated at 330 horsepower.

Dubbed Super Marauder, a 430 cu in (7.0 L) V8 was rated at 400 horsepower, making it the first mass-produced engine sold in the United States with an advertised 400 hp output. While the 430 V8 engine block was shared with Lincoln, the Super Marauder featured a unique intake manifold and “tri-power” 3×2-barrel carburetors.

In 1959, Mercury revised its V8 engine offerings; while the Super Marauder version was discontinued, the regular 430 V8s with reduced engine output were available. For the 1960 model year, the Marauder V8 became an option across the entire Mercury line, including the Monterey, Park Lane, and Commuter.

Beginning with the 1960 model year, the full-size Mercury vehicles adopted a greater degree of commonality with their Ford counterparts, with Mercury dropping the 383 and 430 large-block engines entirely. The Marauder name returned, but now equipped with the Ford-based FE V8 engines.

At the 2002 Chicago Auto Show, Ford introduced the Mercury Marauder as a concept car. Serving as a preview of the production vehicle, the 2002 concept car was a five-passenger, two-door convertible. The 2003–2004 Marauder utilized the Panther platform, adopting the chassis upgrades introduced as part of its 2003 update (including the introduction of rack-and-pinion steering). The Marauder also used heavier-duty brake and suspension components from the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.

Conclusion

Midway through the 2003 model year, Ford de-contented the Mercury Marauder along with the rest of the Panther platform line. That marked the end of the brand. In the 2003 model year, Marauders built after December 2002 lost numerous standard features, including remote locking fuel doors, an auto parking brake pedal release, an engine compartment lamp, an in-dash clock, foam headliner sound deadening inserts, and front bottom seat pouches. Ford estimated that de-contenting the entire Panther platform lineup would save $4,000,000 in production costs annually.