Mercury Cougar

The Mercury Cougar is a series of automobiles that was sold by Mercury from 1967 to 2002. The model line is a diverse series of vehicles; though the Cougar nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at various stages in its production, the model also was offered as a convertible and a hatchback. During its production as the mid-size Mercury line, the Cougar was also offered as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon.

In production for 34 years across eight generations (skipping the 1998 model year), the Cougar is second only to the Grand Marquis (36 years) in the Mercury line for production longevity. 2,972,784 examples were produced, making it the highest-selling Mercury vehicle. During the 1970s and 1980s, the marketing of the Mercury division was closely associated with the Cougar, with promotional materials advertising Mercury dealers as "The Sign of the Cat" with big cats atop Lincoln-Mercury dealer signs.[1] Cat-related nameplates were adopted by other Mercury lines, including the Bobcat and Lynx.

During its production, the Cougar was assembled at the Dearborn Assembly Plant (part of the Ford River Rouge Complex) in Dearborn, Michigan from 1967 until 1973, San Jose Assembly (Milpitas, California) from 1968 into early 1969, Lorain Assembly (Lorain, Ohio) from 1974 until 1997, and at Flat Rock Assembly (Flat Rock, Michigan) from 1999 through 2002.

Overview

For nearly its entire production, the Cougar followed Mercury tradition, serving as a divisional counterpart of a Ford vehicle. Though sharing a common chassis architecture, the Cougar was visibly distinguished, ranging in degree from distinct grilles, badging, and lighting components to nearly every body panel specific to the model line.

For its first two generations, the Cougar was derived from the Ford Mustang. Initially serving as a pony car, the popularity of the Cougar led it to replace the Cyclone muscle car in the Mercury model line. The second generation moved its market position closer to the personal luxury car segment.

For its third and fourth generations, the Cougar adopted the Ford intermediate chassis. Slotted above the Montego, the model became the counterpart of the Ford (Gran Torino) Elite. For its fourth generation, Mercury split the Cougar into two model lines, with the Cougar replacing the Montego (matching the Ford LTD II), with the Cougar XR7 becoming the counterpart of the Ford Thunderbird (pairing the two models for 20 years).

For its fifth and sixth generations, the Cougar was downsized, adopting the Ford Fox chassis. Replacing the Mercury Monarch, the standard Cougar was the counterpart of the Ford Granada, with the larger Cougar XR7 designed alongside the Ford Thunderbird (sharing its chassis with the Lincoln Continental and Lincoln Mark VII).

Development

The Mercury Cougar began life in the summer of 1962, as both Ford and Lincoln-Mercury styling teams submitted design proposals for the T-5 project (the 1965 Ford Mustang).[2] Though the Ford design was selected for the vehicle, Lincoln-Mercury retained interest in the T-5 project, seeking to develop its own vehicle from it to compete in a similar market segment as the Ford Thunderbird (at the time, the latter model line outsold Lincoln by a wide margin).[2] Until the spring of 1964, Ford remained skeptical of the sales potential of the T-5 project or committing to the expansion of the model line. Following the successful release of the Mustang, Ford approved the T-7 project, letting Lincoln-Mercury develop a model line from the planned 1967 update of the Mustang.[2]

The T-7 took on the Cougar name, reviving the nameplate of the Ford T-5 proposal.[2] Rather than serve as a direct counterpart of the Mustang (as the Pontiac Firebird did to the Chevrolet Camaro), the Mercury Cougar was intended to create its own market segment, combining attributes of both pony cars and personal luxury cars. Slotted between the Mustang and the Thunderbird, the Cougar offered more comfort and features than the Mustang, but was tuned for better road manners than the Thunderbird.

First generation (1967–1970)

The Mercury Cougar was released by Lincoln-Mercury on September 30, 1966.[2] Far exceeding initial sales projections, the Cougar would account for nearly 40% of the 1967 sales of the entire Lincoln-Mercury division.[2] In contrast to the Mustang, the Cougar was initially released solely as a two-door hardtop. Priced $284 more than the equivalent Ford Mustang, the base price of the Cougar was $2,854 ($0 in dollars ); a fully optioned Cougar XR-7 was $4,500 ($0 in dollars), essentially matching the base price of the Ford Thunderbird.[2]

The Cougar received the 1967 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, becoming the only Mercury-brand vehicle to do so.[4]

Second generation (1971–1973)

For the 1971 model year, Lincoln-Mercury released the second-generation Mercury Cougar. To expand potential competition for the model line, Ford benchmarked the design of the Cougar against the quartet of GM A-body coupes, placing the model line in competition with the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Again sharing much of its bodyshell with the Ford Mustang, the Cougar began to shift away from a "plush pony car", taking on aspects of both sporty cars and luxury cars.[27]

The continued success of the Cougar led to several changes within the Mercury model line. Largely overshadowed by the Cougar, the intermediate-size Mercury Cyclone was integrated into the Montego line and was quietly retired during the 1972 model year. To give the division a compact sporty car, Ford began sales of the imported Capri through the Lincoln-Mercury network; manufactured in West Germany by Ford of Europe, the Capri (not officially badged as a Mercury) was sized slightly smaller than the 1965 Mustang.

This generation of the Cougar is the final version derived from the Ford Mustang and is also the final version offered as a convertible. During the early 1970s, American manufacturers ended assembly of convertibles in anticipation of increased rollover safety standards. Following the retirement of the Montego and Marquis convertibles, the Cougar became the final Mercury model line offered with the design for the 1973 model year; a light blue/white 1973 Cougar XR-7 was the last convertible assembled by Ford Motor Company (for over a decade).

Third generation (1974–1976)

For 1974, Lincoln-Mercury released the third-generation Mercury Cougar, introducing both design and marketing changes to the model line. One of the few American model lines that would eschew downsizing during the mid-1970s, the Cougar grew in size, sharing its body with the Mercury Montego and the later introduced Ford (Gran Torino) Elite. Splitting from the Mustang (which became the subcompact Mustang II for 1974), the Cougar adopted a market position closer to the larger Ford Thunderbird.[41] In a model consolidation, all third-generation Cougars were offered under a single XR-7 trim level, as the GT and Eliminator editions were retired.

Initially, at risk for cancellation (following declining sales of the second generation compared to its competitors), Lincoln-Mercury instead repackaged the Cougar as a halo car for the Mercury brand.[42] As division executives sought to avoid overlap with the successful Capri (sold since 1971),[42] the Cougar grew in size to remain a competitor to the

Fourth generation (1977–1979)

For the 1977 model year, Lincoln-Mercury released the fourth-generation Mercury Cougar, with two versions of the model line introduced. Replacing the Mercury Montego, the standard Cougar now served as the Mercury intermediate model line (slotted between the Mercury Monarch and Mercury Marquis), serving as the Mercury counterpart of the Ford LTD II (replacing the Torino/Gran Torino), introducing the first Cougar sedans and station wagons.[50] The increased number of body styles and market segments resulted in these Cougars to be more popular than any since its 1967 debut, selling about half as many copies as its first version.[50]

The Cougar XR-7 also returned as a personal luxury coupe, now a counterpart of the Ford Thunderbird, a pairing that lasted through 1997. In what would be used as a design feature for the model line through 2002, the "cat's head" emblem made its first appearance.

A heavy exterior revision of the 1974–1976 generation, the fourth generation was marketed against the introduction of downsized competitors. However, this generation would prove the most successful in the marketplace, with the XR-7 remaining the most popular version.

Fifth generation (1980–1982)

For the 1980 model year, Mercury downsized the Cougar XR-7. Alongside its Thunderbird counterpart, the XR-7 entered the mid-size segment for the first time, shedding 15 inches in length, 4 inches in width, and approximately 900 pounds of curb weight (depending on the powertrain).

For 1981, Mercury added a standard-trim Cougar, replacing the Monarch as its mid-size offering; the line shared its two-door and four-door sedan body with the second-generation Ford Granada. In a first, a V8 engine was no longer standard equipment (on this version). For 1982, the Cougar inherited the 5-door station wagon body from the Zephyr, as Mercury sought to move that design upmarket.

Coinciding with a negative market reception, the fifth-generation Cougar was replaced for 1983 by a substantial redesign of the XR-7; the standard Cougar was updated, becoming the Mercury Marquis as Ford revised its full-size and mid-size product branding (ultimately replaced by the Sable for 1986).

Sixth generation (1983–1988)

For the 1983 model year, Mercury introduced the sixth-generation Cougar. While again derived from the Fox platform underpinnings of the previous generation, the new model line served as the replacement of the Cougar XR-7, as the Cougar reverted to its early 1970s role of a "luxury sports coupe" (again a counterpart of the Ford Thunderbird).[56] Within Mercury, the Cougar was slotted above the Capri and below the two-door Grand Marquis (both would be discontinued during its production).

The 1983 redesign of the Cougar was part of an extensive revision of the Ford and Mercury model ranges. For Mercury, its mid-size sedan range underwent a minor model revision, as the previous Cougar sedan/wagon adopted the Marquis nameplate (with the full-size Grand Marquis becoming a distinct model line for 1983).

Along with its shift in model segment, the sixth-generation Cougar (and the Thunderbird) marked the first large-scale use of aerodynamic-intensive design for an American automobile; the Cougar/Thunderbird were the first Ford vehicles developed using computer-aided design (CAD).[56] While styled with a notchback roofline, the 1983 Cougar was far sleeker than the 1982 Cougar XR7, reducing its coefficient of drag from 0.50 to 0.40[57]

Seventh generation (1989–1997)

On December 26, 1988, the seventh-generation Mercury Cougar was introduced for the 1989 model year.[67] Development began during the second quarter of 1984 along with the tenth-generation Ford Thunderbird; the $2 billion redesign of the two vehicles included benchmarking handling characteristics against luxury coupes such as the BMW 6-Series, Mercedes-Benz 560SEC, and Jaguar XJS while still targeting the same price point as their predecessors.[67][68] During the development of the 1989 Cougar, the form factor of coupes shifted in the marketplace.

In its debut year of 1989, there were 97,246 Cougars produced[69], making it the best model year for the flagship coupe. As the 1990s progressed, market demand shifted away from large two-door coupes and the Cougar became the sole such model offered by the division. After a final-year production run of 35,267 units, the seventh generation of Cougar was discontinued, with the final example produced in late August of 1997.[70]

Eighth generation (1999–2002)

By the mid-1990s, Ford engineers had completed design work on the third generation of the Ford Probe. Intended for a 1998 model year launch, the new Probe shifted its design from the Mazda MX-6 to a platform shared with the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique. At the end of the 1997 model year, Ford announced a major streamlining of its coupe offerings, with Ford discontinuing the Thunderbird and Probe; Lincoln-Mercury lost the Cougar and Lincoln Mark VIII (the latter, after 1998). To make room for the updated 1999 Ford Mustang and all-new Ford Escort ZX2, the Contour-based Ford Probe continued into production, with Ford shifting the vehicle to the Lincoln-Mercury Division to adopt the Mercury Cougar name.

After skipping the 1998 model year, Mercury introduced the eighth-generation Mercury Cougar for the 1999 model year at the 1998 Los Angeles Auto Show. Serving as the replacement for the Ford Probe, the first front-wheel drive Cougar shifted market segments from two-door personal luxury coupe to three-door sport compact, introducing the first Mercury sport hatchback coupe since the 1986 Mercury Capri.

While marketed in Europe and Australia under the Ford brand, the eighth-generation Mercury Cougar was the first Mercury car since the 1991–1994 Mercury Capri sold without a direct Ford model equivalent in North America.

Initially outranking its predecessor in sales, the eighth-generation Cougar (marketed towards younger buyers, similar to the ZX2) struggled to compete for sales against sedans (the Mercury Sable and Grand Marquis) in the Mercury model line. While coupes had traditionally been offered in Lincoln-Mercury dealerships for several decades, the shift of the Cougar to the sports compact segment presented a challenge to sales personnel acquainted with marketing luxury-segment vehicles to new-car buyers along with attracting younger buyers into Mercury showrooms.

Racing

In 1967, NASCAR race car builder, Bud Moore, campaigned Mercury Cougars in the Trans-Am Series with Ford Motor Company factory support. The team featured drivers Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Peter Revson, David Pearson, and Ed Leslie. Factory support ended towards the end of the season and the Cougars began to show their wear. Ultimately, Mercury lost the championship to Ford by two points.[91]

In 1968, Bud Moore took his Cougars NASCAR racing in the newly formed Grand American series. Driver Tiny Lund dominated the series and took the championship. After the Cougar changed to the Thunderbird platform in 1974, the body style was raced in NASCAR. The Wood Brothers Racing team with David Pearson and later Neil Bonnett was successful with the car and scored several victories until the body style became ineligible following the 1980 season. The next year (1981) saw the previous Cougar teams switch to the Thunderbird when NASCAR mandated the smaller (110-inch-wheelbase) cars, though oddly the Thunderbirds had to have their wheelbases extended 6 in because the actual wheelbase of production cars was 104 in.

From 1989 through 1990, Lincoln-Mercury Motorsport fielded Cougars of the new body style in the GTO class of the IMSA GT Championship.

Appearances

Product placement in movies include a red 1969 XR7 convertible driven by Diana Rigg in her role as Tracy Bond in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

External links