Five-spoke forged aluminum wheels are eight inches wide and have cast into the wheel hubs the bas-relief image of Mercury, the swift messenger of the Roman gods and a Mercury revival from the Fifties. The larger rear tires give the Marauder a natural slight rake that enhances the performance image. Up front, Cibie fog lamps are inserted in the front bumper, and the rear bumper has “MARAUDER” embossed in it while big dual 3.5-inch chrome exhaust tips protrude straight out the back.Ī big car needs big tires, and the Marauder wears P235/50WR18 boots on front with wider, P245/55WR18 rubber at the rear. The taillamp bezels are dark tinted as well for what Mercury calls a “serious, but understated appearance.” The black monochrome treatment has even been given to the headlamps with only the reflectors spared the blackout treatment. The Marauder, in its standard ebony paint, gives the same menacing vibes as a black leather jacket. The only available options are a trunk organizer ($200) and a trunk-mounted six-disc CD-changer ($350). It comes with an all-aluminum 4.6-liter double overhead cam 32-valve V8 and a slew of other performance items that look like they came out of a Hot Rod Magazine wish list. This traditional four-door sedan is priced at $34,495 (MSRP including $705 destination charge). Only one model of the Marauder is available for 2003, though a convertible is being considered for future introduction. Initially available in any color as long as it’s black, the 302-horsepower Marauder has the ambiance of “the X Files” combined with “the Blues Brothers,” the Secret Service combined with the Wood Brothers (NASCAR). The 2003 Marauder supplements the Grand Marquis as something the world hasn’t seen since the demise of the 1994-96 Chevy Impala SS, the American full-size performance sedan, emphasis on performance. Until the gas crises of the 1970s, this was the standard automobile. #Mercury marauder fullThese full-size sedans come with traditional full body-on-frame construction with a front-engine/rear-drive layout, and enough size to shade a lot of blacktop: almost 212 inches stem to stern, and more than 78 inches from one side to the other. The 2003 Mercury Marauder and Grand Marquis and the Ford Crown Victoria are lonely survivors of what was once the archetypical American family sedan, a genre long since supplanted by the minivan and sport-utility. In 1969-70, the Marauder X-100 was powered by a 429 cubic-inch (7-liter) V8. Parnelli Jones drove a specially prepared model to victory at the 1963 Pikes Peak Hill Climb. In 1963-64, the Marauder was a high-performance version of the Mercury Montclair and Monterey. Although sharing body and chassis with the Grand Marquis, the Marauder is cataloged as a separate model. The LX Sport still offers the same exterior and interior colors of the Marauder, however it uses wood grain trim on the dashboard and doors, unlike the Marauder, which used aluminum.Mercury reaches back in its history for the name Marauder for a performance version of the 2003 Grand Marquis. Originally, they were produced in "any color the customer desired, so long as it was black." Eventually, the Marauder was offered in silver, blue, and red but in limited quantities.Īfter the Marauder was discontinued, the Ford Crown Victoria LX Sport remains and bears a similar appearance to the Marauder but is powered by the lesser 4.6 L 2-valve SOHC V8 engine rated at 239 hp. 2004 was the last year for this Marauder mostly due to lackluster sales, blamed by some on bland styling and an incorrect target audience. The 2003 Mercury Marauder was based on the Ford Panther platform which utilizes a hydroformed steel frame, front rack and pinion steering, in addition to totally revised front and rear suspension with monotube shock absorbers, the Marauder also had a naturally aspirated 4.6 L DOHC V8 with 302 hp and 318 ft From 2003 to 2004, Ford produced the Marauder as a "high-performance" version of the Mercury Grand Marquis sedan.
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