|
Rapid and rare - those two things that have always been linked to the Marauder name, and those are the shoes that the new Marauder has to fill.
Comments or suggestions about this review? Send an e-mail to: editor@autobytel.com
Autobytel Inc. operates the popular automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com, and Autosite.com. | | xxx | |
Marauder. One who roves in search of plunder.
So says Webster on the topic of marauders. But, while the dictionary seems sure on the subject, many people reading about the new Mercury Marauder may not be, and wonder what all the retro reminiscing is about.
The name Marauder has been attached to Mercury products dating back at least to the 1950's. Sometimes it named an engine, sometimes a car model, occasionally both. The first Marauder sighting on a Mercury engine chart was in 1958. A 383 cid/312hp V-8 was one of several high performance Mercury engines of various sizes that would bear the Marauder name in the years that followed.
The high water mark for the Marauder marque was the period of 1963-64. It was here that the car made a name for itself big enough to rate a revival, almost forty years later.
At the start of '63, the hottest set-up in the Ford garage was the 406 cid big block. It was rated at 385 hp with one 4v or 405 hp with three 2v carburetion. As the year progressed, NASCAR and the NHRA issued edicts, limiting engine size in their racing events to a maximum displacement of 7 liters. That translated to 427 cubic inches, which effectively put the handwriting on the wall for engines not pushing the limits of the size restrictions - like the 406. By mid-way through the model year it was gone, giving way to another performance motor - the 427.
The 4-gear Mercury went from 0-60 in 7 seconds, turning a 15.1 quarter mile. Of the 427 equipped Mercury pioneering auto writer Tom McCahill observed, "It has more hair on its chest than a middle-aged yak".
Evolved from the engine that it replaced, the new 427 was found on the option sheets for both Ford and Mercury. The two versions were identical, save some cosmetics. Crowned with a single 4v, the motor was known in Merc circles as the Marauder. With two four barrels, it was the Super Marauder.
Mercury introduced a new, fastback hardtop into the Monterey S-55 series in late '63 and named it the Marauder S-55. The roofline's slippery slope sat 2" lower than the standard hardtop and was estimated to add 4½ mph to the car's top end (the Ford Galaxie version of the fastback was dominant in NASCAR). A 390 was standard under hood for the S-55, but the hottest setup available was the Super Marauder 427. Packing a pair of four barrels, with mechanical lifters and a compression ratio of 11.5:1, the motor made 425 hp @ 6,000 rpm and a root ripping 480 lb. ft. of torque @ 3,700. Knowing full well what use many of these motors might find in civilian hands, Ford Motor Company decided to prune the factory warranty on these cars. The standard 24 month/24,000 miles company guarantee was trimmed to a more short term commitment: 3 months/4,000 miles.
Over the years, Lincoln/Mercury's periodic dips into the performance pool always raised an eyebrow. Though early Fifties Lincolns tore it up in the grueling, Mexican Road Races, and early Sixties Comets set new endurance records, racing in the Ford family by and large meant just that - Fords. But, big Mercs with the Marauder still had their moments. Among them, Darel Dieringer winning the Golden State 400 at Riverside in 1963 and Parnelli Jones setting a stock car record at the prestigious Pikes Peak hill climb. And just about anybody could take a street version of the hot, Marauder motor home in their new Merc. 427's were available in all Monterey models, with the exception of station wagons.
Though the exact number of 427 equipped Marauder S-55's Mercury built is unknown, the automotive press of the day could confirm Marauder's go power. Car Life tested a 427 equipped notchback hardtop S-55 in April '63. The 4-gear Mercury went from 0-60 in 7 seconds, turning a 15.1 quarter mile. Of the 427 equipped Mercury pioneering auto writer Tom McCahill observed, "It has more hair on its chest than a middle-aged yak".
Rapid and rare - those two things that have always been linked to the Marauder name, and those are the shoes that the new Marauder has to fill.
---Story and photos by Dan Lyons
photos © Dan Lyons 2002
|
