The redesigned 1963 Mercurys were simply upscale Fords, yet I have a special fondness for the one-year-only 1964 Montclair Marauder 4-door hardtop model pictured above. Purchased in 1966 by my dad, it was his first car with air conditioning.
An acknowledged tweak to the 1963 model, the 1964 outward styling added a convex grille and pointed front fenders which better facilitated the accent "fin" at the rear, providing an accelerating, forward look. Out back the round taillights got flattened into ovals. Aside from my dad's "pink champaign" car color (officially Pink Frost), the image above is the same. The most distinctive feature for me is the stylish C-chrome piece to facilitate the extra two doors, something the 1963 fastback models did not offer. It softens the overall roof line and is not as jolting as the more common "welded-in-place" 2-door fastbacks. I cannot attest to the exact engine specs on the car pictured, but my dad's car came with the 4-barrel/390ci/300hp version.
Note: The 1964 Mercury possessed a more aggressive appearance than the soft, bloated Fords of the same year. The Marauder's two checkboard racing flags emblem, forward the front wheels, added a faux excitement to me as a youth.
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