CLASSIC CAR OF THE WEEK: Mercury Cougar (1967)

This week's pick is the 1967 Mercury Cougar.

src: boldride.com

Mercury's first pony car became it's second longest produced nameplate in the range. The Cougar was modeled after the Ford Mustang with the emphasis being placed on luxury over performance. The Cougar shared many components with it's twin initially, with the key difference being it was an extra 3 inches longer than the Mustang and the 'electric shaver' style grille.

More after the jump...


Customers were offered a choice of three engine packages, only one of which was geared towards performance akin to the Mustang. If you were to purchase the XR-7 model it would be styled with a mock wooden dashboard, leather interiors and an overhead console as standard. The Cougar was also initially released with concealed headlamps, a style tip borrowed from the Ford Thunderbird which was eventually phased out in later models.

src: imgur.com

Available only as a 2-door hardtop, the Mercury Cougar came with full carpeting, dual front arm rests and a tilt-away steering wheel which moved when the door was open and the ignition was off, again placing the emphasis on luxury over performance and it seemed to work out right for Mercury. The Cougar was named Motor Trend 'Car of the Year' in 1967 and sales figures rose substantially over the course of the year.

The Mercury Cougar was available in 19 colours and would have set you back around $2966.


Vital Statistics

Wheelbase	2.8m
Length	4.8m
Width	1.8m
Height	1.3m
Engine	289 CID Cyclone/Cougar 2-bbl., V8 289 CID Cyclone/Cougar 4-bbl., V8 390 CID Marauder GT, 4-bbl., V8
Gross HP	200-320 HP (model depending)
Transmission	3-speed automatic 4-speed manual Merc-O-Matic Automatic

--

This article is intended for entertainment purposes only.