Category Archives: Mercury

Racing History – The Manufacturers – Mercury Part II

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There was another dry spell which lasted until 1963 when Mercury took one Grand National NASCAR race using the 427 c.i.d for the first time.  The followed that up with 5 wins the next year as well as a good showing at the drag strip with the Comet Boss 427 Dragster:

Comet at the Drags

1965 was a tragic year. Billy Wade (1963 Rookie of the Year) is killed during a tire test at Daytona, he was part of the Bud Moore Mercury team and had become the first driver to win four NASCAR Grand National events in a row.    Mercury ended the year with only 1 Grand National win, however, Fords and Mercurys took the top 13 positions, while Chrysler sat out that season over the new rules that were meant to eliminate the use of some of its engines.

The 1966 highlight was the selection of the Cyclone GT was the Official Pace Car for that years Indy 500.

Cyclone GT 1966 Indy 500 Pace Car

More coming up

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

mercury comet

Large and small saloon cars will top show

Franco Scribante will be out in his Ford Mustang GT350, as will rally ace Leeroy Poulter in the Ford Thunderbolt, Hennie Groenewald (Plymouth Fury), Jonathan du Toit (Chev Nova) and Carel Pienaar (Mercury Comet). Also able to fight for podium places …

The Marauder

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I like off –beat cars. By that I mean, the ones nobody thinks about immediately.  Some of those are cars like, Studebakers, Edsels, and Mercurys.

A few years ago, actually shortly after we moved to Tucson, AZ., I was at the local Safeway and I saw this black car moving through the
parking lot.  I was on foot and I hurried to the end of the parking row to see if I could catch the manufacturer and
model.   To my surprise that sports-roof-like, long black car was a Mercury Marauder!!  It was beautiful.  I’m still not sure what
year it was but I believe it was a 1969 and possibly an X-100, but I can’t be sure.

'69 Marauder

I’m not totally unfamiliar with Mercury’s, having lived with grandparents who  for years would only buy
that Ford brand – mainly the Marques and other 4 door models. Frankly back then I wasn’t all that impressed.
But the Marauder, like the Cougar, wasn’t your grandparent’s car!

So coming up is my write-up on the Mercury Marauder.

Thanks for reading

Tim