When it came to the 70 Cougar, this was one of the most extraordinary models Mercury had put up on the American muscle car market. This magnificent line was launched back in ’67 as a reply to the upscale mission of Lincoln Mercury and it featured a Mustang chassis which would also have its size increased and going up to 111 inches now on the wheelbase. In order to have a more luxurious feel there were improvements made on the material this car was made of so that the noise inside the car would be lowered to even greater levels.

The 1970 Cougar was again in my opinion a really good model, but again it seemed it was always in an uphill battle in the marketplace, never quite receiving the acclaim of the more popular muscle cars. Thus the manufacturer considered that this was the time for them to make a move and try to really improve the power and performance of this years model. Thus they had a very nice engine put into the Cougar XR7 and the Cougar GT and it would be a 289 CID 2 and 4 barrel V8s, whilst being a high performance engine stacking up to 390 HP. One thing to mention about this is that the 289 HP V8 engine would never be available as an option.

The second go around proved to be one of the best for Cougar and they joined the market with some of their new models and those include the XR7G (the Dan Gurney Special), which would feature some very nice and amazing gold interior detailing. But even more than this, they had the GTE GT Eliminator which proved to be one of their most exotic cars ever. Under its hood you could find a 427 CID V8 engine. After little time there was another engine available this time named the 428 Cobra Jet engine, and thus the GTE would be rendered as the prelude of 1970s Cougar production.

Changes in styling included that the headlamps and the grille would be painted in a matte black and this decision was taken in order to have a greater and bolder look which would deliberately signify a performance car’s profile. Also the Ram Air hood scoop would be rendered functional still and the styled wheels would also not be gone, but this would prove to be available only with the 428 CJR.

When it came to the 69 Cougar, I really liked what they did with this model. They really tried with their other models to raise the stakes and compete with the giants of the industry, and given it all, they did a great job with that. Also, compared to other car manufacturers, they managed to sell a lot of models even though they were facing up with the federal laws regarding emissions by General Motors. Also, the insurance companies would also charge the buyers of these little beasts a lot when it came down to monthly payment, so yes, this surely took its toll on the American auto market but it was not enough to make the muscle car industry bow down on its knees (yet).

Thus with the arrival of the 69 Cougar, things changed a bit regarding styling and size. This new model had a wider body while still being supported on the 111 inch base. It also was longer and there were two more convertible offers available. The style though was not something dramatic to be seen in this year’s particular model and it would be something close to ordinary, especially when we are considering the grille. Keep in mind that it wasn’t until the 1970 model that leather faced seat upholstery was made standard as well as the full set of needle gauges; the car also featured blackout grilles. Regarding the GTE and the GT models, these were just converted to option packages and they would be available with or without the XR7 trim. Nonetheless, they were still continuing to come with the big block V8s.

A surprise for the hardtop was the new variation which was included featured the Eliminator package. This model had wide tires and wheels, unique tape striping, a rear deck lid spoiler, and the engine was Ford’s 300 HP 351 V8 engine. As well as the Mustangs, these were the last of true Cougar pony cars.

This year was also the time to that Mercury and Ford decided it would be a great idea to have their pony cars bulked up. This resulted in slower machines which were heavier thus not as sharp as they used to be. The only plus that they had compared to the faster models before, was the fact that they were more luxurious inside.

Thus there was a total of 66331 2 door hardtop models, 5796 convertibles, 4024 XR7 convertibles and 23918 XR7 2 door hardtops produced which still were impressive numbers.

What I feel is one of the most overlooked, but classic American muscle cars of its time was the 68 Cougar. Many of the Cougar models were not as highly regarded as compared to the Pontiac and Ford models, but I believe the 68 model was most likely the best produced in this series (in terms of power, weight and handling). The looks were also nice and streamlined, but not as bold (in my opinion anyway) as other more popular muscle cars of that time and era.

Thus the 1968 Cougar stepped into the scene being available as a 2 door hardtop and it was available in three different models. It was not until late 1969 that convertibles would be added on the shortlist.

When it came to the wheelbase of this year’s model, it was 3 in longer than that of the Mustang (111 inches in total). There were also some options you could go with in order to have a more luxurious variant of the Cougar. Thus, for as little as $200 more you could have more refined interiors for people to admire. When it came to the base price this car started at, you needed to scour your pockets for $2851. The 1968 Cougar featured a 200 BHP 289 CID V8 engine compared to that of a Mustang which would be a six. If you were a speed maniac or you just loved to have those adrenaline levels rushing through your body you could go with the massive 335 BHP 428 CID Cj option which would be available as an extra options starting with the 1970s model.

The best looking Cougars were those which featured the hidden headlamps within the electric shaver grille, the crispy tailored lines and a matching back panel with sequential turn signals, which were nonetheless a Ford Thunderbird gimmick. The width and length for these models had also been on the rise and they featured sweep spear body side contours reminiscent of those of the Buick, full width tail lights and a side glass which would not feature any vents.

Even though Mustang’s popularity was never to be touched by Cougar, it sported out a more elegant and solid look. Thus the production numbers in the first year reached 150000 units, 114000 units in 1968, 100000 in 1069 and something around 72000 in the 1970s.

With the 67 Cougar things really took a dramatic turn for Mercury. Thus with the introduction of the 67 sporty coupe things really took off.  The 67 Cougar would be advertised as the better alternative to the pony car mentality which would be present all around the US in this era. This new model was being designed to knock the socks off the American public, and compete with the giants at the time such as the beloved GTO and the Mustang. While common sense dictated that Mercury had zero chance of surpassing these American icons, they still had to make an honest effort.

But this car was not only good looking; it also had the power you would expect to find in a muscle car. It successfully raced in the NASCAR series and it actually won a few titles, which rendered it as a very reliable and fast car nonetheless. The car featured the 390 HP 427 CID V8 engine when it was first launched but then, after some time it had that replaced with the 428 Cobra Jet. The image would not be that of an American muscle car, but it would resemble more of that of a European luxury touring car. But it was not long before this model earned a solid reputation and a vast amount of respect and admiration from Americans, when in 1969 the Mercury Cougar Eliminator was launched and its appearance finally got the reputation Detroit iron deserved.

But as a matter of fact, not all Cougars would prove to be that powerful. The 428 had finally benefited from the relatively generous wheelbase it has been shielded with while in a full acceleration race, the 290 HP engine 302 was over-matched as a result of the Cougar’s weight. But when compared to the shorter Mustang, grip would be a little better nonetheless and the tests for the quarter mile showed that this car really had something stacked up for the long run.

You could find the 428 CID Cj paired or not with the RAM Air. If you wanted to have the standard scoop of the Eliminator used, you could only have that option that with the Ram Air.