1969 Mercury Marauder X100
The Mercury Marauder is an automobile nameplate that was used by three distinct full-size cars produced by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from the most powerful engines available to the Mercury line, the Marauder was marketed as the highest-performance version of the full-size product range.
Large and in charge. That’s what Mercury intended the ’69 Marauder X-100 luxury sport coupe to be. While no one is likely to argue the first point, low sales figures suggest the two-door Merc never quite attained the second goal. Just the same, there’s a certain muscular elegance to the great beast.
As a car, though, this Marauder succeeded. Essentially it was a “Mercuryized” version of Ford’s fully redesigned 1969 XL, with an identical wheelbase that was three inches shorter than on other big Mercurys. Lincoln-Mercury didn’t bother with a convertible like Ford, contenting itself with a hardtop coupe in base and pricier X-100 trim.
Most Marauders were equipped with SelectShift automatic, though a three-speed manual was standard. Engine choices numbered four V-8s. X-100s carried Dearborn’s big new 429 with four-barrel carb, 10.5:1 compression, a conservative 360-horsepower rating, and a massive 480 pounds/feet of torque. This was optional for base Marauders, which came with Ford’s workhorse two-barrel 390, good for 265 bhp on 9.5:1 compression. There was also a pair of two-barrel base-model options: a high-compression 280-bhp “390P” and a 320-bhp 429.
This 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100 is 1 of just 5,635 produced for 1969. It’s a wonderful find, finished in red and retaining the original interior in fairly nice condition. It looks great and seems to be a high-quality, well-cared-for survivor in very nice overall condition.
True to their bold model name, these potent full-size cars continue to exemplify Mercury’s upscale and unique approach to performance during the original American muscle car era. Quick, fast, luxurious, and reeking of upscale image and quality, the Marauder X-100 was one of the best “swan songs” of the era before the heavy governmental mandates and other demands of the 1970s came into effect.
