Mercury Cougar XR7 – Luxury Meets Muscle
The 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 was a unique blend of luxury and muscle. It offered options like the 390 cubic-inch V8, catering to a different crowd than the drivers you’d see buying a Mustang. The Cougar XR7 shared its components and frame with the Ford Mustang, but it added a bit of luxury to the mixture. Much like GM was doing with the Oldsmobile brand Ford did the same thing with the Mercury brand at the time (via Motor Trend).
The Cougar redefined what the Mustang could be like with a little bit of luxury in the mix. While the car wasn’t as popular as its corporate cousin, it did sell quite well for the brand. So much so that Ford kept the Cougar around until the 2000s. The original Cougar was a unique piece of machinery with a beautiful exterior and plenty of power under the hood. There were very few muscle cars that were able to appeal to luxury buyers as well as performance buyers.