Mercury Marauder Convertible Concept

First seen as a concept car at the 1998 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Mercury Marauder 4-door sedan would be introduced in the summer of 2002 as a 2003 model. Named after the original Mercury Marauder introduced in 1963, tihs new version was a high-performance variant of the Mercury Grand Marquis, powered by a 300-horsepower 4.6-liter double-overhead cam V8 with 300 foot-pounds of torque with a 4-speed automatic transmission, 3.55:1 rear end, a performance suspension, and 18-inch wheels with high-performance tires. As the release of the production Marauder approached, Mercury debuted a new concept for a 5-passenger 2-door convertible version of the Marauder, made possible by a newly-fortified frame for the new 2003 production models. In addition to the new body style, the Marauder Convertible Concept also featured a supercharged version of the 300-horsepower 4.6-liter double-overhead cam V8 producing 355 horsepower and 355 foot-pounds of torque, a lowered suspension and a power-operated roof that was stored under a hard tonneau cover.