More of a real GT than Ponycar, the ’67 MERCURY COUGAR delivered performance plus luxury, and a direct connection to Dan Gurney and Trans-Am racing.
Launched in 1967 under “The Sign Of The Cat”, the slightly longer and more luxurious Mustang platform ’67 MERCURY COUGAR was a huge success. It appealed to young adults who wanted a Mustang with more interior room, luxurious appointments, and distinctive, up-level styling. Approximately six inches longer than the Mustang, with a three-inch longer 108-inch wheelbase, the 190-inch-long Cougar looked like nothing else in the 1967 Ford and Lincoln-Mercury portfolios. It delivered luxury appointments plus Mustang performance – and then some!
In keeping with “The Sign Of The Cat” advertising tagline and promotions, the Cougar debuted at major auto shows as well as special dealer promotions with Chauncey, an un-caged, three-year-old, leash-trained Cougar/Mountain Lion that was born in captivity. Some of the landmark “Sign Of The Cat” Cougar print and TV commercials featured Farah Fawcett and Chauncey. The idea of using a live animal came from Lincoln-Mercury PR director Gayle Warnock and his assistant, Bill Peacock. While incredibly effective as a marketing tool, there were some close calls with auto show spokes models. Full-sized soft stuffed Cougars eventually replaced Chauncey, making auto show spokes-models and animal rights advocates considerably happier!
Right out of the box, the ’67 Cougar won Motor Trend’s “Car Of The Year” honors, unquestionably helping drive dealership traffic and sales. Racing the Cougar in SCCA Trans-Am competition and running against its corporate cousin, Mustang, also raised the vehicle’s profile and brought more potential buyers into Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Fran Hernandez, Supervisor of Lincoln-Mercury’s Performance & Evaluation Section, championed a deal with Dan Gurney and Bud Moore Engineering in Spartanburg, SC to build Trans-Am Cougars and run the racing team. Hernandez and Bud Moore had been working together on NASCAR Comets and track-ready 390 Comet drag cars since 1965.
In 1967, Bud Moore’s Cougars, above, collected 62 points to Mustang’s 64, finishing second in the SCCA Over-Two-Liters class Trans-Am Championship. Driving Bud Moore Cougars, Dan Gurney won at Green Valley, Peter Revson won at Lime Rock Park and Bryar Motorsports Park and David Pearson won at Riverside Raceway. After being successfully raced in Trans-Am competition, one of the Bud Moore Cougars went to “Tiny” Lund to race in NASCAR’s new Grand Touring or “Baby Grand” Division, the name changed later to Grand American Series. In 1968 Lund won the NASCAR Grand Touring Championship and dominated the series in 1970 and 1971. Lund won 41 of the 109 races in the series’ history. Two of the three NO.98 Bud Moore Trans-Am Cougars driven by Dan Gurney have been restored to original racing specs and are in two major collections – Larry H. Miller Motorsports Park Museum in Toole, UT, and Beth and Ross Myers’ 3-Dog Garage in PA.
The ’67 MERCURY COUGAR far exceeded initial sales projections and would account for nearly 40% of the entire Lincoln-Mercury division in 1967. The Cougar was released solely as a two-door hardtop, priced $284 more than the Ford Mustang, and was the first and only Mercury to win Motor Trend “Car of the Year”. ’67 Cougar XR-7, below, photographed by Stuart Schorr at The Cartier Style Et Luxe at Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Learn more about the Cougar at https://over-drive-magazine.com/2024/11/01/1967-mercury-cougar-fact-sheet/