MERCURY TO BRING BACK MARAUDER AS A 2003 MODEL

CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2001 -- Mercury will bring back the Marauder, an iconic vehicle from the brand's past, in the form of a four-door, five-passenger performance sedan powered by a V-8 engine expected to produce more than 300 horsepower. The Marauder is expected to reach Lincoln Mercury showrooms in the early summer of 2002 as a 2003 model.

"Mercury Marauder doesn't take a lot of explaining. It's fast, it's black and it looks cool," says Ben Gibert, director of Mercury vehicles. Based on a concept vehicle at the 1998 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, the production Mercury Marauder will have impressive performance credentials:

• 4.6-liter dual overhead cam V-8 engine producing more than 300 horsepower and 300 foot-pounds of torque; true dual exhaust • Four-speed automatic transmission with a high stall speed torque converter and 3.55 rear axle with limited-slip differential • Performance suspension; 18-inch forged aluminum alloy wheels shod with high performance all-season tires (P235/50ZR18 front and P245/55ZR18 rear); winged Mercury god's head logo embossed in the wheel center caps • A 140-mph speedometer, 7,000-rpm tachometer, temperature and oil pressure gauges and voltmeter