29: Mercury Marauder
In 2003, the market for performance cars was waning. With the Camaro and Firebird being discontinued in 2002 the guys at Ford figured out that there was an opening for a performance sedan. The Marauder is basically a rebadged Crown Victoria, albeit quite a few menacing touches were added. The smoked headlights and taillights are the first sign that this is not your average police car or taxi cab. The 4.6-liter DOHC V-8 threw out 302 hp, and the rear-wheel-drive design was welcomed. The problem is that the car was basically still a Crown Vic with little to differentiate the two.

Had the Marauder experienced a longer product cycle with a more unique design, it might have been a lot more popular. There was no real competition for a sedan like this at the time, which meant that Ford could corner the market. But the company wasn’t trying to compete with the already existing Mustang. The Mercury brand was also going in another direction at the time where it was trying to focus on female buyers. Failed ideas in the automotive world come and go, and the Mercury Marauder was one of them.