#Third generation ford thunderbird series

Internally designated T-7, the first-generation Cougar shared its chassis with the 1967 revision of the Ford Mustang. The Cougar received the 1967 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, becoming the first (and only) Mercury-brand vehicle to do so. Priced $284 more than the equivalent Ford Mustang, the base price of the Cougar was $2,854 ($25,742 in 2022 dollars ) a fully-optioned Cougar XR-7 was $4,500 ($40,588 in 2022 dollars ), essentially matching the base price of the Ford Thunderbird. In contrast to the Mustang, the Cougar was initially released solely as a two-door hardtop. Far exceeding initial sales projections, the Cougar would account for nearly 40% of the 1967 sales of the entire Lincoln-Mercury division. The Mercury Cougar was released by Lincoln-Mercury on September 30, 1966. While offering more comfort and features than the Mustang, the model line was tuned for better road manners than the Thunderbird. Intended for a market position between the Ford Mustang and the Ford Thunderbird, the Cougar was intended as a luxury-type pony car. Following initial skepticism by Ford over both model lines, the Mercury version received approval in mid-1964, following the successful launch of the Mustang the Cougar name was adopted from the winning design for the Ford Mustang. Starting as a 1962 design proposal for the T-5 project (the Ford Mustang), Lincoln-Mercury sought to produce its own version of the vehicle.

Sharing a chassis with the Ford Contour, the 1999 Cougar is the only version with no direct counterpart (though the model line was badged as a Ford Cougar for export). Intended for release as the third generation of the Ford Probe, the model line shifted to Mercury as its development neared completion. Sharing a chassis with the Thunderbird (and the Lincoln Mark VIII), the model line was produced as a two-door coupe through the 1997 model year.įor its eighth generation, the Cougar returned for the 1999 model year as a sports compact hatchback. The sixth generation Cougar (replacing the XR7) reverted the model line solely to the two-door coupe body style.įor its seventh generation, the Cougar introduced the MN12 platform. The Cougar XR7 was again matched with the Thunderbird, with the standard Cougar becoming the counterpart of the Ford Granada (replacing the Mercury Monarch). The fourth generation was split into two model lines the Cougar replaced the Montego (matching the Ford LTD II), with the Cougar XR7 paired with the Ford Thunderbird.įor its fifth and sixth generations, the Cougar was downsized, adopting the compact Fox chassis. Slotted above the Montego, the Cougar became the counterpart of the Ford (Gran Torino) Elite. Initially developed as a pony car, it replaced the Cyclone muscle car in the Mercury model line.įor its third and fourth generations, the Cougar adopted the chassis of the Ford Torino intermediate. The models were distinguished by an exterior ranging in degree from grilles and lighting components to nearly the entire exterior, the Cougar shared its platform with Ford vehicles throughout its production.įor its first two generations, the Cougar was derived from the Ford Mustang. Overview Mercury Cougar emblem (1970 Cougar Eliminator)ĭuring much of its production, the Cougar followed tradition within the Mercury division, marketed as a Mercury counterpart of a Ford vehicle.

Cat-related nameplates were adopted by the division such as the Bobcat and Lynx.ĭuring 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. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Cougar was closely tied to the marketing of the Mercury division Mercury advertised its dealers as 'The Sign of the Cat' with big cats atop Lincoln-Mercury dealer signs. With 2,972,784 examples produced, the Cougar is the highest-selling nameplate produced by the Mercury brand its 34-year production is second only to the Grand Marquis in the Mercury model line (made for 36 years). While the nameplate is associated with two-door coupes, at various times during its production, the Cougar was also marketed as a convertible, four-door sedan, station wagon, and a hatchback.

#Third generation ford thunderbird series

Mercury Cougar is a nameplate applied to a diverse series of automobiles sold by the Mercury division of Ford from 1967 until 1997 and from 1999 through 2002 model years. Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive (1999–2002)