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.