The dream of the classic Detroit muscle car never really died. It carried into the 21st century with the 2003-04 Mercury Marauder.
At Ford’s Mercury division, the Marauder model name dated back to 1963-70, the golden age of Detroit muscle, only to be stirred back to life decades later for a four-door concept vehicle that first appeared at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show. With blacked-out paint and trim, chassis upgrades, touring-flavored interior, and 18-inch alloy wheels, here was an attempt to recapture the ’60s muscle car magic in a modern package. A custom-built two-door convertible concept debuted at the ’02 Chicago show, but when the production Marauder was introduced for 2003, there was just one body style offered, a four-door sedan.
Based as it was on the Mercury Grand Marquis, the Marauder shared its rear-drive Panther platform with the Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car, with body-on-frame construction and a 114.7-inch wheelbase. Suspension calibrations were pleasingly taut, while the standard 224-hp Grand Marquis V8 was replaced with a 4.6L DOHC 32-valve modular V8 that produced 302 hp at 5,750 rpm, coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission
Initially there was but one exterior color available, the monochromatic black of the show cars, but it was soon joined by Silver Birch, Dark Pearl Blue, and Dark Toreador Red. It’s fair to say the bulk of the attention was lavished on the cabin, which featured slate-colored leather and Marauder-only bucket seats. The instrument package was also a Marauder exclusive, with round, silver-faced instrument dials and a large 7,000-rpm tachometer.
Magazine reviews were kind to the Marauder—they loved the Panther platform’s new rack-and-pinion steering—but there was one almost universal objection. The 32-valve V8’s 302 hp was respectable enough, but with just 318 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm, the 4,200-lb sedan was lacking in low-end grunt, a must for a real muscle car. Hard acceleration required harried downshifting from the four-speed automatic. Also, top speed was chip-limited to 117 mph, reportedly to manage driveline vibration.
With quarter-mile times languishing in the mid-15 second range, the tough-to-please critics roundly agreed: What the Marauder really needed was the supercharged 4.6L modular V8 from the Mustang Cobra. They had a point. With the Cobra V8’s conservatively rated 390 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque, the Marauder could have been a genuine muscle car for the new millenium.
The Mercury division hoped to deliver 18,000 Marauders per year, but actual sales amounted to only 7,838 cars in 2003 and 3,214 in 2004, for a total of 11.052 cars over the two-year run. The engine upgrade never came and there was no Marauder for 2005. Still, despite its one shortcoming, the Marauder is something of a cult favorite these days. Clean examples regularly turn up on Bring a Trailer.com and elsewhere, where they have brought up to $40,000.
I’ve always liked those, but now I know why I’ve only seen a couple. Never realized they sold so few of them. By that time, Mercury’s were mostly rebadged Fords with a few trim changes, so I guess most people were passing them by for the cheaper Fords.
I bought mine new in July of 03 and still have it and it is the rearrest of them dark pearl blue
I have a product date of 5/2002 that paint job on that 2003 was the top of the line, then I bought a 2004 original paint and it just don’t have the shine that 2003 has!!!
They were FROM the Crown Vic line(Cop Cars), and mine is a 2003 with all original parts except the Tires & Motorcraft Batteries I’ve installed(3). I have to disagree with that “chip” speed governor(117mph). There’s been times on a desert highway I’ve cruised @132-137 and there was absolutely no vibration. Still rides great, especially on long road trips.