Renderings Prove Mercury Cougar Should Make a Comeback
If Mercury was still around and making its own version of the Mustang, it would probably look something like this.
Alternate History
Back in the late '60s and early '70s, the Mercury Cougar served as a luxurious alternative to the Ford Mustang, marketed as a plush pony car with more features than Ford's market-dominator. But when the third-generation Cougar came around, it grew considerably and adopted the chassis of the Ford Torino. Regardless, we often wonder what the Cougar could have been, especially if Mercury hadn't been nixed a decade ago, and these renderings from Abimelec Design give us a pretty good look at that alternate history.
Photos: Abimelec Design
Proven Formula
The formula here is simple, yet precisely what we saw from most Mercury vehicles over the years, including the Cougar. Take an existing Ford product, give it distinct styling and features, and slap a different badge on it. Here, we can easily tell this car is based on the current S550 Mustang, but its lines at both ends are certainly unique.
Photos: Abimelec Design
Premium Cabin
The interior is different as well, and in this case is gray in color with wood trim on the dash, a Cougar on the steering wheel instead of a pony, and lots of chrome trim. Again, very much like the current Mustang, but it appears that more surfaces are covered in distinct leather, and the cabin has a more premium overall look.
Photos: Abimelec Design
Retro Modern
To give us an even better idea of what this new Cougar might look like, Abimelec even did a series of renderings depicting its Cougar concept in all sorts of cool colors. The styling itself is obviously modern, but there are quite a few retro elements present from the original, first-gen model as well.
Photos: Abimelec Design
Familiar Styling
That applies largely to the front and rear-end design. Up front, the grille is wide and very much open, and there's also a large hood scoop above it to draw in even more air. The taillights look very much like the original car's design, and there's Cougar script on the fenders, along with a Cougar badge on the rear decklid.
Photos: Abimelec Design
Unique Drivetrain
Abimelec even went so far as to figure out a unique powertrain to give this new Cougar - Ford's high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost lifted from the F-150 Raptor. That would give it 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque, along with a little differentiation to make it unique enough to appeal to buyers.
Photos: Abimelec Design
Dream a Little Dream
Personally, we think this reimagined Cougar looks fantastic. It also brings back some fond memories of a model that was once beloved by many. Unfortunately, there just isn't room for Mercury in today's market, as Lincoln serves as Ford's luxury division these days. But one can always dream, no?
Photos: Abimelec Design
For help with service and mods on your Mustang, visit the how-to section of our sister site MustangForums.com