The 1963 Mercury Marauder “fastback” two-door hardtop represented the beginning of a new era for the Ford Motor Company. The utilitarian sensibilities of its former leader, Robert McNamara, were eclipsed by an emphasis on sporty cars with more powerful engines, bucket seats and floor shifters. However, the big Mercury was still a half-hearted effort to maintain a foothold in the premium-priced, big-car class without spending a whole lot of money on it.
The Marauder shown here sported a new hardtop design introduced mid year on both Mercurys and Fords (Langworth, 1987). This was a welcome addition to the Mercury lineup because it was the only alternative to the “Breezeway” roofline the rest of the big Mercurys were stuck with in 1963. The slanted-backward C-pillar offered the practical advantage of an opening rear window, but it also looked rather weird — particularly in two-door form.
One could charitably call the 1963 Mercury a clever way to share an unusual amount of sheetmetal with the low-priced Ford. The hood and doors appear to use the same sheetmetal as the Ford with an interesting exception.
Mercury grafts its way to distinctiveness
In the photos below of a 1963 Mercury and Ford, note how the Mercury’s hood appears to have an identical shape but includes an added sheetmetal lip at its base above the grille. This allowed the grille to be lower and more concave than the Ford’s.
By the same token, a small ridge was added to the doors just below the beltline. This was in contrast to the front and rear fenders where the ridge was integrated into the sheetmetal (although a crease was added to maintain continuity with the sheetmetal break on the door).
The ridge, which stretched the length of the car, helped give the Mercury a surprisingly distinctive look despite sharing more parts with its low-priced sibling than any other premium-priced car in 1963.
The 1963 Mercury’s design was colored by ironies
Ford’s cost-cutting showed up in other ways. The Mercury’s wheelbase was given a meager one-inch stretch from the Ford and its length was increased by five inches. That can mainly be seen in the Mercury’s more tapered deck, which featured tripod taillights vaguely reminiscent of a 1959 Edsel.
This is ironic because in 1961 the Mercury was shifted downmarket to compete in the price bracket where the discontinued Edsel had been. Might Mercury have inherited some design concepts originally meant for the Edsel?
Another irony is that the 1963 big Mercury had less unique sheetmetal than the brand’s compact Comet and mid-sized Meteor. Perhaps not surprisingly, the big Mercury’s output barely reached 121,000 units — below even the depressed levels of 1958-60. Roughly 306,000 Mercurys left the factory in 1963 only because of the Comet and Meteor, which contributed 60 percent of total output.
Mercury’s big cars didn’t rebound until 1965, when they once again received completely unique sheetmetal and a broader lineup. But even in the peak year of 1969 big cars made up less than 46 percent of the brand’s total output.
In the long run Ford’s future belonged to smaller cars, so McNamara was arguably correct to shift the automaker’s resources away from the premium-priced, big-car class. Ford’s designers also deserve at least a few points for coming up with a clever way to give the 1963 Mercury greater distinctiveness on a tight budget.
That said, tacked-on sheetmetal differentiation did not prove to have much staying power as a design approach. I’m hard-pressed to think of another American car that has used it since the 1963-64 Mercury.
NOTES:
Production figures, specifications and prices were drawn from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (2006), Gunnell (2002) and Wikipedia (2020).
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 2006. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International; Lincolnwood, Ill.
- Consumer Reports; 1963. “Auto Buying Guide for 1963.”
- Gunnell, John; 2002. Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Revised 4th Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Langworth, Richard M. and auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1987. The Complete History of Ford Motor Company. Beckman House.
- Wikipedia; 2020. “U.S. Automobile Production Figures.” Page past modified Oct. 4.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Mercury (1963)
- oldcarbrochures.org: Edsel (1959); Mercury (1961, 1963)
The Mercury Marauder and S-55 were trying to compete with Pontiacs Catalinas / Venturas / Grand Prixs, Oldsmobile Super 88s, Buick Wildcats, Dodge Polaras and Chrysler 300s. Plus, Marauder “slantbacks (1963-and-1/2s and 1964s) were equipped with 410-h.p. / 427-cu.-in. “Marauder” V-8s so that they were eligible for Bud Moore’s and Bill Stroppe’s N.A.S.C.A.R. (and U.S.A.C.) teams with Joe Weatherly, Darrell Derringer and Parnelli Jones. Weatherly’s Mercury clinched the Grand National title after he transitioned from Pontiac in 1963 until his tragic death in 1964 at Riverside.
I thought it was to take on the chev impala ss. Same tail lights, same size, same wide stance.
Ford cancelled Mercury line, yet Canada ask ford to let them continue.
They said yes, but they needed to use Galaxy’s parts. Also it was the last year of tail fins…sad.
I have a 1964 Mercury Meteor same body style other then mine has a bonnet top.
Could you clarify? What year, what Mercury model?
One thing about the graph concerning the Comet: Ford introduced the Comet in March, 1960. Edsel production ended the last week of November, 1959, but other than pre-production prototypes, I do not believe any Comets were badged as Edsels. I remember hearing the announcement and the in-studio TV “unveiling” by Ruth Lyons on her “50 / 50 Club” over the Crosley Broadcasting Company’s WLW-AM, WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, WLWD-TV, Dayton, WLWC-TV, Columbus and WLWI-TV, Indianapolis. If I remember correctly, the date was Thursday, March 17th, 1960.
Very good article on the Marauder. I have a 1964 Marauder I am restoring
Just a great car, all around especially there S 55.
Marauders and the Marquis were some huge horsepower buggies. My great aunt had a 63 4door marauder could fit a small family in it.gas was .39 a gallon back then so no bigee
You don’t say the year this was. I lived in Chicago then and gas was closer to .32. I live in NW Illinois and gas here is 3.90. North in Wisconsin it’s 3.50, and in Iowa 3.35. You knock off a nickel or so for preferred customer discount and taking inflation into consideration, gas is only slightly higher than 63. You’d probably have to go to some 3500 cla 4×4 to find something approaching the Marauder’s mileage, if that. Hell, my wife’s Grand Cherokee can get over 25 mpg on the highway/