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I had no idea they even existed until yesterday, they were made for a driving school and there is only 18 made. Has anyone ever ridden/driven one? Pics below.
If the info is correct they come stock with 6 point roll cage, mustang cobra wheels, motor and tranny.
Except for the shifter, it looks a lot like the old jet-black Mercury Marauder from the late 1990s, which used the same platform, body, and much of the interior....though I notice that Roush used the white Mustang gauges instead of a white version of the Crown Vic ones like the Marauder. I did a review/test-drive of the Marauder, but that was in the days before I had joined CL.
Which Mustang Cobra motor?? The supercharged one??? That would be interesting and pretty darn fast. The DOCH 4.6 V8 Cobra motor(no supercharger) was put in the Marauder like Marshall said, and it wasn't fast. Faster than other Grand Marquis/Crown Vic at the time, but I wouldn't call low 15 second et's fast, even for 2003.
omg lol yea i had no idea about this until like a few months ago, forgot about it but was just reminded from this thread. i think i discovered it because for the l0lz i was looking up how much of a production it would be to convert the vic to a manual or something, and someone linked to the roush vic which already did just that.
with 350hp / 316tq i'm going to guess it's definitely not supercharged, and probably doesn't feel that fast either. the crown vic just can't help but make people smile, for whatever reason it may be. anyone who gets in mine starts off with a slightly puzzled look of why'd you buy this giant pos, and if i can't convey the message with words this usually does the trick lol:
I've owned a couple of 90's GM B-body cars, always was impressed with the LT1 V8, made lots of torque, felt quick and could lay a mean patch of rubber without using the brakes stock. Way better engine/tranny than the Ford 4.6 in the Crown Vic IMO.
Thing is, when Ford redid that chassis in 2002 or 2003, added rack and pinion steering, holy crap did it transform the Crown Vic(and Town Car/Mercury). Yeah they still didn't have that fun, silly instant torque of the old GM cars, but man they drove/handled great. Never thought a big car could actually be nimble and have great steering feel.
Really wish GM hadn't canceled the fun in 1996. They were really on to something good with the Impala SS IMO. Really wish that car had lived on for another generation with the LS1 V8, updated chassis with rack and pinion steering and a more conventional body shape(1991 Caprice was UGLY IMO).
I've owned a couple of 90's GM B-body cars, always was impressed with the LT1 V8, made lots of torque, felt quick and could lay a mean patch of rubber without using the brakes stock. Way better engine/tranny than the Ford 4.6 in the Crown Vic IMO.
Well, the LT1 was a 5.7L pushrod engine...a modern version of the old Chevy 350 from my high-school days. The Ford 4.6L was smaller, OHC, higher-revving, and simply did not have the 5.7L's torque, especially at low RPMs. I agree that, with it, the Marauder was not the high-performance machine to match its image...I said so back then in my review and test-drive.
Thing is, when Ford redid that chassis in 2002 or 2003, added rack and pinion steering, holy crap did it transform the Crown Vic(and Town Car/Mercury). Yeah they still didn't have that fun, silly instant torque of the old GM cars, but man they drove/handled great. Never thought a big car could actually be nimble and have great steering feel.
Some years ago, I remember test-driving the previous-generation Crown Vic (before the changes you noted) for a friend of mine who took me shopping with him...he was interested in an older, used big American sedan. It had about as much feel and response in the steering as overcooked pasta.....and absolutely terrible handling. I suspect that Ford deliberately kept the steering effort very low because of the large number of senior citizens (outside of the police) who bought Vics and the similar Mercury Grand Marquis....people with weak, arthritic, and possibly painful shoulders and arms.
Really wish GM hadn't canceled the fun in 1996. They were really on to something good with the Impala SS IMO. Really wish that car had lived on for another generation with the LS1 V8, updated chassis with rack and pinion steering and a more conventional body shape(1991 Caprice was UGLY IMO).
You can thank the truck/SUV-fans for that. Production of the big RWD GM sedans at the Arlington, TX plant was cancelled so the plant could be re-tooled and crank out more of those trucks and SUVs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that we don't see a repeat of that at the Detroit Hamtramck plant, which builds GM's large sedans today (and the Chevrolet Volt). SUV/truck demand, nationwide, is running through the roof....just like it was 20 years ago. Ford has already announced plans to drop all of its American-market sedans/hatchbacks except for the Mustang.
Well, the LT1 was a 5.7L pushrod engine...a modern version of the old Chevy 350 from my high-school days. The Ford 4.6L was smaller, OHC, higher-revving, and simply did not have the 5.7L's torque, especially at low RPMs. I agree that, with it, the Marauder was not the high-performance machine to match its image...I said so back then in my review and test-drive.
Some years ago, I remember test-driving the previous-generation Crown Vic (before the changes you noted) for a friend of mine who took me shopping with him...he was interested in an older, used big American sedan. It had about as much feel and response in the steering as overcooked pasta.....and absolutely terrible handling. I suspect that Ford deliberately kept the steering effort very low because of the large number of senior citizens (outside of the police) who bought Vics and the similar Mercury Grand Marquis....people with weak, arthritic, and possibly painful shoulders and arms.
You can thank the truck/SUV-fans for that. Production of the big RWD GM sedans at the Arlington, TX plant was cancelled so the plant could be re-tooled and crank out more of those trucks and SUVs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that we don't see a repeat of that at the Detroit Hamtramck plant, which builds GM's large sedans today (and the Chevrolet Volt). SUV/truck demand, nationwide, is running through the roof....just like it was 20 years ago. Ford has already announced plans to drop all of its American-market sedans/hatchbacks except for the Mustang.
GM did not cancel their big, RWD cars because of truck and SUV fans. Those big cars were continually rated as poor by everyone who tested them, and totally behind all their competitor's full size offerings (except for the Impala SS). GM, at the time, was doing very well with their SUV's (Tahoe/Yukon/Blazer/Trailblazer), and so it made much more sense to cancel the car and go to truck production. But to insinuate it was the buying public who killed off the GM RWD is false. This was GM's own failure, replaced by another product they did well with and were making more money on.
GM did not cancel their big, RWD cars because of truck and SUV fans. Those big cars were continually rated as poor by everyone who tested them, and totally behind all their competitor's full size offerings (except for the Impala SS). GM, at the time, was doing very well with their SUV's (Tahoe/Yukon/Blazer/Trailblazer), and so it made much more sense to cancel the car and go to truck production. But to insinuate it was the buying public who killed off the GM RWD is false. This was GM's own failure, replaced by another product they did well with and were making more money on.
Personally I think it was GM's own fault. They were not financially stable enough to invest in both RWD and FWD large cars. Ford was stable enough to invest in both platforms, along with large trucks/suv's.
GM did not cancel their big, RWD cars because of truck and SUV fans. Those big cars were continually rated as poor by everyone who tested them, and totally behind all their competitor's full size offerings (except for the Impala SS). GM, at the time, was doing very well with their SUV's (Tahoe/Yukon/Blazer/Trailblazer), and so it made much more sense to cancel the car and go to truck production. But to insinuate it was the buying public who killed off the GM RWD is false. This was GM's own failure, replaced by another product they did well with and were making more money on.
Actually, it was pretty much as I described it. This article explains why. Also, police and taxi services liked the big RWD drive cars (and much of that market shifted to Ford after GM dropped their big cars). But much of the rest of the public was shifting to not only other types of sedans, but to trucks and SUVs as well. Tightening CAFE standards at the time (which did not apply to trucks and SUVs) also helped kill off the very largest of sedans....the GM versions were even larger than the Fords.
I was a kid but I would rent Caprice Classics for work. Nobody could understand why I liked them. I think I had a cab driving fantasy back then. It seemed like one day, they all just disappeared. Where did they all go (cabs in NYC)? I've heard Crown Vics are bulletproof, 400k miles, true duals. I just don't like the police wannabee image...
mmarshall......and absolutely terrible handling. I suspect that Ford deliberately kept the steering effort very low because of the large number of senior citizens (outside of the police) who bought Vics and the similar Mercury Grand Marquis....people with weak, arthritic, and possibly painful shoulders and arms.
What a bunch of hogwash. I owned a '95 Grd Marqius police version and wasn't a senior citizen. I had it when I lived Syracuse, NY the snowiest City in the NE. 130 inches of snow a year. I put on Blizzack snows and had 4 bags of sand in the trunk I made it to and back from work every day while passing by 4wd trucks/suvs in the ditch. . It was also the most comfortable Interstate cruiser you could ever want. Especially for snowbirds that criss crossed the country. It was a great vehicle for it's time
mmarshall......and absolutely terrible handling. I suspect that Ford deliberately kept the steering effort very low because of the large number of senior citizens (outside of the police) who bought Vics and the similar Mercury Grand Marquis....people with weak, arthritic, and possibly painful shoulders and arms.
What a bunch of hogwash. I owned a '95 Grd Marqius police version and wasn't a senior citizen. I had it when I lived Syracuse, NY the snowiest City in the NE. 130 inches of snow a year. I put on Blizzack snows and had 4 bags of sand in the trunk I made it to and back from work every day while passing by 4wd trucks/suvs in the ditch. . It was also the most comfortable Interstate cruiser you could ever want. Especially for snowbirds that criss crossed the country. It was a great vehicle for it's time
You misinterpreted what I was saying....please read carefully. It's not hogwash. There were several different versions of both the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis, if you include the Standard, taxi, police, and Marauder versions. The typical senior citizen (one of my uncles, in fact, had one) will usually be found in the standard versions, not the police or Marauder versions with their beefed-up steering, brakes, cooling systems, and suspensions. The standard versions (not the police) had feather-light steering that was, as I described (and stand by my statement)....like overcooked pasta.
And, yes, standard Vics and Grand Marquis, without the heavy-duty suspensions, were comfortable cruisers....I think we can both can on that. I was not implying anything differently.
My last company car was a Grand Marquis with much of the police equipment: heavy duty suspension, dual exhaust, traction control, uprated tires. It was quiet, comfortable, roomy, and had a huge trunk. It was great on the Interstate, but not so much everywhere else. My personal car at the time was a Lincoln LS. Better everywhere but on long interstate drives and interior room. The LS is a car Lincoln should bring back.
What a bunch of hogwash. I owned a '95 Grd Marqius police version and wasn't a senior citizen. I had it when I lived Syracuse, NY the snowiest City in the NE. 130 inches of snow a year. I put on Blizzack snows and had 4 bags of sand in the trunk I made it to and back from work every day while passing by 4wd trucks/suvs in the ditch. . It was also the most comfortable Interstate cruiser you could ever want. Especially for snowbirds that criss crossed the country. It was a great vehicle for it's time
ok let's be honest here, the crown vic was a poorly built giant outdated pile of crap even when it came out 40 years ago. it's 30 feet long yet has less rear leg room than a corolla, has a big crappy 8 cylinder engine that gulps down gas while giving you less power than a v6 camry and making about as much noise as a garbage truck, and is about as lavishly equipped as a lada.
the crappiness however i think results in awesomeness since simplicity can sometimes be refreshing in this age of ever increasing complexity. the low build quality also makes things very cheap and easy to fix, which is literally a big part of why police and taxi services love them. still kind of puzzles me why that became such a widely used taxi in Manhattan though, it's really a terrible car for a place like that where it's super crowded and your average speed is about 4 mph. but to say it was a great vehicle for its time, THAT is a load of hogwash.
the engines are pretty reliable though, but kind of in the same way you'll never pull a hamstring if all you do is sit on the couch. when a 4.6 liter V8 makes 230 hp it's not exactly straining itself is it lol... I can't speak for the older civ models but my 09 police version does actually handle quite well and takes bad bumps like a CHAMP! with my limited slip diff, snow tires, and some weight in the trunk it does also kick *** in the snow. I'm always trying to decide if it's the most crappy awesome car, or the most awesome crappy car...
Roush crown vic
