The Marauder name gets thrown around improperly way too much. Quite often, it’s considered its own model but, most of the time, that’s simply not true. Our Pick of the Day will be a surprise to many enthusiasts as it is the first edition of the Marauder as its own model. This 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100 is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Marauder name first appeared in Mercury’s lexicon tied to an engine. Starting in 1958, all of Mercury’s V8s were called Marauder, with the 400-horsepower 430 being the Super Marauder. Mercury toned it down for 1959, possibly due to the 1958 recession, as it instead emphasized a Special Economy Engine for the Monterey “designed to squeeze more mileage from every drop of gasoline.” Nonetheless, the MEL series of engines continued to be called “Marauder V8.” Starting in 1961, the FE series of V8s (352 and 390) adopted the Marauder name. Interestingly, the only engine to receive the Marauder name for 1962 was the 406 while, for 1963, all FE engines featured the Marauder name.
Nineteen sixty-three also marked the first moment that the Marauder name was applied to a vehicle. At the beginning of the model year, the only closed body style in the full-size Mercury roster was the Breezeway, which featured a reverse-slant backlite with retractable window. Starting in the spring, the Marauder two-door hardtop became available. The main distinguishing feature was the slick roofline, often called a “fastback” among Ford fans. Though Mercury advertised it as if it was a new model, the Marauder was technically more like a sub-model, available on Monterey Custom and Monterey S-55. Expanded to include a four-door hardtop for 1964, the Marauder also expanded its availability as Mercury expanded its model line: Monterey, Montclair, and Park Lane. The Marauder sub-model would continue to be marketed through 1965, while the name continued to be used for engines through 1968.
So, with eleven years of using the Marauder name, are you surprised to learn that the first model year for the proper Marauder was 1969? With the redesigned 1969 full-size Mercury line, the new Marauder model featured a unique fastback body style shared with the Galaxie 500 SportsRoof and XL SportsRoof. Two Marauder models were available: Marauder and Marauder X-100—the former came standard with a 390-2V but an all-new 429 was available in both 2V and 4V iterations (the latter good for 360 horsepower); the X-100 came standard with the 429 four-barrel and a unique matte “sports tone” finish on the trunk tunnel area (optional for the base Marauder), though it could be deleted (and was deleted when a vinyl top was ordered). The Marauder continued with few changes for 1970, and then it was discontinued. For 2003-04, it was briefly revived as a special full-size performance car based on the Grand Marquis.
This 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100 is powered by the standard “N-code” 429-4V backed by the Select-Shift automatic transmission. Other standard X-100 features include rear fender skirts, leather and vinyl bench with dual center arm rests, rim-blow steering wheel, electric clock, and styled aluminum wheels. “Appears to be original in every respect with the exception of a repaint applied professionally in the original Medium Lime Poly color,” says the seller. “Numbers matching and turnkey condition meaning everything is functioning operating as it should … power steering, power brakes, cold air conditioning, power windows, rear window defrost, factory AM/FM stereo, [and] drivers remote mirror.” Rear end is a conventional 2.80 sans limited-slip.
This was a car created for a mature young guy, or a mature guy who wished to be young. If you enjoy the idea of being large and in charge, then perhaps this $37,500 Marauder X-100 is your password for action.
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