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The hole in our heart left by the killing of the Mercury brand will take a long time to heal…mostly because even in its final decade, there was still a glimmer of hope for Ford’s middle child. The New Edge Cougar wasn’t that bad, and at the very least, there was nothing else like it in the Ford lineup. And then there was the Mercury Marauder, based on the Crown Vic, which should a lot of promise and potential, all the way up until it was cancelled.
Lo and behold though, a small piece of Mercury’s history has found its way on eBay. Autoblog believes that this is the same Mercury Marauder droptop that Ford itself built back in 2002 – which would mean it also has an Eaton supercharger attached.
No doubt the appeal of a convertible car based on the Panther platform has long been an unrealized goal for many Ford fans. But the Marauder convertible not only went there, but did it with two doors and a sharp look that had many of us asking, “what took so long?”
It is, unfortunately, an automatic. But the supercharged 4.6 liter V8 offered a substantial 335 horsepower. Then there was the fancy leather interior, shiny exhaust tips, and overall “performance” feel of the full-size sedan convertible coupe. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly enough to save the Mercury brand, but for the cool price of $75,000, it could be yours and yours alone to own.
