I know this is an old story, but since we were discussing the Blackhawk, I thought I'd put this up too.Picture from Motor Trend's Future Vehicle Forecast:
http://www.motortrend.com/future/2002_2.html
Following text from BlueOvalNews.com
"1999 MERCURY MARAUDER
So, you've reached a station in life where you demand a few luxuries, like a big, comfortable car. But you're not quite ready to give up the rush of a hot V-8 under the hood and you want to travel in a style that doesn't include acres of chrome trim. Mercury has just the car &emdash; the Marauder.
Think of the concept Marauder as a Grand Marquis that's spent the past year in the gym. It's trimmed down, pumped up and ready for action.
The basis for Mercury's full-size platform concept is a 1999 Grand Marquis, with V-8 power and rear-wheel-drive -- a combination sure to stir the souls of traditional American hot-rod enthusiasts. In the engine bay you'll find Mercury's spirited 4.6-liter SOHC sequential electronic fuel injected V-8 with some significant performance modifications.
A big performance boost comes from the addition of a Ford SVO supercharger fed by a free-flowing K&N air filter. To relieve back pressure on the other end, a tuned 2.25-inch dual exhaust system has been fabricated, exiting through a pair of polished 3-inch MEGS tips. Marauder's exhaust note speaks performance, yet isn't too rowdy for everyday driving.
Tuning more cornering performance into Marauder's chassis was accomplished with the
addition of Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks, beefy sway bars, and a more aggressive wheel and tire package. The Mercury design team selected Enkei SST-2 alloy wheels, 17- by 8-inch in the front and 18- by 8-inch in the rear, shod with Pirelli P-Zero performance radials; 245/50HR17s providing grip in the front, and 255/50HR18s putting the extra horsepower to the ground in the rear. The combination gives Marauder a very aggressive stance.
The exterior of this special Grand Marquis is finished with a monochromatic black paint treatment. All extraneous trim has been removed to further clean up the Marauder's body lines. Night vision is augmented with a set of PIAA 1500XT fog lamps integrated into the front of Marauder. A signature Mercury vertical bar grille is painted body color, providing a distinctive first impression.
Inside Marauder, the Grand Marquis' plush bench seat is replaced by a pair of sporty
buckets trimmed in supple leather. The standard column shift is replaced with a floor shifter mounted in a custom center console. Even the instrument panel is unique to Marauder. In place of the factory gauge package is a contemporary silver-faced gauge cluster. The instrument panel has been trimmed with a Satin Tech material.
Mercury's concept Marauder is a throw back to the mark's hot-rod past -- proof that big luxury cars can be a kick to drive. This is one Mercury worth being crazy about.
COPYRIGHT 1998 WWW.BlueOvalNews.Com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED"
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posted 01-22-2001 05:47 PM
