How many mercury marauders were made

Apart from the Dodge Charger and occasional Ford Taurus, most police "cars" are now SUVs, which is fine, it's part of the natural transition of eras and generations. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Ford ending production of the Panther Body sedan. In honor of one of Ford's greatest four-door workhorses, let's talk about arguably the rarest Panther Body cars ever built — the FHP Marauders.

The legend of FHP Marauders is a story involving over 20 Mercury Marauders which were deputized to chase down aggressive drivers in Florida during the s. Each car was purposely modified to handle higher speeds and came loaded with police surveillance and tactical gear.

The best part, these real-life Bluesmobiles didn't cost the Florida taxpayer a single dime because they were loaners. The focus of this program was to crackdown on hot-heads, lead-foots, and booze cruisers. Outside of law enforcement, Warrick was a successful businessman and he decided to use his available resources to help FHP by with the perfect tool for the RADAR program. Soon, every Mercury Marauder in the tri-state area was suddenly wearing a "sold" decal.

How many? The exact number of Marauders bought is unclear as sources cite different figures ranging from 18 to For this article, we are using 27 Marauders, as noted in the March 22, article on PR-web. Logistics aside, Warrick had enough Marauders to cast a spaghetti western. Warrick chose the Mercury Marauder for its wolf-in-sheep-clothing performance. Built from , the Mercury Marauder wasn't your grandpa's Grand Marquis.

It flexed a 4. In total, Mercury built 11, Marauders during its brief production run. This revival Mercury Marauder is often considered the king of the hill in the Ford Panther Body lineage. Cars in hand, Warrick made a deal with the Florida Highway Patrol to loan out his fleet of Marauders as mercenaries. As part of the arrangement, each car would be returned to Warrick once it reached 75, miles. However, before the Marauders could join the force, they needed to be modified for the job.

This would involve more than a simple ECU tune and a shotgun rack. Warrick needed someone with experience making fast Ford sleepers, someone like Dennis Reinhart. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

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Latest National Stories. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Thanks for signing up! Wangersky: Premiers and big heads don't mix well for their citizens. I'm an infectious disease doctor. Here is why you should too. It would be childish, unseemly, and heroically pointless to accuse Ford of a copycat crime.

But, hey, childish and unseemly? That's us. So, here goes: We did it first. As the two of us viewed a World Series game, we hatched a scheme to build a hot-rod Crown Vic--a supercharged cop car that would eventually be known as the Lounge Lizard. Our Lizard was a hit. For one thing, it performed flawlessly as a mph pace car in the Silver State Classic. For another, it was one of the rare project cars whose ride we didn't ruin.

Inside, the Marquis's Elk Lodge wood trim has mercifully been replaced by a handsome gray "dot matrix" motif, and someone has had the decency to install a half-dozen legible silver-faced gauges, including a rpm tach, an oil-pressure gauge, and a voltmeter--the latter duo situated low in the center stack.

The front buckets are unique to the Marauder. Perhaps they shouldn't be. Their cushions are low and squishy, encouraging your feet to splay in an unnatural toes-out formation.

What's more, the standard "Nudo" leather is slippery, such that your keister makes regular migrations toward the pedals. Fortunately, those pedals are adjustable, which is all that saves the seats from the sort of excoriation usually reserved for waiters who tell you their first name is Nudo. Compared with previous Panther platforms, this one is the Rock of Gibraltar--more rigid by half, less prone to body shivers and subassembly squirm.

That's mainly due to a new frame with straight side rails and beefier crossmembers. But some of the credit goes to the Tokico nitrogen, monotube shocks--mounted outboard of the frame rails at the rear--as well as firmer anti-roll-bar bushings in front, less rubbery body-to-frame bushings, rear load-leveling air springs, and front springs lifted from the Vic police cruiser. All of which works effectively through inch BFG rubber, delivering 0.

On back-country roads, you feel it instantly: The Marauder is firm, flat, stable, composed. Roll control is terrific for a sedan so large, especially useful in tomph sweepers, where the nose takes a set and is prescient about tracing a single, clean arc.

On-ramps are a ball. Over Michigan's ruined roads, the ride is on the city limits of brash. Your backside feels every pothole, though the displacements rarely roll up your spine to register as jarring. Add first comment. Now Buzzing. Electric Vehicles. What's Hot. Car Advice.

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