Vehicle Description
Affordable and unusual Mercury muscle. Great-running 390 cubic inch
V8, recent paint, beautiful original interior. Runs and drives
quite well, has an awesome look. Big car comfort with attitude
that's 100% ready to go!The Marauder was Mercury's entry into the
early muscle car wars, following the formula of putting a big
engine in a mid-sized car. Of course, Mercury being Mercury,
'mid-sized' is a relative term. Regardless, you get a lot of luxury
with your performance as well as a distinctive look. By 1965, the
Marauder was part of the Monterey lineup and available only as a 2-
or 4-door hardtop. Of course, the one to own is the 2-door hardtop
like this 1965 Marauder, whose bright code O Aquamarine paint job
can't be missed and looks awesome on the gothic Monterey
sheetmetal. Thanks to a recent repaint, it looks fantastic and they
started with a straight, clean car that didn't need any major
surgery to look this good. The doors close with surprising
precision and the gaps are quite good, especially for a car in this
price class-surely a credit to Mercury's quality in 1965. A few
subtle pinstripe flourishes add a bit of a custom touch and there's
plenty of chrome to remind you that this is an upscale Mercury, not
a garden-variety Ford.The interior appears to be largely original,
with perhaps new carpets installed at some point. The wide bench
seat wears matching aqua upholstery that's pure 1960s cool and
comfortable on warmer days. The plastic steering wheel frames a
chrome instrument panel with a full array of round gauges that add
a sporty vibe. A relatively rare AM/FM radio provides a period
look, but the real entertainment comes from an aftermarket JVC head
unit mounted on the center console. The door panels are excellent,
as is the headliner, and the full-sized back seat looks almost
completely unused. Of course, there's also a massive trunk, which
is outfitted with the original mat set and a full-sized spare
tire.The engine is a smooth and torquey 390 cubic inch V8 that
behaves like it's in a luxury car but moves like a muscle car. The
original 2-barrel carb is gone, replaced by an Edelbrock 4-barrel,
so it's a bit more muscular than stock. Either way, it's a great
runner. The engine bay is nicely finished with black engine enamel,
orange Mercury valve covers, and a few chrome bits to add some
contrast. Power steering and power front disc brakes are part of
the package, including a replacement dual reservoir master cylinder
for safety, so this big Merc is easy for anyone to handle. The
3-speed Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission clicks through the
gears easily and its personality depends on how hard you're
pressing the throttle. 3.00 gears out back make it a fantastic
high-speed cruiser and the suspension is more luxury than sport so
this is a great car for road trips. Floors are quite clean, there
are recent shocks and springs, plus a great-sounding dual exhaust
system with glasspack-style mufflers. And for the ideal period
performance look, there are black Torque Thrust wheels wearing fat
225/70/15 blackwall radials.Documentation includes original owner's
manuals, some receipts, and a restoration photo album. We like this
car because it's different. It looks awesome, it drives like it
should cost twice as much as it does, and you'll always be the only
one at shows. Those are all great reasons to own an old car, and
this Marauder will surprise and delight you in unexpected ways.
Call today!Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal
or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior
to purchase.
