02 Marauder Convertible concept

[getmykicksina66]

has anyone seen one of these...they should have made it...ed

[DEFYANT]

"gee, that would've been kewl"


Yeah, it's been posted before.

[MMARAUDER]

i think they should of made a 2 door hardtop. really bring back the old muscle car look.

[offroadkarter]

Just search it


the car was sold at an auction at a new jersey ford dealer, its in a collection somewheres now

[-Matt-]

those rims are ugly compared to the "stock" ones we have. Merc did well on those (the rim selection) In fact, i dont really like any other rims on our cars.

[RR|Suki]

those rims are ugly compared to the "stock" ones we have. Merc did well on those (the rim selection) In fact, i dont really like any other rims on our cars.

There are a lot of wheels that look good on our cars, you just have to look outside the $200 a wheel price range

[gdmjoe]

getmykicksina66 - has anyone seen one of these...they should have made it...ed
Ummmmm ... there was only one produced.

And it sold on eBay® years ago.

16913

16911

16912

16914

[ImpalaSlayer]

Ummmmm ... there was only one produced.

And it sold on eBay® years ago.

16913

16911

16912

16914


those shots are intresting Joe

[bob6364]

interesting how Fords answer to the alt was to put it up high on the passenger side,haven't seen that before.
Didn't I read that this thing had nothing connecting the engine to the car...no drive line basically?

[RF Overlord]

If you did read that, it was wrong.

The convertible concept car was driveable, but was limited to 25 MPH. Since it was basically a production car with the roof chopped off and 2 rear doors removed, and had none of the necessary convertible strengthening and bracing, it would have been unsafe to drive normally.

This was not a fully executed car...it had no top and no glass other than the windscreen.

[O's Fan Rich]

It was fun talking to Steve Babcock about it.
He really wanted to make it a production car... but that Ford "Babe" shot it down along with her bean counters......

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

They only sold 11k marauders. They would have sold about 3 of those then. This world does not need an old style sedan made into a convert. There are no body lines to carry this car as a 2 door, the 4 door roof, is what makes the car look the way it does. Take that away and you have basically a tub on wheels w/ a marquis grille on the front.

[fastblackmerc]

They only sold 11k marauders. They would have sold about 3 of those then. This world does not need an old style sedan made into a convert. There are no body lines to carry this car as a 2 door, the 4 door roof, is what makes the car look the way it does. Take that away and you have basically a tub on wheels w/ a marquis grille on the front.

Actually Ford produced 11,052 Marauders from 2003 to 2004.

[O's Fan Rich]

They only sold 11k marauders. They would have sold about 3 of those then. This world does not need an old style sedan made into a convert. There are no body lines to carry this car as a 2 door, the 4 door roof, is what makes the car look the way it does. Take that away and you have basically a tub on wheels w/ a marquis grille on the front.

I would have bought one of the 3 then and had a very rare car.

[SC Cheesehead]

I would have bought one of the 3 then and had a very rare car.

I would have bought one of the other two and had it painted it DBP. ;)

[Bluerauder]

I would have bought one of the other two and had it painted it DBP. ;)
And my wife would have taken the 3rd and last one. She told me that some 6 years years ago when she saw the converible MM concept for the first time. :D

[MrBluGruv]

maybe I'm crazy, but I would rather like to see a Marauder made with rear fins and a rear-swept roof like they used to have on some of the REALLY old Marauders and turnpike cruisers and such. Might not turn out well, but I would love to at least see it to know.

[O's Fan Rich]

no maybe's about it........

If you got "photoshop" skills... have at it....

[LOWBUCKMM]

If you did read that, it was wrong.

The convertible concept car was driveable, but was limited to 25 MPH. Since it was basically a production car with the roof chopped off and 2 rear doors removed, and had none of the necessary convertible strengthening and bracing, it would have been unsafe to drive normally.

This was not a fully executed car...it had no top and no glass other than the windscreen.

but it is a full frame car. why would it need lots of extra bracing.

[Vortex]

I cant find it now but somewhere on here there are pics of a photoshop two door fastback Grand Marquis that looks great.

[Bluerauder]

I cant find it now but somewhere on here there are pics of a photoshop two door fastback Grand Marquis that looks great.
Someone also did a Marauder station wagon complete with woodgrain side paneling like the old LTD wagons.

[cruzer]

Somewhere I have a file on the convert. It gives a complete description of the planned production car. It was to have a completely redesigned under frame--almost twice as strong as the standard car---heavy duty suspension, a fast retract full convertible top, supercharged 390 hp engine and a heavy duty tranny.
As to the remarks about the "tub" and no sales---Ford reported over 17,000 pre-production orders in early 2002--mine was one---We had been promised , from the beginning, that the price was to be $ 29,995--no options. Shortly before the release of the first production cars, the dealers convinced Mercury to raise the price to $ 34,845. Many of us cancelled our orders--then, almost before the cars reached the dealers, pressure from Jaguar and Lincoln (the LS was on it's way) convinced Ford to withdraw all advertising from the Marauder and move it to their cars,, There was only ONE TV ad for the Marauder---you can't sell cars without advertising. They even had ads with a Marauder sitting in the middle of all the other cars--and there is no mention of the Marauder--just the other cars. This car was intentionally killed and ignored by Ford management. The Marauder became an orphan child with no parents. If Ford had supported the Marauder from the start, they would have sold thousands more and the convertible would have sold all they could produce----don't blame the car or Steve Babcock for the failure of the Marauder--it rests entirely on the greedy dealers and the jealousy between the Jaguar/Lincoln group and Mercury. I'm proud of my Marauder--it is everything Steve promised, and much more---LONG LIVE THE MARAUDER !!!!! Cruzer

[-Matt-]

Somewhere I have a file on the convert. It gives a complete description of the planned production car. It was to have a completely redesigned under frame--almost twice as strong as the standard car---heavy duty suspension, a fast retract full convertible top, supercharged 390 hp engine and a heavy duty tranny.
As to the remarks about the "tub" and no sales---Ford reported over 17,000 pre-production orders in early 2002--mine was one---We had been promised , from the beginning, that the price was to be $ 29,995--no options. Shortly before the release of the first production cars, the dealers convinced Mercury to raise the price to $ 34,845. Many of us cancelled our orders--then, almost before the cars reached the dealers, pressure from Jaguar and Lincoln (the LS was on it's way) convinced Ford to withdraw all advertising from the Marauder and move it to their cars,, There was only ONE TV ad for the Marauder---you can't sell cars without advertising. They even had ads with a Marauder sitting in the middle of all the other cars--and there is no mention of the Marauder--just the other cars. This car was intentionally killed and ignored by Ford management. The Marauder became an orphan child with no parents. If Ford had supported the Marauder from the start, they would have sold thousands more and the convertible would have sold all they could produce----don't blame the car or Steve Babcock for the failure of the Marauder--it rests entirely on the greedy dealers and the jealousy between the Jaguar/Lincoln group and Mercury. I'm proud of my Marauder--it is everything Steve promised, and much more---LONG LIVE THE MARAUDER !!!!! Cruzer



This makes me proud to be an owner with you!

[Embassy]

The Marauder became an orphan child with no parents. If Ford had supported the Marauder from the start, they would have sold thousands more and the convertible would have sold all they could produce----don't blame the car or Steve Babcock for the failure of the Marauder--it rests entirely on the greedy dealers and the jealousy between the Jaguar/Lincoln group and Mercury. I'm proud of my Marauder--it is everything Steve promised, and much more---LONG LIVE THE MARAUDER !!!!! Cruzer

Well said, sir.

[RF Overlord]

but it is a full frame car. why would it need lots of extra bracing.I never said it would need "lots" of extra bracing.

All convertibles need extra bracing compared to the hardtop version. The roof is an integral part of the body structure, providing support and stiffness. When you remove the solid roof and replace it with a flexible one, you lose that integrity.

[O's Fan Rich]

I never said it would need "lots" of extra bracing.

All convertibles need extra bracing compared to the hardtop version. The roof is an integral part of the body structure, providing support and stiffness. When you remove the solid roof and replace it with a flexible one, you lose that integrity.

Yep. Steve said it flexed way too much.
But they had the fix worked out.

Damn shame......

[CoreyM75]

It is too bad that they did not come out with the convt. I remember when the pictures came out and my father (only bought 1 new car in his life) went to Harold Ziegler LM and tried to order one. He loved that look on the car. He liked the 4 door, but the convertible would have made him buy one new. He never got to buy one because he was not convinced that the Marauder was worth the 36k that they were charging for them at the time. Even when they were used, he told me that they were overpriced for his tastes.

I really believe that the Marauder was marketed less than a average yard sale. I understand why it was not marketed, but what a waste of a potential money making car.

[SC Cheesehead]

I never said it would need "lots" of extra bracing.

All convertibles need extra bracing compared to the hardtop version. The roof is an integral part of the body structure, providing support and stiffness. When you remove the solid roof and replace it with a flexible one, you lose that integrity.

Yup, and consequently convertilbes are heavier as well. Usually 150 to 300 lbs, which would have put the MM covert. up around 4,500 lbs, would have needed the S/C for sure.

[JUST 1BULLITT]

I'm pretty SURE I saw this Convertible in 2002 at the "Lincoln Event" ("Navigator Grill" is what Lincoln used to call these..) at the 2002 WOODWARD Dream Cruise -- it was in a big Park on the West side of WOODWARD Ave. towards the Pontiac end of the route...it looked really cool, but I can't find any pics I took of it...:( They also had some sweet vintage Lincolns and Thunderbirds there too as I recall...Those were the days; then ALL the Big 3 were spending money advertising their products and "saluting" their heritage as well -- it was far different there this year...though FORD Did a great job w/ that "Mustang Alley!"