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Mercury Cougar   by hi joiney

First generation 1967 70 First generation Production 1967 1970 Assembly Dearborn Michigan United States Body style s 2 door hardtop coupe 2 door convertible Layout FR layout Engine s 200 hp 149 kW 289 in V8 335 hp 250 kW 390 in V8 230 hp 172 kW 302 in V8 290 hp 216 kW 351 Windsor V8 335 hp 250 kW 428 in V8 390 hp 291 kW 427 in V8 Wheelbase 111 in 2819 mm Related Ford Mustang The 1967 Cougar was based on that year s refaced first generation Mustang but with a 3 inch 76 mm longer wheelbase and new sheet metal A full width divided grille with hidden headlamps and vertical bars defined the front fasciat was sometimes called the electric shaver grille At the rear a similar treatment saw the license plate surrounded on both sides with vertically slatted grillework concealing taillights with sequential turn signals a styling touch taken from the Thunderbird A deliberate effort was made to give the car a more European flavor than the Mustang at least to American buyers eyes Aside from the base model and the luxurious XR 7 only one trim package was available for either model the sporty GT The XR 7 model brought a wood grained steering wheel a simulated wood grained dashboard with a full set of black faced competition instruments and toggle switches an overhead console a T type center automatic transmission shifter and leather or vinyl seats The GT package meanwhile supplied a much larger engine Ford s 390 in 6 4 L FE series big block to replace the small block 289 in 4 7 L standard powerplant Along with this came an upgraded suspension to handle the extra weight of the big engine and give better handling more powerful brakes better tires and a low restriction exhaust system The Cougar was Motor Trend Magazine s Car of the Year for 1967 1969 Cougar The Cougar continued to be a Mustang twin for seven years and could be optioned as a genuine muscle car Nevertheless it gradually tended to shift away from performance and toward luxury evolving into something new in the market a plush pony car The signs were becoming clear as early as 1970 when a special edition styled by fashion designer Pauline Trigere appeared complete with a hound s tooth pattern vinyl roof A reskinning in 1971 saw the hidden headlights vanish for good although hidden wipers were adopted Between 1969 and 1973 Cougar convertibles were offered The introduction of the Cougar finally gave Mercury its own pony car Slotted between the Ford Mustang and the Ford Thunderbird the Cougar would be the performance icon and eventually the icon for the Mercury name for several decades The Cougar was available in two models base and XR 7 and only came in one body style a Two Door Hardtop Engine choices ranged from the 200 hp 149 kW 289 in 2 barrel V8 to the 335 hp 250 kW 390 in 4 barrel V8 A notable performance package called the GT was available on both the base and XR 7 Cougars This included the 390 in V8 as well as a performance handling package and other performance goodies Not much changed for the Cougar in its second year The addition of federally mandated side marker lights was the major change But the biggest changes were under the hood and performance wise for the XR 7 model Three new engines were added to the option list this yearhe 230 hp 172 kW 302 in 4 barrel V8 the 335 hp 250 kW 428 in 4 barrel V8 and the 390 hp 291 kW 427 in 4 barrel V8 Mercury was serious about the Cougar being the performance icon for the company The XR 7G named for Mercury road racer Dan Gurney came with all sorts of performance add ons including a hood scoop Lucas fog lamps and hood pins Engine selection was limited only to the 302 390 and 428 V8 A grand total of 619 XR 7Gs were produced and only 14 G s were produced with the 428 CJ The mid year 7 0 L GT E package was available on both the standard and XR 7 Cougars and came with the 427 V8 The 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air was available in limited numbers on the GT E beginning 1 April 1968 Conservatively rated at 335 hp 250 kW the 428 Cobra Jet could produce much more 306 kW 410 hp from the factory A grand total of 602 GT Es were produced 358 with the 427 244 with the 428 1970 Cougar The third year of production 1969 brought several new additions to the Cougar lineup A convertible model was now available in both standard and XR 7 trim These highly anticipated soft tops proved quite popular and today are considered by many among the most desirable of the 67 70 production run Exterior wise the grille switched from vertical bars to horizontal bars and a spoiler and a Ram Air induction hood scoop were added as options A new performance package appeared and several disappeared The XR 7G and the 7 0 L GT E disappeared but the 390 and 428 V8s remained The 290 hp 216 kW 351 Windsor V8 was added to the engine lineup The Eliminator performance package appeared for the first time A standard 351 in 4 barrel V8 under the hood with the 390 4 barrel V8 the 428CJ and the Boss 302 available as an option The Eliminator was the new top of the line performance model of the Cougar lineup It also featured a blacked out grille special side stripes front and rear spoilers optional Ram Air induction system and a more performance tuned suspension and handling package It also came in a variety of vibrant colors like White Bright Blue Metallic Competition Orange and Bright Yellow Only two Cougars came with the Boss 429 V8 making them the rarest Cougars ever built The 1970 Cougar appearance wise was similar to the 1969 model however there were numerous changes inside and out It now sported a new front end which featured a pronounced center hood extension and electric shaver grille similar to the 1967 and 1968 Cougars Federally mandated locking steering columns appeared inside and the aforementioned new nose and taillight bezels updated the look on the outside The 300 hp 224 kW 351 Cleveland V8 was now available for the first time though both the Cleveland and Windsor engines were available if the buyer selected the base model 2 barrel motor The 390 FE engine was now dropped and the Boss 302 and 428CJ soldiered on Total production 1967 150 893 1968 113 720 1969 100 060 1970 72 343 Second generation 1971 73 Second generation Production 1971 1973 Assembly Dearborn Michigan United States Body style s 2 door coupe 2 door convertible Layout FR layout Engine s 240 hp 179 kW 351 in Windsor V8 285 hp 213 kW 351 in Cleveland V8 276 kW 370 hp 429 in Super Cobra Jet V8 Wheelbase 112 0 in 2845 mm Related Ford Mustang For 1971 the Cougar was restyled weighed less and had only a one inch longer wheelbase than its predecessors 112 vs 111 which was similar to GM s intermediate sized two door models such as the Olds Cutlass The front end now featured four exposed headlights the disappearing headlights were eliminated The center grille piece was now larger The rear featured a semi fastback with a flying buttress sail panel The convertible returned as did the XR 7 as well as the GT package The Eliminator package was eliminated and the Ram Air option remained The engine lineup was revised for 1971 as well Now only three engines were offeredhe standard 240 hp 179 kW 351 Windsor 2 barrel V8 the 285 hp 213 kW 351 Cleveland 4 barrel V8 and the 370 hp 276 kW 429 Super Cobra Jet 4 barrel V8 The climate had begun to change as the muscle car era ended No longer able to use gross power numbers the manufacturers had to use net power figures which dropped the once mighty figures down substantially Engines were shuffled around a bit They were now the standard 163 hp 122 kW 351 Cleveland 2 barrel V8 262 hp 195 kW 351 Cleveland 4 barrel V8 266 hp 198 kW 351 4 barrel Cobra Jet V8 Other than that the Cougar remained a carryover from 1971 Only minor trim details were changed in 1972 The big blocks were gone for 1972 and 1973 The days of performance oriented muscle cars were coming to an end Aside from minor grille and taillight changes 1973 would be largely a carryover year for the Cougar but it would mark the last year of the Mustang based Cougar and the end of Cougar Convertibles Many changes were scheduled for the 1974 models Power figures continued to change as new federal EPA regulations began their stranglehold on the V8 engines The new figures continued to fluctuate but engine options remained unchanged from 1972 The standard engine continued to be the 168 hp 125 kW 351 Cleveland 2 barrel V8 Optional was the 264 hp 197 kW 351 Cobra Jet V8 The following years changed to the Thunderbird Torino chassis Total Production 1971 62 864 1972 53 702 1973 60 628 Third generation 1974 76 Third generation Production 1974 1976 Assembly Lorain Ohio United States Body style s 2 door coupe Layout FR layout Engine s 351 in V8 400 in V8 and 460 in V8 Wheelbase 114 0 in 2896 mm Related Ford Torino Mercury Montego For 1974 the Cougar was shifted from its Mustang ponycar origins onto a new platform and into a new market as a personal luxury car It now shared a chassis with the larger Mercury Montego Ford Torino intermediates and was twinned up with the new Ford Elite The wheelbase grew to 114 inches 2 896 mm and became practically the only car to be upsized during the downsizing decade of the 1970s These years marked the end of the luxurious Mustang and the beginning of the Cougar s move towards becoming a junior Thunderbird and eventually a sibling of the Thunderbird TV commercials compared the Cougar to the Lincoln Continental Mark IV the most notable featuring Farrah Fawcett in a 1975 TV ad The Cougar was being marketed as an intermediate sized personal luxury car to compete against GM s Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix Every GM division had an entry in this market by 74 and the market was too large to ignore The new Cougar paid homage to its smaller predecessor with a three piece grille up front topped by a new hood ornament which featured the Jaguar like silhouette of a creeping Cougar The car s Montego heritage was fairly evident from the back however In between it had acquired the sine qua non of the personal luxury car in the 1970s opera windows This body ran unchanged for three years and during this period all Cougars were XR 7s The Cougar was also restyled inside due to the switch to the larger intermediate body but maintained the front fascia look from 1973 with a new styling feature including a rectangular opera window in the rear c pillars The Cougar also began to share the look of the Thunderbird and Continental Mark IV as the years progressed The base model and convertible were dropped this year but the XR 7 moniker soldiered on as the only model in the Cougar lineup Engine offerings from 1974 to 1976 included a standard 351 in V8 and optional power plants included the very rare Q code 351 Cobra Jet V8 1974 plus 400 and 460 in V8s The manual transmission was dropped in favor of the automatic Interior offerings during these three years included a standard bench seat with cloth or vinyl upholstery an optional Twin Comfort Lounge 60 40 bench seat with center armrest and cloth vinyl or optional leather trim or all vinyl bucket seats with center console In 1975 the Cougar XR 7 continued to add more luxury features as it moved upscale But with more features the Cougar was gaining in weight as well Compared to the 1967 version the 1975 version weighed a full 1 000 lb 450 kg more Despite the added weight the buying public wanted the Cougar and sales figures reflected that fact However for the performance fans a high performance rear axle and Traction Lok differential continued to be on the option sheet The standard engine continued to be the 148 hp 110 kW 351 Windsor 2 barrel V8 with the 158 hp 118 kW 400 2 barrel V8 and 216 hp 161 kW 460 4 barrel V8 optional This Cougar entered its last year largely unchanged from 1975 There was a new body for the Cougar in 1977 so nothing else major was done to the Cougar this year Only some minor trim pieces served to differentiate this year from last Engines continued unchanged as well The high performance axle and Traction Lok differential were dropped this year Twin Comfort Lounge reclining seats with or without velour cloth trim were the only major change for the interior but it also showed how much the performance aspect of the Cougar had disappeared Total Production 1974 91 670 1975 62 987 1976 83 765 Fourth generation 1977 79 Fourth generation Production 1977 1979 Assembly Lorain Ohio United States Body style s 4 door sedan 4 Door Station Wagon 2 door coupe Layout FR layout Engine s 134 hp 100 kW 302 in V8 161 hp 120 kW 351 in V8 149 hp 111 kW 351 in V8 173 hp 129 kW 400 in V8 Transmission s C4 automatic FMX automatic C6 automatic Wheelbase 114 0 in 2896 mm Related Ford LTD II Ford Thunderbird In 1977 radical marketing changes came to Ford s intermediate lineup although under the skin mechanical changes were few The Montego name was discontinued and all the intermediate Mercury vehicles became Cougars Ford renamed its Torino line the LTD II There were now Cougar sedans complete with opera windows a lower line base coupe and even a station wagon Cougar Villager which lasted only one year 1977 The

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