1967 Mercury Cougar

In 1967 Ford's counterpart, Mercury, appointed a new vehicle to continue the success of the Ford Mustang. However, unlike the Mustang which was targeted to the youth market, the Cougar was oriented to the executive class. This meant for a sophisticated and luxurious American muscle car that could keep up with the quickest and still remain stylish enough to take to the local theatre.

Fact: The Cougar was the Motor Trend's Car of the Year in 1967.

The 1967 Mercury Cougar shared many structural similarities to the Mustang including suspension and drive train. However, on the outside and interior the cars were vastly different.

On the exterior the Cougar was a full 3 inches longer than the Mustang and featured an elongated sheet metal with very smooth straight body lines. The headlights were hideaway sets that were set inside a vertical grill (aka electric shaver grill). Similarly, the rear taillights were done in a vertical treatment which was thought to have been borrowed from the Thunderbird. In essence, the Cougar was attempting to appear more European to prospective American buyers.

The interior of the Cougar included richly styled bucket seats, detailed console, deeply inset gauges, and a variety of gauges and switches.

Models:

Hardtop:

GT: Firmer suspension and better brakes, Wide Oval tires, low restriction exhaust, bigger sway bars, necessary identification badging, and a big block 390cid motor.

XR-7: Wood-rimmed steering wheel, necessary exterior badging, black face competition type instrumentation in a simulated walnut dash, toggle switches, overhead console, leather T handle automatic transmission shifter, and leather seats.

Production Numbers:

Hardtop: 116,260
GT: 7,412
XR-7: 27,221

Powertrain options:

Recommended links:

• Mercury muscle car photos