The Mercury Marauder Was a Hugely Underrated American Sleeper

The Marauder would even become the car of choice for a certain American police force, underlying the performance of this sedan. Meanwhile, its revival after 33 years only lasted one year, but as far as revivals go, this one was incredibly well-received.

The Marauder would become a mysterious Police Interceptor

One of the most remarkable facts about the Marauder is that it became a law enforcement vehicle. This all happened on the quiet after an anonymous benefactor donated 27 vehicles to the Florida Highway Patrol. The cars were then taken under the wing of Dennis Reinhart, a local tuner, who would modify the Marauders for high-speed pursuits - a part of the job for any police cruiser. All examples of the Marauder were unmarked, adding to the almost secretive nature of their work. A few extra modifications were then applied to the Marauders to make them even better suited to the tasks the police had for them.

Reinhart would upgrade the cooling and the brakes in these cars, as detailed in a 2005 press release. The ECU was tuned to boost power, as well as to remove the top speed limiter, while the vehicles also received a custom driveshaft and a rear sway bar. The horsepower figure of the Marauder was boosted, but it was never officially verified. However, a top speed run of 174 mph was allegedly recorded, which meant that this stealthy fleet of interceptors had a lot of potential. The Marauders were wolves in sheep's clothing, and they roamed Florida from 2005 to 2008, although some remained in service well into the 2010s.

The Marauders packed in serious V8 power

What really helped the Marauder become a sleeper was the power it packed under the hood. The car arrived at a time in the 2000s when Ford was trying to make Mercury stand out from the crowd. So it took the Mercury Grand Marquis and decided to upgrade it somewhat. What they did was take the 4.6-liter V8 engine from the Mustang Mach 1, which had 302 hp - itself evolved from the Lincoln Mark VIII engine. Yet this remarkable powertrain hid beneath quite subtle and sophisticated clothing.

Ford also took bigger brakes and an aluminum driveshaft from the police version of the Crown Victoria to create one of the most impressive performance sedans of the era. As for the transmission, initially it was a four-speed 4R70W automatic, which was upgraded to a 4R75W automatic for 2004. Furthermore, thanks to the predominantly black color that these Marauders were sold in, the car soon earned its legendary sleeper status. Its role in Florida certainly added to the enigma around the vehicle. Of course, while this was a sedan with great comfort and space, Mercury had worked to make sure it drove just as good as it looked too.

The Marauder provided excellent handling

While a long body and a big V8 might not lend themselves to solid handling, that is exactly what the Marauder had. For the revival of the car in 2003, Ford adopted the very latest in chassis upgrades which included rack-and-pinion steering. Thanks to that, plus the heavier-duty brakes and further suspension upgrades, the Marauder ended up having excellent handling. Drivers would find that if chucked into a corner, this sedan would just stick. In turn, this made it even more perfect for its interceptor work in Florida.

Mercury didn't skimp on anything inside the car, either. A very pleasing interior with features like leather seating and satin aluminum trim helped to give this vehicle a somewhat luxurious feel. Also, this interior bore plenty of resemblance to the 2002 concept that Mercury had shown off. Little wonder then that the Marauder won so many over when it was launched.

The Mercury Marauder is an affordable sleeper in 2023

Remarkably, the Marauder nowadays isn’t a hugely expensive car - when they do come up for sale, that is. Certainly, some examples can go for a sizable sum of money, but you could pick one up in the United States for around the $10,000 mark in good condition - potentially even less as well. It is also worth checking on eBay or any other auction site if the car you are looking at is an ex-police interceptor, as they do tend to crop up now and again. The Marauder is one of the most underrated cars of its era, and it's criminal that only now is this sedan getting the recognition that it truly deserves.