1967-1973 Mercury Cougar

The fiercest Cougar was an Eliminator fitted with blacked-out grille, side stripes, a spoiler and Ford’s 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air

by Marit Anne Peterson

This Ivy Green cougar is a 1969 XR7 equipped with a 428 CJ with functional ram air.

It was Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1967, and Car Life called it a “Mustang with class.” Yet the Mercury Cougar has been mostly overlooked by collectors, and this relative of Ford’s iconic pony car hasn’t yet ascended to the heights of valuation that many other muscle cars have. This is good news for the budget-minded collector, as it’s still possible to acquire a pretty nice Cougar for what would be a pittance in Hemi country. The Cougar debuted for 1967 as a two-door hardtop, with an aerodynamic roofline and hide-away headlights. It was based on the Mustang, but with a stretched wheelbase and some suspension modifications for a more comfortable ride. Ford’s idea was to pursue the sports-luxury market, creating a serious rival for GM’s myriad upmarket muscle cars like the Buick Skylark GS and Oldsmobile 442. To this end Cougars could be had with better appointments than their Ford-badged cousins, with simulated leather bucket seats, a wood-rimmed...