1969 - 70 Mercury Marauder: BIG Brute Muscle?

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Transcript:

Today we're going to take a look at the second-generation Mercury Marauder.

Mercury first used the Marauder name on a 330-horsepower, 383-cubic-inch engine in the late 1950s. It was first used as a car nameplate in 1963, only to be retired two years later in 1965. Mercury's marketing team chose the name Marauder to evoke the image of an outlaw or a pirate on the high seas—a general badass.

So when the nameplate was revived just four years later in 1969, there was some interest in the muscle car community. The question was: would the Marauder actually be a muscle car? And if it was, could it compete with the cars of that era? We'll answer that question at the end of the video. For now, let's take a deep look at the second-generation Mercury Marauder.

Here's another top competitor: Dan Gurney, America's most versatile race car driver, on the torturous Riverside 500 racetrack—the only place to introduce the hottest one of them all: your new Mercury Marauder X-100.

At 219 inches of high performance on a new 121-inch wheelbase, it offers full-size luxury car dimensions with an authentic sports car feel. The new X-100 is a one-of-a-kind two-door hardtop with on-the-go styling, an exciting tunnel-back design, a special two-tone paint scheme, and a short, fast rear deck.

It features a unique four-pod taillight design, fender skirts, styled aluminum wheels, a long power-dome hood, concealed dual headlamps, and a stirrup-type shift lever. The power comes from a standard 429-cubic-inch four-barrel engine paired with a Select-Shift transmission.

As Dan Gurney put it:

"There’s no doubt about the power. This new 429 four-barrel engine has really got it—power for any situation. The standard handling package has a real sports-car feel through the turns. The wide six-inch wheels and the ride developed by Lincoln-Mercury engineers really smooth out the road."

Introduced in September 1968 as a 1969 model, the new Marauder was part of the Mercury Marquis lineup. The Marquis was based on the Ford Galaxie 500, which offered XL and GT models, and the Marauder was Mercury’s version of those sportier cars.

The Marauder’s styling was unique among Mercurys. It used the front end of a Marquis combined with a reworked Ford Galaxie 500 XL or GT from the A-pillars rearward. The car measured 219.1 inches bumper to bumper and rode on a 121-inch wheelbase. It was only available as a two-door coupe.

The front of the Marauder featured a split bumper, with the top portion dividing the horizontal bar grille into upper and lower sections. The grille was designed to appear full length, with part of the concealed headlamp doors made to resemble grille work, while the parking lamps filled the remainder of the lower bumper opening.

Along the sides, the Marauder featured slab-style body panels and a semi-fastback roofline with flying-buttress C-pillars. It also included a faux brake-cooling vent with five chrome accents, along with bright trim surrounding the windows and the front side marker light.

At the rear, the car showcased what Mercury called a "tunneled" rear window. The tops of the quarter panels flowed down from the flying-buttress roofline to meet a large decklid. Chrome trim ran above the rear window along the roofline, down the C-pillars, and along the top of the quarters and rear quarter extensions all the way to the rear bumper.

The decklid opened above the taillight panel, which housed six brake and turn signal lamps along with two reverse lamps.

The engine lineup began with a standard 280-horsepower 390-cubic-inch V8 with a two-barrel carburetor producing 403 lb-ft of torque. Optional engines included a 320-horsepower 429-cubic-inch V8 with a two-barrel carburetor, or a 360-horsepower 429-cubic-inch V8 with a four-barrel carburetor. Those engines produced 460 and 480 lb-ft of torque respectively.

The standard transmission was Ford’s three-speed manual, while a Select-Shift three-speed automatic was optional. The manual transmission was not available with either of the 429-cubic-inch engines.

Standard equipment on the Marauder included dual upper-body paint stripes, ventless side windows, cloth and vinyl upholstery, and simulated woodgrain appliqués on the door panels.

For buyers wanting a sportier version, Mercury offered the Marauder X-100, billed as the performance custom edition. Standard features included the 429-cubic-inch four-barrel V8, the Select-Shift automatic transmission, styled steel wheels, white-sidewall wide-tread tires, rear fender skirts with bright molding, a rim-blow steering wheel, an electric clock, and a choice of three seating arrangements.

Those seating options included leather and vinyl bench seats, vinyl twin comfort lounge seats, or vinyl bucket seats with a sports console. The X-100 also featured a complementary sport-tone matte finish on the decklid and rear tunnel window area.

The options list was extensive and included items such as a power transfer axle, high-performance axle, speed control, power windows and locks, power steering, a six-way power bench seat, or a six-way comfort lounge driver seat on the X-100. Other options included a rear window defroster, air conditioning, deluxe seat belts, tilt steering wheel, remote trunk release, vinyl roof, styled aluminum wheels, interval wipers, remote driver-side mirror, tinted glass, and several audio systems. The top option was a combination AM radio with a Stereosonic tape deck.

Inside, the Marauder featured a well-organized interior with a full-length dashboard, a sweeping speedometer and fuel gauge, climate controls accessible to the driver, and a headlamp switch to the left of the steering column.

Two bench-seat arrangements were available: a full bench or a split bench, both featuring folding armrests for the driver and passenger.

The automotive press generally described the Marauder as a large, comfortable car—especially well suited to highway driving. Most media outlets tested the X-100 version and found it performed about as expected for a personal luxury car, though few felt it excelled in any particular category.

Car and Driver tested the car at the drag strip. The Marauder recorded a 0-60 mph time of 7.8 seconds and completed the quarter mile in 16.0 seconds. The magazine summarized the car as a large, competent cruiser that focused more on fashionable transportation and market positioning than outright performance.

The American buying public may have agreed. Mercury dealers delivered 14,666 Marauders for the 1969 model year, with 5,636 of those being X-100 models.

Take another look at the Mercury Marauder X-100. For the high-performance enthusiast who wants both action and luxury, the Marauder X-100 offers a choice of three interiors: leather and vinyl bench seats, vinyl twin comfort lounge seats, or vinyl bucket seats with a sports console.

The exciting new Mercury Marauder X-100 was just one of three all-new medium-priced automobiles from Lincoln-Mercury in 1969, marking the brand’s 30th anniversary.

For 1970, the Marauder received only minor cosmetic changes. The grille was redesigned to match the 1970 Marquis, and the Marauder name was now spelled out in block lettering above the grille. The front parking lamps gained three vertical lines, and Mercury removed the matte finish from the rear of the X-100. Inside, the headlamp switch was changed to a rocker style.

Otherwise, the car remained largely unchanged.

Sales declined in 1970, with Mercury dealers delivering only 6,043 Marauders for the model year, including 2,643 X-100 models.

In the end, the Marauder simply wasn’t a muscle car. It was a personal luxury car aimed at buyers considering the Oldsmobile Toronado or Buick Riviera, and unfortunately it missed the mark. Those competitors outsold the Mercury by roughly two or three to one.

That said, if you appreciate the styling of this big Mercury and enjoy a comfortable cruiser, the Marauder might be a worthwhile collector car today. Many examples were well cared for when new, as they were relatively expensive and often used sparingly. The fuel embargo of the early 1970s also led many owners to store them rather than drive them regularly.

Because the Marauder was never especially popular to begin with, resale values today remain relatively modest. A good example can typically be found for somewhere between $15,000 and $25,000.

Compared with the prices of many Fox-body cars from the 1980s and 1990s, that’s actually not unreasonable.

This would make a great car for a long road trip—perhaps even a cruise down Route 66.

If you're searching for one, keep in mind that drivetrain parts are relatively easy to find. However, body panels and interior components are much harder to locate. These were rare cars even when new, so parts availability is limited, and scarcity tends to drive prices up.

The Marauder nameplate would return in 2003, though that’s a story for another video. Fortunately, that video already exists—you can find it here.

Consider subscribing. I have more than 250 videos covering Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury products.

That’s it for today. Thanks for watching, and until next time, we’ll see you.