New Cougar proposal

[dwasson]

Earlier there was a thread about a new sporty Mercury. I've been thinking about that and I think I know what I want in a new Cougar.

Build it on the new Mustang platform, stretched at least 4 inches. I want to fit in it.
Give it the independant rear suspension from the upcoming Mustang.
Make it a coupe. Mercury's are supposed to be a little classier than Fords and I think that hatchbacks go against that. Plus it's easier to make a car with a trunk quiet.
I don't care about a back seat, give me 4 inches more front leg room.
Be sure that it accepts every engine from the Mustang option list.
There should be a low volume version offering a high performance 5.4 V8.
There should be a special handling package with carving twisting roads the goal.
Offer a model in black with blacked-out trim.

If the the hypo 5.4 can't do better than a 14 sec quarter mile fire the entire team and burn the building down.

[ncmm]

I'd like to see a Cougar XR-7 like the '68-'69 or '70-'71 model year :)
with all the goodies the Shelby GT500 is getting, except for the spoiler.

[Donny Carlson]

I'd like to see a Cougar XR-7 like the '68-'69 or '70-'71 model year :)
with all the goodies the Shelby GT500 is getting, except for the spoiler.
From what I've read in Autoweek, SVT will be lending its expertise -- though not the SVT badge -- to the other brands. This could mean some "sporty" Mercurys and Lincolns. I would expect Lincoln to get the treatment first -- perhaps a souped up Zepher or a performance version of the Mark LT. Mercury, hmm, my guess is that whatever it is -- Lincoln or Mercury -- it's gonna be very much watered down from the SVT version. If they come out with something based on the Mustang (and I betcha they call the the Capri rather than Cougar), it will be a pale cousin to the Cobra.

Why am I saying this? Culture, people, culture. There is no SVT Lincoln-Mercury, unless it's a Ford-Lincoln-Mercury dealer that's SVT certified. Joe Schmoe Lincon Mercury aint gonna fork out the dollars to send its techs to be SVT certified, they aren't gonna invest in parts inventory and training to service and sell performance cars, not as long as they can make profits selling Navigators and Town Cars to old farts. They may sell a few Capri GT's, but don't bet on them ever approaching the sales results of Ford dealers with SVT Cobras, Adrenalins, and Lightnings.

[jgc61sr2002]

I'd like to see a Cougar XR-7 like the '68-'69 or '70-'71 model year :)
with all the goodies the Shelby GT500 is getting, except for the spoiler.


I thought the 1968 Cougar XR-7 was one fine looking car. :D

[Logan]

The messenger project was the next generation Cougar, until it was shelved in 2003 and released as a Concept instead.

Cougar's not dead, but is on a serious hiatus. The concern was they didn't want to eat into Mustang's margins and incur the additional cost trying to get a new segment of buyer into the Mercury showrooms...