Over the years, the Mercury Cougar wore many different hats, but for the first seven years of its life, from 1967 to 1973, it was a bigger, more luxurious sibling of the Ford Mustang, the fanciest of the pony cars. This 1973 Cougar XR-7 marked a fork in the road: It was the last of the Mustang-based Cougars, the last factory convertible, and the last with a 4-speed manual transmission.
What was the Mercury Cougar? At some points, it was a pony car; at others, it was a variation on the Ford Thunderbird. For a number of years, the Cougar name was applied to some rather ordinary intermediates, and its last FWD incarnation was essentially a Mercury Mystique coupe. Car magazine critics often complained that the Cougar seemed schizophrenic. After testing a XR-7 convertible in 1971 (the first year of this final-Mustang based generation), Motor Trend‘s A.B. Shuman remarked that “Cougar, at this point in time, is a car in search of an identity, and seems a bit unsure of itself.”
However, if you look at what Lincoln-Mercury product planners said when the Cougar debuted for 1967, these early ’70s cars were much closer to the original plan than people usually give them credit for. Lincoln-Mercury said in 1967 that they’d looked at several options: an outright Mustang clone, an outright Thunderbird clone, or something in between. At one time, there was undoubtedly a contingent that really wanted a Lincoln-Mercury version of the Thunderbird — the four-seat ‘Bird had always been planted squarely in the upper-middle-class price bracket Mercury and Lincoln had coveted since the ’50s — but Lincoln-Mercury would shortly have the Continental Mark III, which was in many respects a fancier T-Bird. A straightforward Mustang derivative would probably have sold just fine, but the market research suggested there was a lot of money to be made with a somewhat more expensive, more luxurious product, aimed at the affluent under-30 set.
That was what the Cougar was intended to be, even when it was still based on the Mustang. You could option the Cougar as a sporty car, of course: Lincoln-Mercury was not oblivious to the youth market and its performance fads, so there were GTs and GT-Es, the Eliminator, and various homologation-flavored hardware aimed at SCCA Trans-Am and NHRA competition. However, the Cougar never seemed wholly comfortable in that arena (in part because it was always heavier than a Mustang with the same powertrain), and I think the muscle car and Trans-Am stuff was a detour from what Lincoln-Mercury really wanted. The Cougar made a stronger case for itself in posh XR-7 trim, with leather seats and woodgrain trim.
The 1971–1973 Cougar was still a Mustang underneath, though it would be for the last time. If you wanted to be really cynical about it, the Cougar was basically a plusher Mustang Grandé with a longer wheelbase and a front clip seemingly borrowed from the bigger intermediate Mercury Montego. Seen in isolation, it made a brash visual statement, which was what a lot of buyers in this segment were looking for — likely rivals for the Cougar at this point were the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix — although Lincoln-Mercury might have overdone it a little on the family resemblance.
Indeed, from some angles, the Cougar now looked a lot more like a Montego than it did a Mustang.
The Montego, however, was no longer available as a convertible, and by 1971, the Cougar was the only convertible left in the entire Lincoln-Mercury lineup.
The Cougar convertible had been added for 1969, and while it sold almost 10,000 cars in its first year, it had soon fallen prey to the general downturn in convertible sales. As with the contemporary GM B-body convertibles, I strongly suspect that the only reason for continuing the Cougar convertible for the 1971–1973 generation was to spread out the tooling costs and thus justify continuing the Mustang convertible, whose sales were also drying up. Cougar convertible production was never very great: It was 3,440 for 1971, 3,169 for 1972, and 4,449 for 1973. None of the Cougar’s later incarnations would include a factory convertible at all; it no longer fit the concept.
What WAS the concept? Lincoln-Mercury advertising called the Cougar “better than just a sports car, better than just a luxury car.” In practical terms, this meant it was better-equipped than a Mustang: In addition to the snazzy if somewhat gimmicky sequential taillights (a feature borrowed from the Thunderbird), front disc brakes with power assist were standard on the Cougar (though you still paid extra for power steering); the standard engine was the 168 hp 351-2V rather than the 302 or a six; and the Select-Shift automatic transmission most buyers wanted was standard rather than optional. There were no 3-speed manual/250-cid six-cylinder price leaders in the Cougar line.
You could still have a 4-speed stick on the Cougar in 1973, although almost no one bothered anymore. It cost just $14.45, although it was available only with the Q-code 351-CJ four-barrel engine, which went into just 3,288 cars (about 5 percent of 1973 production). Of those, just 431 had the 4-speed, and only 78 of those were ordered on the Cougar convertible. Some future Cougar incarnations would offer a 5-speed manual transmission, but I think 1973 was last call for a 4-speed manual.
The 351-CJ engine included dual exhausts, and gave the Cougar almost 100 additional net horsepower compared to the standard 351-2V: 264 hp and 314 lb-ft of torque. That was still a respectable amount of go for 1973, but the Cougar was still almost 300 lb heavier than an equivalent Mustang, itself no lightweight. So, acceleration was pleasantly brisk rather than scorching: 0 to 60 mph was in the 8-second range. The Q-code engine was only $74.70 extra, but, judging by the limited sales, it seems most Cougar buyers didn’t think the additional power was worth the hassle with the insurance company. (The big 429-cid V-8 had been dropped after 1971 for the same reason.)
Especially in convertible form, the Cougar was still basically a 2+2 — rear legroom was close to nonexistent — and while it was quieter than a Mustang, its NVH was somewhat crude compared to the latest perimeter-frame GM intermediates. Its handling was nothing special either, especially with the E78-14 and F78-14 bias-ply tires originally specified. (Although it now wears the obligatory RWL BFGoodrich tires, this car was ordered with whitewalls and wire wheel covers.)
Almost two-thirds of 1973 Cougar buyers chose the XR-7, which included leather upholstery, woodgrain trim, a grab handle on the dashboard, a Rim-Blow steering wheel, a map light, extra instruments (including a 6,000 rpm tachometer), some dashboard toggle switches, and a few cosmetic touches. (The center console was extra.) On the convertible, the XR-7 was only $177 more than the base car.
I’m going to say something here that may ruffle the feathers of some Cougar fanciers, although I say it with affection: The Cougar XR-7 of this generation was essentially store-brand luxury, obviously built to a price that it didn’t really transcend. This well-restored convertible has a lengthy list of extras, including a power seat and power windows, but for all its simulated wood trim and leather seating surfaces, it looks and feels rather plasticky, and its interior detailing and fit and finish don’t impress.
On the other hand, this wasn’t a particularly expensive car, and many of the desirable options were surprisingly cheap. Even air conditioning was a reasonable $364.01. The original MSRP of this well-equipped convertible was $5,205.35, and the original purchaser paid only $4,505.15 plus state and local taxes. At that price, it was a pretty good deal even if it didn’t seem quite as upmarket as it wanted to be.
Looking at the 1973 Cougar, it’s easier to see why Lincoln-Mercury did what they did for 1974, when the Cougar said goodbye to its pony car roots to become the Mercury equivalent of the Ford Gran Torino Elite — essentially the top of the intermediate Montego line. Stylistically, at least, the Cougar was already half a Montego, and the latest Torino/Montego perimeter frame intermediate platform offered the isolation and sound insulation the unitized Mustang platform lacked.
The bulky 1974 Cougar was no longer any kind of muscle car (to the extent the Cougar had ever been one in the first place), but its new size was in keeping with Lincoln-Mercury’s original near-luxury objectives, and it went over very well commercially: Cougar sales rose more than 50 percent for 1974, despite higher list prices and the impact of the oil embargo.
The 1971–1973 Cougar is often considered the poor relation among the Mustang-based Cougars. It shared most of the faults of the contemporary Mustang (including terrible rear visibility), it was already too heavy and soft to be much of a performer, and it wasn’t quite refined enough or cossetting enough to be a full-fledged luxury car. However, the Cougar offered at least one very commendable automotive virtue: It was a straightforward value proposition.
Personally, I’d pick an XR7 hardtop than a convertible, and probably triple-green rather than gold-and ginger (I’m very taken with the Avocado leather interior pictured above), but either way, the Cougar XR7 was nicer than a Mustang, and while it cost more, the price wouldn’t break the bank even fully loaded. While you got what you paid for, you didn’t pay for more than you got, and I find that a very easy quality to like.
Related Reading
1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 – How Different Is Different Enough? (by me)
Curbside Classic: 1971-1973 Mercury Cougar – The Brougham Pony Car (and Moms First Ride) (by Laurence Jones)
CC Capsule: 1972 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Convertible – Pony Up From That Mustang (by Jason Shafer)
Cohort Outtake: 1973 Mercury Cougar Convertible – Suave Cat (by Paul N)
Ford’s Gran Torino Elite and Mercury’s Cougar XR-7: Ford Undercuts Mercury Again For 1974 (by Aaron65)
Curbside Classic: 1977-79 Mercury Cougar XR7 – The First Thundercat (by Robert Kim)
By 1973 the automotive color zeitgeist had moved on from the avocado greens to the baby poop browns. It’s hard to believe, but someone looked at this Cougar and said “that’s the color for me”.
This Gold Metallic paint was an extra-cost Glamour color, so someone paid an extra 30 bucks for it.
That was a bargain. On a 2026 Mustang, Orange Fury Metallic Tri-Coat costs $995 extra.
The avocado Cougar may well have matched the owner’s kitchen; avocado (or harvest gold) appliances and countertops were everywhere in the early ’70s.
My dad had a 73 Montego coupe in that light pastel green (not metallic) with a dark green vinyl top and dark green interior. It was a lot like that avocado. His CB handle was The Green Machine. We pulled a little 18′ travel trailer with it and he painted the stripe light green to match the car. The car he had before that was gold, a 1968 Pontiac Le Mans coupe.
Even as an elementary school kid, I knew that these colors were weird. I like the gold a lot better now than I did then.
Oh yeah… their kitchen appliances were 1960s turquoise Kenmore.
What I’d like would be a dark green exterior with the avocado leather interior.
That would make you the pit. 🙂
I’ve been called worse…
I didn’t know this car still had such a strong kinship to the Mustang; I thought by ’73 it was based on a shortened Montego platform and body. Somehow it looks like a coupe-ified Montego rather than a bloated Mustang.
I really like that analog clock ahead of the shifter; very much the look of an alarm clock or clock-radio in the early ’70s, charmingly retro today.
It lost its distinctive shaver front end for a generic Iacocca face.
I think the leather interior set this car apart from the dwindling number of competitors. I don’t recall it being offered by GM or AMC, and the Challenger (if it offered leather) was in an interior that looked and felt far cheaper than that in the Cougar.
But by 1973, the Cougar was a car in search of a market. Pontiac really nailed the segment with the Grand Prix. The 74 Cougar was closer to the winning formula, but it never stood out like the GM cars that came to rule in mid-sized luxury.
” it looks and feels rather plasticky”
That is exactly what I said when I first sat in one back in 1973 and I am a Cougar fan. Of course I am a 1st generation fan above and beyond all the other generations.
I actually find the convertible the most palatable of this generation, the buttresses used on the coupe make these look ungainly(as they do the Mustang coupe) the convertible is a lot tidier and I actually prefer it somewhat to the 69-70 convertibles.
I get the strong impression there’s a lot of Bunkie Knudsen in this generation, there’s a clean break from its predecessor in theme and the 1969 Grand Prix influence in the front end and some elements to the interior is hard to ignore. Even the 71-72 taillights have that louvered Pontiac look(which funnily enough accidentally have a shocking resemblance to the 74-78 Firebirds taillights)
I like these though, the “compact” size incongruous 4 speed and convertible body combined with mid 70s PLC styling is actually a pretty unique package. Maybe not living up to what people idealize a Cougar to be(but what was after the 68 to many?) The coupe, no thanks, the buttresses make the body look too bulky and ungainly just like the Mustang coupe of this generation, the verts by comparison look much more athletic, I’d even say front and rear ends excluded better than the 69-70s with their droopy Buick sweapspear
What a cool car with a so “1970s” paint colour! I have never seen a convertible version of one of these. They were rare enough in the USA and therefore extremely rare in Canada.
I always saw these cars as bloated posers.
The Cougar always struck me as one of the few cars in my era that was uniquely Mercury, and not just a fancy Ford.
The Capri was sold at Mercury dealers, but it wasn’t a Mercury. Beyond that, there was the Australian Capri and the CDW27 Cougar. Everything else was a Ford with gingerbread. It’s kind of a wonder that the Mercury brand lasted as long as it did.
Mercury Villager…
I do remember when I was searching for my first car in 1985 that the availability of convertible version of these was plentiful even with the low production numbers. At very reasonable prices. Even today, convertible Cougars of this generation, while not as cheap now as they were then, are not that expensive. Unless, of course, they have the 351-CJ and 4-speed manual.
Same could largely be said of the Mustang verts of this generation, it’s kind of remarkable how much this generation of various Ford products have largely stayed reasonable(excluding the truly hot ones) while everything else of the era going to the stratosphere in cost seemingly no matter what they are. It amazes me anyone would pay more for a Chevy Nova than one of these, but they do
I always thought of the Pontiac Firebird and Dodge Challenger as being the Mercury Cougar’s most direct original competitors. The Cougar’s styling was much more distinctive from the Mustang, than the Firebird was from the Camaro, or the Challenger was from the Barracuda.
It seems to me that the luxury versions of pony cars, and of the Mercury Cougar in particular, were heavily marketed to, and popular with, women. Rather well-to-do women.
I had a 71 Cougar convertible with a 4 speed. Mine was the high compression 351C. It was a very unique combination in a Cougar, especially a convertible. I think many here are missing the importance of this rare combination. The stats back it up.
Not I! I genuinely appreciate these Cougars, in some ways I find them a more unique package than the earlier ones, truly straddling the line between muscle/ponycar and brougham no other car can claim. 71 4 speeds are especially cool as they (as did Mustangs) came with the super cool Hurst T-handle with the 4-speed pattern engraved within the H!