What is it?
Mercury Marauder Convertible
What's special about it?
At the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, Mercury showed off its 2003 Marauder, a supercharged and sport-tuned version of the full-size Grand Marquis. At this year's show, Mercury pulled the cover (and top!) off the Marauder Convertible.
Though just a concept vehicle with no official plans for production, the Marauder Convertible is certainly a vehicle muscle-car enthusiasts would love to own. Since it's a full-size car, the Convertible offers seating for five. Rear legroom is the same as the sedan's (38 inches), and Mercury says there is still plenty of luggage space in the trunk. If the Convertible makes it to production, it would have a power-operated and fully lined top that would store cleanly under a hard tonneau cover.
The Marauder Convertible's SOHC 4.6-liter V8 produces 335 hp and 355 lb-ft of torque. This is more than the production Marauder sedan, which puts out an even 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. People following the Marauder's progress will likely note that this is not quite the "more than 300 hp" Mercury promised back at the car's 2001 introduction, but 300 isn't anything to complain about.
Why should you care?
It has been a long time since there's been a large, V8-powered five-passenger convertible on the market. Could such a thing arise again? We suspect Mercury will wait to see how well its Marauder sedan sells. If it's popular, a convertible version is a possibility. — Brent Romans
Mercury Marauder Convertible
What's special about it?
At the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, Mercury showed off its 2003 Marauder, a supercharged and sport-tuned version of the full-size Grand Marquis. At this year's show, Mercury pulled the cover (and top!) off the Marauder Convertible.
Though just a concept vehicle with no official plans for production, the Marauder Convertible is certainly a vehicle muscle-car enthusiasts would love to own. Since it's a full-size car, the Convertible offers seating for five. Rear legroom is the same as the sedan's (38 inches), and Mercury says there is still plenty of luggage space in the trunk. If the Convertible makes it to production, it would have a power-operated and fully lined top that would store cleanly under a hard tonneau cover.
The Marauder Convertible's SOHC 4.6-liter V8 produces 335 hp and 355 lb-ft of torque. This is more than the production Marauder sedan, which puts out an even 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. People following the Marauder's progress will likely note that this is not quite the "more than 300 hp" Mercury promised back at the car's 2001 introduction, but 300 isn't anything to complain about.
Why should you care?
It has been a long time since there's been a large, V8-powered five-passenger convertible on the market. Could such a thing arise again? We suspect Mercury will wait to see how well its Marauder sedan sells. If it's popular, a convertible version is a possibility. — Brent Romans
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