The 1963 - 1964 Mercury Marauder marked the first sentence the name Marauder was applied to a car – after Mercury used the Marauder cognomen to denote its brawniest engines in the late fifties .
It ’s a handle that probably would n’t be considered today : the safety lobby would sure excoriate it as nurture foolhardy driving , while Mercury marketers would in all likelihood nix it as not reflecting the typical vendee ’s life style . But Mercury was on the prowl even in those pre - Cougar days , and Marauder was perfect for what it was trying to accomplish .
The company ’s seeming destination was to recapture a performance double more or less desert after 1956 . Significantly , that was the last year Mercury won a major stock - cable car race until 1963 , when Parnelli Jones drive a new Marauder fastback to victory , launching a string of Mercury victory in NASCAR that would run well into the seventies .
And racing – or rather improved aerodynamics for higher top amphetamine – was the main reason behind the 1963 Mercury Marauder and its novel - for-1963 Ford cousin , the Galaxie 500 Sports Hardtop .
After several years of a ego - bring down truce , the Big Three had resumed undetermined track warfare , and Dearborn ’s blocky period rooflines were a decided disadvantage in long - aloofness events on New in high spirits - speed supertracks like Daytona .
Taking a cue from their own 1960 - 1961 Ford Starliner , Dearborn room decorator slit the old boxy superstructure from their braggart hardtop body , raked the windshield to lower overall height about 1.5 inch , then utilise a new roofline sloped more bit by bit to the rearward deck . The result was n’t quite as fluid or slick as the Starliner , but it made a enceinte difference on the trail . Better still , it look spicy , yet somehow " formal " enough to appeal to Mercury ’s common business .
liken to Ford ’s unglamourous Sports Hardtop hold , Marauder seemed a more appropriate title of respect for this slicked - down hardtop coupe . Mercury must have consider so , too , for it nailed bold name - script onto its cars ' front wing . However , there was no misinterpretation the fastback Marauder with its " less kin , " as other model wore the " Breezeway " roof , a spree with the retractable , reverse - slant rearward windowpane first see to it on 1958 - 1960 Continental Marks .
Though undoubtedly conceptualize after the fact , the Mercury Marauder ’s semi - fastback roof mated handsomely with the self-aggrandizing 1963 Mercury ’s reskinned lower body , score by an attractive full - breadth concave grille , Lincolnesque chrome - edged beltline , and a reshaped posterior with treble lamp clusters .
Like its sister division , Mercury initially fielded a bench - seat Marauder , in the Monterey Custom line , and a buckets - and - console reading , in clean S-55 trim . sale were healthy for a half - class model at just under 7,300 , though Ford did far better with over 135,000 Sports Hardtop Galaxies .
On the next page , learn about the continued aspiration brought to the 1964 Mercury Marauder .
For more information on cars, see:
1964 Mercury Marauder
The 1964 Mercury Marauder was part of Mercury ’s twenty-fifth Anniversary . In partial ceremony of its day of remembrance , Mercury returned to its four - series full-grown - car model group of the late fifties , with Mary Leontyne Price - leader Monterey , midrange Montclair , and posh Park Lane , plus a parallel Station Wagon line .
Marauders breed to six , with a hardtop coupe and new hardtop sedan in each serial publication . Styling for the 1964 Mercury Marauder was elegantly evolved from 1963 , with a redesign front ending being the adult change . S-55s took a vacation , but a young Sports Package choice made two - threshold Park Lanes , including the Marauder , into something similar .
Any 1964 Mercury Marauder could be a genuine rocket salad , as engine options expanded to admit new bighearted - block 427s with 410 or 425 horsepower . But , of course , these were in the main for race . For most Mercury buyers , the smooth , durable 390 , still offering from 250 up to 330 horses , was more than adequate .
Racing Marauders began asserting themselves in 1964 , gain ground five NASCAR and seven USAC events . But again , the slantback Fords did well still , both on the racetrack ( 30 victories in NASCAR alone ) and in the showroom . The Ford garnered intimately 73,000 sales agreement compared to less than 34,000 for Marauder . Of course , the Mercurys cost more than the Fords , though not a lot , but Marauders still cost no more than comparable Breezeways .
Though long overshadowed by contemporaneous fully grown Fords , the full - size 1963 - 1964 Mercurys march similar sterling qualities ( no surprisal , as all used the same canonical platform ) . Chief among these are rich construction , superb ride , competent handling , and strong , soundless V-8 performance .
Even a mild 390 - Criminal Investigation Command Mercury Marauder could pull 0 - 60 mph in 8 - 9 endorsement ; the 427 could lower that to near seven seconds – thrill even today . A commiseration these elevator car do n’t get the gatherer realisation they deserve , but it is often thus with Mercurys versus Fords .
The Mercury Marauder taradiddle pretty much end with 1964 and for two obvious reason . Sporty full - size cars were tight giving way to mid - size muscle on street and track alike , and the all - new grownup 1965 Mercurys dead retreated from open performance toward a sumptuousness orientation " in the Lincoln Continental tradition . " After a token presence on 1965 Montclair and Park Lane hardtops , the Marauder name was again confined to Mercury engine compartments .
See the 1963 and 1964 Mercury Marauder specifications on the next page .
1963-1964 Mercury Marauder Specifications
The 1963 Mercury Marauder , with its semi - fastback roofline , could be ordain " manifest " or in S-55 trim . S-55 was dropped for 1964 , when Mercury Marauders came in two body manner ( coupe and hardtop sedan ) with three levels of trimness – six models in all . The Montclair Marauder was the mid - line series . stock engine was a 390 V-8 with 250 bhp , though four - barrel versions offered up to 330 bhp .
Specifications
engine : all ohv V-8;1963 - 1964:390 ( 4.05 x 3.78 ) , 250/300/330 bhp(1963 ) , 250/266/300/330 bhp(1964);1963:406 ( 4.13 x 3.78 ) , 385/405 bhp;1964:427 ( 4.23 x 3.78 ) , 410/425 bhp
Transmissions:3/4 - speed manual , 3 - speed manual w/ overdrive Dual - Range Merc - O - Matic reflexive
Suspension front : upper and low A - branch , coil springtime
Suspension rear : bouncy axle on semi - egg-shaped leaf fountain
Brakes : front / rearward drums
Wheelbase ( in.):120.0
weightiness ( lbs.):3,887 - 4,056
Top speed ( mph):110 - 125 +
0 - 60 miles per hour ( sec):7.0 - 9.5
