Detroit, 8:51 PM
Tue Dec 1
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1969 Mercury Marauder X-100, 1968 Chrysler 300 Go To Crusher Side By Side |
The Ten Scariest-Looking Cars Of All Time |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
Jalopnik 
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
10/30/08
10/30/08
It just makes me want to have kids so I have the "need"(excuse) for a Roadmaster. Wait, the kids part might be scary.
Enjoy that thing over there though.
10/30/08
10/30/08
10/30/08