1970 · Mercury · United States
1970 Mercury Marauder and X-100: the generation's last year
The second and last year of the 1969-70 Marauder: production fell to about a third of 1969's, with the X-100 near half of it.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
Hooniverse gives 6,043 Marauders for 1970, of which 2,646 were the X-100 variant, nearly 44 percent of the year's total, making the X-100 a substantial share of overall Marauder output rather than a rare, low-volume special edition sitting on top of a much larger base-model run. This record's own dek describes 1970 as the second and last year of the 1969-70 Marauder generation, and states that production fell to about a third of 1969's volume, a comparison this record carries directly from its own framing of the year rather than as a separately derived figure, since neither Wikipedia's approximate 1969 sales figure nor the exact 1970 Hooniverse production count are presented in the same units or basis.1,2
All 1970 Marauders together, Marauder and X-100 combined, total 6,043, a two-door hardtop population this record's own production note describes as resting on a single secondary source, since no factory production record and no owners'-registry figure was found anywhere to check the Hooniverse count against, leaving that single article as this record's sole authority for the year's total. Within that total, the X-100 specifically accounts for 2,646 cars, built with the 429 four-barrel V8 and an automatic transmission as its own documented configuration, a scope this record's own production row keeps distinct from the plainer non-X-100 Marauders that made up the remainder of the 6,043, leaving the base Marauder's own separate count implicit as the difference between the two published figures rather than a number stated outright anywhere in the source.1
Two engines are documented for the year. The 429-cu-in V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, rated 360 hp SAE gross, is stated for the X-100 in this record's engine entry, and Lincoln-Mercury's own 1970 full-line brochure, marketing material, prints the same 429-4V at 360 hp at 4600 rpm as the X-100's standard engine, with Select-Shift automatic. The brochure also fills what was previously a gap for the roughly 3,400 non-X-100 Marauders: it lists them with a 390-2V V-8 rated 265 hp at 4400 rpm and a 3-speed manual transmission, and its text calls the plain Marauder a thriftier approach powered by a husky 390 cubic inch V-8. Those figures are carried in the specifications section, and no price is recorded for either car.2
The brochure's Marauder pages describe the roof with a tunneled rear window, an optional two-tone treatment on the rear deck, and for the X-100 luxury wheel covers, rear wheel fender skirts and belted wide-tread white sidewall tires. They say the X-100 offers two totally different interiors at no extra cost, the standard all-vinyl hi-back bucket seats with a center sports console or Twin Comfort lounge seats, with an electric clock, luxury rim blow steering wheel, bright seat side shields and front door courtesy lights, while the Marauder has a cloth-and-vinyl bench seat and dark teakwood vinyl appliques on the instrument panel. These items are recorded in the options, interiors and specifications sections, and the shared 121 in wheelbase and 219.1 in length appear in the table.
The brochure shows no Marauder color chart, so the paint section stays empty, and it prints no prices and no option or paint codes. Its options and accessories page shows items for the whole Mercury line without saying which apply to the Marauder, so none of them is attributed to it. A brochure describes what was offered, not what was built, and the record's production counts still rest on the single Hooniverse article. No performance-test data or identification detail was found, and this record still cannot say how many of the 6,043 cars carried the two-tone rear deck or the Twin Comfort seats.1
Fact sheet · 1970 · United States
The numbers
1970 Mercury Marauder and Marauder X-100 — The second and last year of the 1969-70 Marauder: production fell to about a third of 1969's, with the X-100 near half of it.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
- X-100: 2,646 of 6,043 1970 Marauders (Hooniverse).1
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 1970 Marauders1 Marauder and X-100 · 2-door hardtop · as published | 6,043 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marauder X-1001 X-100 · 2-door hardtop · 429 4V · automatic · as published | 2,646 | built, model-year | Reported |
Rows are separately scoped; single secondary source; no factory or registry figure was found.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 429 V8 4-bbl2 429 cu in · 4-barrel | 360 hp (SAE gross) | X-100 | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Two-tone treatment on the rear deck [optional] | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Twin Comfort lounge seats on the Marauder X-100, in place of the standard all-vinyl hi-back bucket seats and center sports console [choice offered at no extra cost] | — | Not yet sourced |
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Marauder X-100 all-vinyl hi-back bucket seats with center sports console (standard) | Not yet sourced |
|
Marauder X-100 Twin Comfort lounge seats (choice at no extra cost) | Not yet sourced |
|
Marauder cloth-and-vinyl bench seat interior, with dark teakwood vinyl appliques on the instrument panel | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Standard engine | 429-4V V-8 | Marauder X-100 2-door hardtop |
| Horsepower | 360 @ 4600 hp @ rpm | Marauder X-100 2-door hardtop |
| Standard transmission | Select-Shift automatic | Marauder X-100 2-door hardtop |
| Wheelbase | 121 in | Marauder X-100 2-door hardtop |
| Overall length | 219.1 in | Marauder X-100 2-door hardtop |
| Luggage capacity | 18.0 cu ft | Marauder X-100 2-door hardtop |
| Standard equipment noted in the text | luxury wheel covers; rear wheel fender skirts; belted wide-tread white sidewall tires; electric clock; luxury rim blow steering wheel; bright seat side shields; front door courtesy lights | Marauder X-100 2-door hardtop |
| Standard engine | 390-2V V-8 | Marauder (non-X-100) 2-door hardtop |
| Horsepower | 265 @ 4400 hp @ rpm | Marauder (non-X-100) 2-door hardtop |
| Standard transmission | 3-speed manual | Marauder (non-X-100) 2-door hardtop |
| Wheelbase | 121 in | Marauder (non-X-100) 2-door hardtop |
| Overall length | 219.1 in | Marauder (non-X-100) 2-door hardtop |
| Luggage capacity | 18.0 cu ft | Marauder (non-X-100) 2-door hardtop |
Identification
Read a 1970 Mercury VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1970
- AMC AMX The last two-seat AMX: a restyled nose, a 360 base V8 and a 325-hp 390. At 4,116 cars it was the rarest of the three two-seat years.
- AMC Javelin Penske and Donohue brought the Javelin to Trans-Am, and the showroom answered with 2,501 Mark Donohue Javelins and 100 red-white-blue Trans Am Javelins, while total production fell to 28,210.
- AMC Rebel and Rebel Machine AMC's intermediate supercar: a 340-hp 390, four-speed and Hurst shifter in the Rebel hardtop, first in white with red-white-blue stripes. Totals reported for the one-year run range from about 1,200 to 2,326.
- Buick Riviera The 455 (370 hp gross) arrived with a restyle; production fell to about 37,300 with some 3,505 GS cars.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's GS went to a 455 rated at 510 lb-ft, the Stage 1 option added 10 advertised hp, and a mid-year GSX package was built 678 times in two colors.
- Buick Wildcat The final Wildcat, Custom trim only, with the 370-hp 455; 23,645 built.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The year the Chevelle Super Sport split into RPO Z25 SS 396 and RPO Z15 SS 454, with the LS6 454 rated at 450 gross horsepower.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last year the source engine table lists the big-block (as 402) in the Nova. Enthusiast-compiled production: 307,280 cars; Super Sport 19,558.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS The Malibu/Custom El Camino could carry either RPO Z25 SS 396 or RPO Z15 SS 454, including the 450 hp LS6; the El Camino share is not separately published.
- Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS The first Monte Carlo, with the SS 454 as RPO Z20: 3,823 of 145,976 Monte Carlos per Chevrolet-report-derived tables.
- Dodge Challenger Dodge's first pony car arrived as a 1970 model with nine advertised engines, base, SE, R/T, and R/T SE hardtops, two convertibles, and a one-year Trans-Am homologation special, the T/A.
- Dodge Charger The last year of the second-generation body: a new full-width grille, three series (Charger, 500, R/T), the 440 Six Pack added to the R/T, and production roughly half of 1969's.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The final Coronet-based R/T and Super Bee: the R/T fell to 2,615 cars, while the Super Bee added a 3-speed manual and kept its Six Pack and Hemi options.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon With the GTS gone, the Swinger 340 was the only performance Dart; it kept front discs, Rallye suspension and a twin-scoop hood and sold about 13,800 beside the new Challenger.
- Ford Fairlane The last Fairlane year: the name survived only on the Fairlane 500 beneath the new Torino, with a mid-year Falcon sharing the body at the bottom of the range.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber appearance and tire package arrived in mid-1970 on the new two-door Maverick; no Grabber count for 1970 was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Torino-based Ranchero GT could take the 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet; reference counts give 3,905 GTs, while Barn Finds rounds the GT figure to about 3,600 of 21,640 Rancheros.
- Ford Thunderbird The 429 at 360 hp was the standard and only engine listed in the 1970 catalog.
- Ford Torino A new, longer body on a 117-inch wheelbase; the Torino Cobra became its own model with the 429, offered in 360, 370 (Cobra Jet) and 375 (Super Cobra Jet) horsepower forms.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone A new, longer Montego-based Cyclone in three versions: the 429 Cyclone, the small-block Cyclone GT that outsold both others, and the Ram Air 429 Cobra Jet Cyclone Spoiler.
- Mercury Cougar The last first-generation Cougar moved to the 351 Cleveland, kept the Boss 302 as an Eliminator-only engine, and built 2,268 Eliminators.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 got a standard 455 rated at 365 hp, the W-30 went to 370 hp, and the small-block W-31 moved to the Cutlass and F-85 coupes.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The E-body redesign split the line into Barracuda, Gran Coupe, and 'Cuda hardtops and convertibles, put every Chrysler performance engine through the 426 Hemi on the order form, and added the one-year AAR 'Cuda for Trans-Am homologation.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 Plymouth's new Valiant-based fastback coupe arrived with a 275 hp 340 performance model priced at $2,547; the Standard Catalog lineage counts 24,817 Duster 340s among 217,192 Dusters.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite Now hardtop-only, the GTX fell to 7,748 cars while its 440 Six Barrel option cost just $119.
- Plymouth Road Runner Production halved from 1969, the 440 Six Barrel became a regular option, and the winged Superbird was built as a Road Runner hardtop to put Plymouth back on NASCAR superspeedways.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am A late-arriving, coupe-only second generation: 48,739 Firebirds, 3,196 of them Trans Ams, and 88 Ram Air IVs.
- Pontiac GTO A new Endura nose, a 455 added beside the three 400s, and GTO production falling to 40,149.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The SJ took a 370 hp 455, Hurst built the SSJ, and production fell to 65,750.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The T-37 and GT-37 bring budget performance to the Tempest.