Great Article with Mercury Facts The Mercury Line In 1961, America was full of hope. John F. Kennedy was in the White House, the economy was in an upswing, and Mercury was ready to make a full-fledged assault on the high-performance market. Decisions had been made that would bring the Mercury line more closely into the Ford camp, away from a stand-alone division, at least stylistically. The land-yachts of the late 1950s, resplendent in acres of sheet metal and chrome, would not play to the people in Peoria anymore. The 1960 models, especially the Monterey, looked like something that would actually be found in a garage, not at a spaceport in a science-fiction movie waiting to take off. Okay, so the roof section looked like it was a carryover from 1959, but the body below the glass was much more subdued. Mercury let what was under the hood do the talking. That meant performance, and Mercury was about to embark on a race for performance that had never been seen before and will probably never be seen again. When the 1960 Mercury Monterey was unveiled, it was quite a departure from the preceding year, as far as the body went. The engines offered had changed also, and alas, not for the better. The strongest engine available in the Monterey in 1959 was the 430-ci V-8, putting out 345 horsepower and 460 foot-pounds of torque with a four-barrel carburetor. In 1960, the 430-ci engine was still around, but its power rating had slipped to 310 horsepower, courtesy of 10.0:1 compression and a gas-saving two-barrel carburetor. Motor Life tested a Montclair, which outweighed a Monterey by some 200 pounds, depending on options. With a 2.71:1 axle ratio, the Montclair dashed from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 11.5 seconds, this with a 2.71:1 axle ratio. But the outlook for performance fans was upbeat with the introduction of the 1961 models. Once again, a Ford body provided a starting point for Mercury. Big M went to work on the body by shortening it 4 inches and narrowing by 1 inch. Trim levels remained at Mercury upscale standards, and the engine compartment was not ignored. While this was the first time a six-cylinder engine was offered in a full-sized Mercury, a new name, Marauder, was introduced, and it carried the high- output V-8 powerplants. The FE family of engines was long-lived and used in a wide variety of guises. From grocery-getter to race car, this group of engines was used through 1971 and could be relied on to produce serious power. It was an extended skirt- style block, like the old Y-block. It had thick- wall cylinders and the entire engine tipped the scales at over 700 pounds. When Ford stepped away from its self-imposed ban on racing in 1961, it had a powerplant that could, and did, produce the results that put it in the winners circle. The 8.9:1 compression and a two-barrel carburetor 352-ci engine was called the Marauder 352, and it put out 220 horsepower. The Marauder 390 was the next engine higher in the food chain. With a 9.6:1 compression ratio and a four-barrel carburetor, it made 300 horsepower. Later in the 1961 model year, another Marauder 390 designed for use in police vehicles, was released. It was rated at 330 horses, replete with Police Special valve-cover decals. In the March 1961 issue, Motor Trend tested a 300- horsepower 1961 Marauder that was equipped with a Multi-Range Merc-O-Matic transmission and 3.00:1 axle ratio. The four-door got up to 60 miles per hour from rest in 10.2 seconds, not bad numbers for a vehicle weighing 3,795 pounds. By model year 1962, things were warming up at FoMoCo, especially in the engine room. The Marauder family of engines was expanding, and the results were highly impressive. A new showcase for the big-blocks appeared-the mind-melting Monterey S-55. With a choice of convertible or hardtop, bucket seats, and either an automatic transmission or four- speed manual, the S-55 served notice that the traditional, stodgy Mercury image was going to be blown into the weeds. In midyear, a new Marauder 406 V-8 was released, and it boasted 385 horsepower with a four-barrel carburetor. With the same 10.9:1 compression ratio, a trio of two-barrel carbs, the 406 V-8, became the Super Marauder, kicking out 405 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. With two-bolt main bearing caps, cast-iron crankshafts and mechanical valve lifters, these engines had little trouble turning the tires of the day into rubber dust. Motor Trends May 1962 issue put a Monterey Custom convertible, equipped with the 300-horsepower Marauder 390 engine, through its paces. At the end of the long straight at Riverside Raceway, the magazines Weston electric speedometer read 110 miles per hour, and the Mercury felt like it had a few more miles per hour under the hood. With a 0-60 time of 10.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 18.9 seconds, the Multi-Range Merc-O-Matic Marauder 390 nevertheless paled in comparison with the 5-55 that Motor Trend would test in its October 1962 issue. The Marauder convertible was home to a Super Marauder 406, which belted out 405 horsepower. This car came with a $379.90 option that was essential for extreme high-performance use: cross-bolted main bearing caps. This slugger had the cross-bolted main bearing caps on the number 2, 3, and 4 main bearings, which prevented cracking of the block. If the center bolts on those bearing caps loosened under the stress of high-speed operation, the crankshaft was permitted to flex, and that risked engine failure. The buyer could only order this engine with cross-bolted mains if the following items were left off of the car: air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, and automatic transmission. In testing, the Motor Trend crew wound it up and came away with a 0-60 time of only 7.65 seconds. The Marauder covered the quarter-mile in 16.5 seconds, tripping the lights at 94 miles per hour. Keeping the accelerator planted resulted in a top speed of 120 miles per hour. These were numbers people did not normally associate with Mercury, but the coming years would show that this was not a fluke. The performance profile of the Mercury Man was going to get higher, very quickly. click image to enlarge Sizzler. Thats how Mercury announced its hot, go-fast machine for 1963. The Marauder was introduced as a midyear release, and it was a time of real performance gains. Mercury was making inroads into NASCAR and USAC (United States Auto Club), and the publicity had the desired effect in the showroom. The sanctioning bodies required the manufacturers to race products the public could buy over the counter. As a result, the ordinary buyer was able to stuff the family garage with a race car fitted with a license plate frame. The buyer just had to find a way through the labyrinth of options. The Monterey line in 1963, for example, comprised four series with seven body styles and 16 different models. They all rode on the same 120-inch wheelbase and measured 215 inches in length. The Ford/Mercury Breezeway rear window, as seen on the 1957-58 Turnpike Cruiser, was reintroduced. In a straight line, the sedans held their own with the competition of the day. But from a performance standpoint, the Marauder S-55 was a real musclecar that deserved scrutiny. This model had a new fastback styling, introduced on the Marauder Convertible show car that made the auto shows in early 1963. The NASCAR circuit would know this competitive, aerodynamic model. The standard engine was the Marauder Super 390 V-8, which boasted of 300 horsepower at 4,600 rpm and 427 foot-pounds of tire-melting torque at 2,800 rpm. The 10.8:1 compression ratio required premium fuel flowing through the four-barrel carburetor, and the power could be fed through either a four-speed manual floorshift transmission or the Multi-Drive Merc-O-Matic automatic. Mercurys enthusiasm and excitement for the car were readily apparent. Shift to the real performer! Go Mercury! read a period ad. If the buyer wanted a bit more, the 406-ci Police Special was back. Its 600 cubic feet per minute (cfm) four-barrel carb and 10.5:1 compression helped produce 330 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 427 foot- pounds at 3,200 rpm. Early in the model year, the top engine options were the four-barrel 385-horsepower Marauder 406 V-8 and the six-barrel Marauder Super 406 with 405 horsepower at 5,800 rpm. The 405-horsepower 406 had a trio of progressive mechanically linked Holley two-barrel carburetors on an aluminum two-plane intake manifold that allowed 900 cfm of gas-air mixture to flow into the cylinders. The 406 engine was only offered through spring of 1963, when a pair of new engines replaced them- the famed 427s. The Ford and Mercury engine development program shifted into high gear during the mid-1960s. Lee Iacoccoa led Fords emphasis on high performance. Ford had built an experimental 483-ci engine that pushed a 1962 Galaxie to 172.26 miles per hour at the Bonneville salt flats, but NASCAR and the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) put a 7-liter (428 ci) limit on engine size, so the larger engine was set aside. Development of the 406 engine resulted in the 427 powerplant. Introduced as a midyear pair of options, the 427 Super Marauder V-8s were racing engines that were dropped into a street car. The standard or base 427 produced 410 horsepower at 5,600 rpm with torque coming in at 476 foot-pounds at 3,400 rpm. It breathed through a 780-cfm Holley carburetor atop an aluminum intake manifold, while the mechanical valvetrain regulated the mixture into the combustion chambers. If this was not enough power, a buyer would check the 427 8V Hi-Perf option box for an extra $461.60 and take home a genuine performance leader. The engine was equipped with a plethora of high-performance features, such as dual quad 780-cfm Holley carburetors on an aluminum intake, cross-bolted bearing caps, and 11.5:1 compression ratio that demanded a Super Premium fuel. This top level engine was rated at 425 horsepower at 6,000 rpm; it would rev to 7,000 rpm without much trouble, and its 480 foot-pounds of torque made tire salesmen very happy. In the April 1963 issue of Car Life, a Mercury 427 Super Marauder S-55 Hardtop was put to the test. This was a notchback model, as the term Marauder applied to the engine in this instance. This engine was available in most of the large Mercury lineup, but the transmission choices were limited to the four-speed manual. The numbers that the drivetrain pulled were indicative of the grunt under the hood. From 0 to 60 miles per hour took 7 seconds, the quarter-mile disappeared behind the car in 15.1 seconds at 87 miles per hour, not bad for a vehicle that weighed about 3,900 pounds. Car Life complained that the 8.00x14 tires didnt grip very well under full-throttle acceleration. Really! This from a car that literally blew its mufflers off the header pipes after several high-rpm runs. They must have forgotten that this was a racing engine, placed in a passenger car to satisfy the requirements of the race sanctioning groups. Racing was definitely in Mercurys mind. Although Mercurys motorsports involvement is covered in detail in another chapter, it must be pointed out that racing did help market cars. Big Mercurys sold at an increasing rate, 121,048 units for model year 1963, the best showing since 1960. In an advertisement from 1963, Mercury used race results to establish itself as the new performance champion of the medium-price field. This showed the suits at Mercury that the Comet needed to have a competition background to increase its public visibility. The full-sized Mercurys were doing well in NASCAR, and though the division was backing racing via indirect support, it used a safety angle to rationalize its involvement. Ben Mills, Mercurys division manager, put Mercurys racing activities into the proper perspective. The racetrack is a logical extension of our engineering programs. Cars with 110 horsepower or less have two to three times as many, accidents, per mile, as cars with 300 horsepower. The statement explains Mercurys rationale for offering the public an engine with 425 horsepower. However, Ford Motor Company realized that this was not your typical engine offering. The conventional 24-month/24,000-mile warranty was tossed out and replaced with a 3-month/4,000-mile power- train warranty. Over its lifetime, the 427 proved its worth on a wide spectrum of racing venues from stock cars to drag racing to LeMans. The FE engine had grown up. The major differences between the 1963 and 1964 models were the trim. Trim pieces were changed, but nothing major, and the S-55 was dropped. Mercury felt that sales were going well, and why mess with success? Lincoln styling influence was exhibited on the large Mercurys, especially the rear, and the 1963 Thunderbird seemed to be the source of 64 full-size Mercury front ends. The Marauder name now graced the convertibles, the two- and four- door pillarless fastback design of both the Monterey and Montclair lines, and the resurrected top-line Park Lane. Car Life magazine did not speak highly of the Park Lane, calling it a warmed-over Ford on the outside and a gaudy car on the inside. This was a full-tilt luxury car that could also be equipped, like any other full-sized Mercury, with the 427-ci engine. Testing a Park Lane resulted in a 0-60 time of 9.3 seconds. Its 4,050 pounds went down the drag strip in 16.9 seconds tripping the lights at 83 miles per hour. The magazine topped out the vehicle at 112 miles per hour, but still said that it fails to meet its heritage of 25 years as a luxury performance car. It wasnt an accurate statement not many Mercurys had posted numbers like that in the preceding 25 years. In the Marauders, the base engine was the two- barrel 390-ci, 250 horsepower, 378-foot-pounds V-8. A two-barrel carburetor, 266-horsepower version was added for use with automatic transmissions. The 300- horsepower 390 was next on the option sheet; equipped with a four-barrel carb, 10.1:1 compression ratio, and hydraulic lifters, the powerplant attained maximum horsepower at 4,600 rpm. The torque rating was unchanged for 1964 with 427 foot-pounds at 2,800 rpm. The Police Interceptor engine moved on to the regular option list. It boasted a solid-lifter camshaft, 10.5:1 compression and 330 horsepower at 5,000 rpm, and abundant stump-pulling power with 427 foot-pounds of grunt at 3,200 rpm. If a buyer needed more of everything, the dynamic duo were back, unchanged. The 427-ci 7-Liter engines remained the same in 1963, just as potent and just as fearsome. The Mercury copywriters had fun creating ad copy for this powerplant, calling it the engine that set a new worlds stock-car record in the most recent Pikes Peak Climb. This was in reference to Parnelli Jones being the first to the top of the Colorado mountain in a Bill Stroppe-prepared Mercury Marauder in 1963 and 1964. The 410- and 425-horsepower versions of the big-block were still warming tires on the street and on the track. click image to enlarge By the mid-1960s, Mercury had taken on new and distinctively different styling. The slab-sided body style of the Lincoln division found its way into the Mercury styling studio, resulting in a completely new appearance for the full-sized offerings from Mercury in 1965. Advertisements of the day boasted that the restyled Mercurys were Now in the Lincoln Continental Tradition! The wheelbase was lengthened 3 inches to 123 inches. The Breezeway sedan was still in production, and it retained the slanting and retractable rear window. The pillarless hardtops in the Monterey, Montclair, and Park Lane series were called Marauders, just like in 1964, even if they didnt look like the preceding years cars. From the upright grille to the vertical taillights, it looked like its upscale divisional partner. It was a massive yet handsome car with an option list as long as your arm. It wasnt difficult for the vehicle weight to exceed two tons. What better way to get that mass in motion than with a big-block engine? Mercury did not revise its powerplant lineup for 1965. Rather, they spent no small amount of time shaping the new sheet metal. Again, the two-barrel 390-ci engine was the base offering. Like the prior year, the power outputs were stepped to allow a buyer to choose just the right amount of thrust. And also like the prior year, the biggest of the FoMoCo big-blocks could live under the hood of a big Mercury. For a little more cash, the buyer could get a lot of dash. For $340.90 one could buy the 410-horsepower 427 mill in the Park Lane, and $388.70 secured the engine for the other Mercurys. And dual four-barrels for the 427 were still an option. Of course, a four- speed manual transmission was mandatory with either 427 engine. Little did the public know that this was the last year for this beast in a full-sized street Mercury. There was definite market shift away from full-size, heavyweight, big-inch performance to compact, lighter weight cars with improved power-to-weight ratios. The competition was putting its performance dollars in smaller platforms, such as the Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO equipped with a 389-ci engine. While this powerplant was little threat to the 427s, the vehicle weight was considerably less. Performance was enhanced, it cost less money to build and buy, and the public snapped them up. The crew at Mercury was aware of all this, and had their reply in the pipeline. The only trouble was, it was a fairly long pipe. In 1965, Mercury underwent several significant changes: the sporty S-55 option (center console, bucket seats, and dual exhausts) returned, available on either the convertible or the two-door hardtop coupe; the Marauder model was dropped from the Mercury ranks, but the name lived on in the engine bay; and the fearsome 427 engine disappeared as well. The power source under the hood was the Super Marauder 428-ci V-8, which was far different from a 427. The stroke of the 428 was shorter than the 427 while the 428s bore was larger. This squarer configuration was a more sedate version of the big-block FE engine. It produced enough power to avoid apologies, but it came on the heels of the 427, which was a tough act to follow. The 428 had the same bore as the 406, but it did not enjoy the same superior oiling system as that engine. The lubrication configuration of the 428 was the same as in the standard 390; that is, a restriction was designed into the system to force oil into the lifter galleries, and the main oil galleries are of a smaller diameter. With very thin cylinder walls, boring out the engine over .030 inches was not recommended. Unlike earlier FE engines, the 428 was fitted with an external balancer. Two-bolt main bearing caps holding cast crankshafts were the rule when the engine was introduced in the 1966 S-55 Mercury. Other internal details included a hydraulic cam, shaft- mounted rocker arms, a dual-plane intake manifold, and cast-aluminum pistons. With a Ford C6AF-9510- AD four-barrel carburetor and a 10.5:1 compression ratio, the cast-iron V-8 put out 345 horsepower at 4,600 rpm, and it created 462 foot-pounds of torque at 2,800 rpm. These numbers were nothing to be ashamed of, but the industry had entered the musclecar wars and a two-door hardtop weighing 4,031 pounds wasnt breaking new ground. Fitted with either Multi-Drive Merc-O-Matic or the top-loader four-speed manual, the 1966 S-55 put more sport into full-sized Mercury than any other offerings in the Lincoln-Mercury family. But sport to a street Mercury was not the same as the competition. Motor Trend (August 1966) road-tested a two-door hardtop S-55 that was abundantly optioned at 4,260 pounds. While not a nimble package, MT praised the Mercurys cornering prowess. The 51/49 front-to-rear weight-distribution ratio did not hurt ad claims. Equipped with the base 428 engine, developing 345 horsepower, the vehicle had impressive acceleration numbers: 0-60 in 8.9 seconds. It ran the quarter-mile in 16.9 seconds at 85 miles per hour. The magazine noted that even with its considerable power, its full impact isnt felt until after some momentum is built up to overcome the weight of the car. The optional front disc brakes needed 169 feet to haul the S-55 to a halt from 60 miles per hour, and with an average fuel consumption of 12 miles per gallon, the unusual vertical 25- gallon gas tank allowed for more trunk room. Motor Trend liked the easy-to-clean synthetic seat covering, but not the fact that a healthy dose of options drove the sticker price of the S-55 higher than $5,000. Just 2,916 S-55 hardtops and only 669 S-55 convertibles were sold in the 1966 model year. Full-sized, high-powered sport vehicles were falling into disfavor with the buying public. The smaller midsize or compact Musclecar, such as the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, and Pontiac GTO, took people from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible, while preferably humiliating another rival musclecar. Mercury buyers interested in a high-performance sports car bought the new 1967 Cougar. When the 1967 Mercurys rolled into showrooms, they had massaged sheet metal again. The slab-sided formal crispness of the 66s gave way to a more flowing look, especially in the two-door hardtop with its concave rear window. Admittedly, the front end did have a more pronounced Lincoln look, and the famed Breezeway hung on with a forward slanting rear window that lowered only 2 inches. Due to required safety equipment as well as economic inflation, retail pricing rose, so it came as no surprise when fewer S- 55s were sold in model year 1967. Offering the S-55 as a Sports Package option in the Monterey line, Mercury built 570 hardtop cars and only 145 S-55 convertibles. Front disc brakes, engine chrome, and additional sound insulation (weight) were standard on S- 55s. As in the year before, the 10.5:1 compression Marauder 428-ci engine with an output of 345 horsepower at 4,600 rpm was standard, as was a torque rating of 462 foot-pounds at a leisurely 2,800 rpm. These cars were low-rpm torquers, not high-rpm screamers with blazing acceleration and amazing speed. Tipping the scales at 3,956 pounds for the hardtop and 4,093 pounds for the convertible ensured that road imperfections were a nonevent. The S-55 badge whispered promises of performance, but the marketplace deserted it. And when that happened, Mercury let the S-55 fade away with the end of the 1967 model year. The full-sized performance Mercury became a memory. In model year 1968, Mercury was busy building all of the hot-selling Cougars it could produce, the new Montego and Cyclone lines expanded, and the Cyclone stepped into the role of racing flagbearer, a spot that the Marauder had enjoyed in 1963-64. Mercurys plate was full. Lee A. Iacocca, Fords group vice president of Lincoln-Mercury, was guiding the company to an exciting high-performance future. After the overwhelming success of the Mustang , in January 1965 Henry Ford II had tapped Iacocca to lead Lincoln- Mercury. Weve been at this 20 years and were not making it, so lets give it one last college try, Ford had said. His goal was to allow Mercury to claim a larger piece of the musclecar pie. Ford wanted some of the success that Iacocca had achieved with the Mustang to rub off onto the division that many saw as a step-child, and Iacocca had definite ideas about raising the visibility of Mercury by tying it more closely with Lincoln, specifically with the full-sized automobiles. In 1969, the year of Neil Armstrongs stroll on the moon , Mercury re-released a name that had written high-performance history for the company. The division was hoping to capitalize on the Marauder and Marauder X-100. Now it graced the body of what was basically a top-of-the-line Mercury Marquis in a two- door hardtop configuration. Lee Iacocca said in Motor Trend in September 1968 that Were trying to create a luxurious identity for the car line. We want a plush feel. Take the Marauder. Its smaller than the Marquis. But look at it-when I see an X-100 Marauder all jazzed up you think that its got the Marquis Lincoln type front end but I read it as an overall sporty carbut with a luxury look. He tied the division knot tighter with the Marauder by Lincoln-Mercury. A. B. (Buzz) Grissinger, the director of Lincoln- Mercury styling, spoke to Motor Trend for its September 1968 issue and profiled the 1969 models. Weve tried to carry forward the association with the Lincoln-Continental-the appearance, dignity, and elegance. The Marauder retains all the features of the Marquis but has some design changes to convey the King of Speed feeling. A two-tone paint job was the most obvious difference between the Marauder X-100 and the rest of the upscale Mercury line. The rear deck behind the back window was recessed and painted a contrasting dark matte color. The tunnel effect swept the trunk lid down and over the taillights. The rear wheels of the X-100 were covered with fender skirts (optional on the Marauder) and a false air intake was behind the doors on the rear flanks. While not quite as large as a Marquis 124-inch span between wheel centers, the X-100 rode on a 121-inch wheelbase to the tune of 4,009 pounds before the options were ladled on. The same full-sized approach was found inside where a leather and vinyl interior, electric clock, and a rim-blow steering wheel helped to convey the master of all he surveys feeling when gazing over the long hood of a Marauder X-100. It was actually a well-proportioned, graceful-looking vehicle in the American massive idiom. When you are driving the King of Speed, its necessary to have royal power under the hood. Mercury fitted both of its entries to the luxury car/high-performance field with engines up to the task. The Marauder was equipped with the venerable FE block, 390-ci mill. Its 9.5:1 compression and two-barrel carburetor produced 265 horsepower at 4,400 rpm. More importantly, the car with a curb weight of 4,500 pounds fully loaded cranked out 390 foot- pounds at 2,600 rpm. But for those who wanted to stand out from the crowd, the X-100 was the choice. Lurking under the huge hood was a huge engine-the 429. The 429, part of the 385 family, was introduced in 1968 and designed for use in big luxury cars. It was used in Lincolns in a 460-ci application. This was a 429 bored out to 460. The engines thin wall casting, huge bearing surfaces, and heads showcased the latest in Poly-Angle valve design with a canted-valve cylinder head arrangement. The staggered valves configuration had each rocker arm riding on a fulcrum on a separate pedestal and not on a rocker shaft. The racing design influence helped the behemoth to show 360 horsepower at 4,600 rpm with a four-barrel carb resting on top. The 10.5:1 compression helped produce 480 foot-pounds of torque at 2,800 rpm. This hydraulic lifter-equipped engine was designed with forthcoming emission regulations in mind, as well as propelling a Mercury down the road in a commanding fashion. During road tests of the day, it was discovered that it was possible to transport considerable weight at serious velocities, if the car was equipped with a big-inch engine. Car Life timed the X-100 at 7.5 seconds on a 0-60 miles per hour test, while another magazine, using an X-100 fitted with a highway-oriented 2.80:1 rear-axle ratio went from 0 to 60 in 8 seconds flat, covering the quarter-mile in a tick under 16 seconds at 86 miles per hour, and topping out at around 125 miles per hour. Front disc brakes provided an added and necessary measure of stopping power. Large steering inputs at speed were discouraged. With four turns lock-to-lock, the driver felt like the helmsman on an ocean liner, experiencing vague steering feedback and a large amount of body roll. The Marauder base model sold 9,031 units, and the two-tone X-100 sold only 5,635. Mercury went into the 1970 model year hoping for an increase in sales, but that hope was dashed. Disappointment was around the corner for Mercury management. Sales figures were even lower than the dismal 1969 numbers, and the base Marauder sold 3,397 while only 2,646 X-100s were sold, despite some discounting and a price cut. When Mercury brass saw those sales figures, the plug was pulled. After this, Mercurys performance efforts were concentrated on the mid-size lines, but the growing emission regulations would soon reduce these proud cars to a shadow of their former selves. At least the Marauder and Marauder X100 went out strong, not reduced to an embarrassing caricature of a performance vehicle
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 12:32:08 +0000
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