1963 Mercury Marauder

Description

With the Galaxie getting all the attention, Mercury was able to slide the Mercury Marauder right under the radar. Today, this 1963 Mercury Marauder is a very rare piece of early muscle, packing a 390 cubic inch V8, an awesome color combination, and a just enough anonymity to stay under the radar in the future.

The look is almost familiar and you should probably expect folks to think it's a Galaxie when they first see this hardtop. But upon closer inspection they'll be treated to a very rare car with a lot of unique details that make it stand out. The grille is a little more dressed-up than the Galaxie's plain stamped piece, and the trim that outlines the fenders and quarters gives it an upscale look overall. The paint is gorgeous Black Cherry, which is very close to the car's original code X Heritage Burgundy, and it gives it suitable gravitas for such a heavy hitter. It was refinished a few years ago and is showing a bit of age, but nothing that a professional buff couldn't erase, and with that black padded roof, it has a very formal look that belies the performance underneath. The chrome is a combination of original pieces and restored bits, and we especially like the 'Marauder' script on the front fenders, just enough warning to the guy paying attention in the next lane.

The handsome two-tone tan interior is a fantastic contrast to the burgundy paint and really gives it an expensive look inside. The bench seats have obviously been reupholstered but they look quite authentic and the door panels and carpets were replaced at the same time. The headliner and dash might be original, and that will tell you about how nice this car really is, and the dash definitely looks a lot more expensive than the base Galaxie setup, especially with the silver-faced gauges that monitor all the engine's vitals. An under-dash A/C unit seems fitting in the upscale Merc and remains fully functional with good old R12 refrigerant inside. The original AM radio remains in the dash and it, too, works properly along with the wipers and all the gauges. Nice, right? The trunk, of course, is gigantic and carries a correct mat and a full-sized spare tire assembly way up there in the front.

The Marauder came with Ford's heavy-hitting 390 cubic inch V8, and even when topped by a 2-barrel carburetor, it's a fantastic performer. There's torque at any speed and the big V8 never notices the A/C cranking away. It's fully rebuilt and beautifully detailed under the hood, with a correct Ford Gold paint job on the big air cleaner and valve covers. Authentic fittings, hoses, and clamps have been used throughout and it runs as well as it looks. The exhaust system is rather throaty, using straight pipes and resonators out back, but the rest of the chassis looks quite stock, from the 3-speed Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission to the 9-inch rear end with 3.00 gears inside. It's nice to see a heavy-hitter like this that hasn't been extensively modified (heck, there's still a 2-barrel on it!), which suggests that it has always been treated like something special. And on a brute like this, dog dish hubcaps, painted wheels, and 235/75/15 blackwall tires give it the ultimate predatory look.

Rarer than a Galaxie and just as fast, this Mercury Marauder is the thinking man's alternative and a great piece of FoMoCo muscle car history. Call today!