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Detroit, 9:26 PM
Fri Nov 20
28 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/25/09
I love big-block land-yachts. #1969
10/25/09
What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you take pleasure in making us cry!?!?
Love,
Tomsk #1969
10/25/09
10/25/09
10/25/09
The Marauder was Mercury's on-the-cheap attempt at a big personal coupe similar to the pre-1969 Grand Prix. It looked better than its Ford counterpart, but 1969 production didn't top 15,000 and in 1970 it dwindled to 6,000.
I like the Chrysler 300 better. This year was arguably the high point for the big Chrysler styling-wise, and the 300 was the coolest model even though it didn't have the performance of the departed 300-letter series. #1969
10/25/09
Aw, man - this is so sad. Both cars are collector-worthy. They're amongst the last attempts by Detroit to make sporty full-size coupes before the malaise set in. I particularly like the 300 - long, lean lines with front-end styling that should be in an art museum. Worth a picture, I'd say. #1969
10/25/09
10/25/09
@Ralph Wiley Is Poised: Yeah, full-size muscle cars were on their way out beginning in 1965 or so. Ponycars and intermediates became the favorites for performance, with souped-up compacts becoming popular a little later. The very last of the hot full-size breed was the 1971 Plymouth Sport Fury GT (see picture) with only 375 produced. #1969
10/25/09
In a way it made sense that the Big Three downsized their performance coupes -- smaller cars had a much better power-to-weight ratio. They also just plain looked the part better than increasingly baroque full-sized cars.
Exhibit A: The 1969 Marauder looks bipolar because designers attached Mercury's upright, Continentalesque front sheetmetal to a fastback bodystyle adorned with racy, bescooped hips.
The Marauder didn't work a whole lot better than the Sport Fury, whose pool table-sized hood and "donut" front bumper looked ungainly next to the taunt and curvy new mid-sized Road Runner. #1969
10/25/09
10/25/09
@DrLemming: As stephdumas says elsewhere in this thread, Plymouth had a VIP from 1966 through 1969. Plymouth may not have had a true luxury line for 1970 (though the Sport Fury somewhat made up for that role), but they did a very curious thing mid year. A low-line Fury II pillared coupe was given Sport Fury trim, had just about every option thrown at it, and was re-christened Gran Coupe with a price that was exceeded only by the Sport Fury GT. It sold pretty well and the experiment was repeated for 1971 as an option package for hardtop coupes. By 1972, a full line of luxury Gran Furys replaced the Sport Fury. #1969
10/25/09
I barely remember my folks' '70 four door sedan.
Green and huge. I recall the A/C being positively frostbite cold. Plus it had turn signal indicators on the fenders. Bonus points for a very smart design which has gone away.
...of course it's not like people use turn signals anymore, anyway. Hell, I feel like I should replace my rear bulbs because the amber is a little burned off the glass. #1969
10/26/09
10/25/09
...no, actually, there really isn't. Can't even blame it on smog, or CfCs, or the other usual culprits. #1969
10/25/09
10/25/09
10/25/09
*runs sobbing from screen*
10/25/09
OK People, if you want to know more about the Mercury Marauder X-100, here is an article I penned a while ago.
I haven't done one on this particular generation of Chrysler 300's, but here's one I did on the 300 Hurst.
While I can't possibly explain why either of these cars are now scrap metal bound for China, I will say that they would have made excellent LeMons racers..... #1969
10/25/09
Don't overdo it, though, or else two of the greatest budget cruisers will climb in price. Seriously, both the Marauder and the latter 300s are undervalued and make great boulevard cruisers. #1969
10/25/09
I remember seeing one, only one, of these, in my 41 years...35 of which I've been a dedicated car nut.
I'm not a FoMoCo fan, but like these, the late-50's Continentals, and the 70's Mercury Marquis.
10/25/09
Don't you have teams to torture instead of us, right now?
At least these can't be blamed on Cash for Clunkers... #1969
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
10/17/09
How well I know that feeling. Believe me, unless you have a copious and undying fascination for a marque, your eyes will glaze over into an addled stare within a half-hour of seeing one after another of, say, Corvettes, with the dealer sales sheet taped to the window, and the 'correct' chalk marks on the firewall, all to create the illusion of 'factory fresh'.
This is not to disparage those who love this stuff-there's something out there for everyone, and I'm sure some of my hobbies seem odd-but it's good to know I'm not the only car guy who feels this way. For me, a hot rod or custom show (even though I'm not involved in them) is vastly more entertaining. #1968
10/17/09