For 1968, Mercury handed a Cougar performance package to Carroll Shelby's own shop to build — the XR7-G, just 619 made, the only time Shelby's name touched a Mercury.
Lead trim: Cougar GT 390 cu in Marauder GT V8 (320 hp)
Mercury Cougar GT1967–1968
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mercury Cougar GT yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactFor 1968, Mercury handed a Cougar performance package to Carroll Shelby's own shop to build — the XR7-G, just 619 made, the only time Shelby's name touched a Mercury.
Available for both the standard Cougar and the Cougar XR-7, the GT option package was developed as a sportier version of the Cougar: standard was the 390 cubic-inch "Marauder GT" V8 (320 hp), upgraded suspension, larger brakes, wheels and tires, and a low-restriction exhaust system. For 1967 and 1968, to commemorate the success of the model line in competition, Mercury offered the Dan Gurney Special appearance option on both the Standard and XR-7 models (a signature decal, turbine-style wheel covers and a chrome engine dress-up kit), and for 1968 the XR7-G (G for Gurney) was introduced as a largely performance-oriented appearance package assigned to Shelby Automotive, with the conversions performed at the A.O. Smith facility (unique hood scoop, hood pins, fog lamps, tailpipe tips, special badging, wheels and interior trim, with any Cougar engine): 619 Cougars were built with the XR7-G package. The GT was replaced by the Eliminator as the performance-trim Cougar on April 1, 1969.
Collectors Spotted in the Mercury Cougar Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mercury Cougar yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cougar GT 390 cu in Marauder GT V8 (320 hp) | 1967–1968 | 6.4 L V8 | 320 hp | 427 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
This Cougar was never meant to be a Cougar — it started life as the next Ford Probe, and only got rebadged to Mercury after Ford pulled the plug on the Probe nameplate.
Redesigned for 1989, the Cougar's wheelbase grew nine inches to 113 — longer than the Mercedes-Benz 560SEC it was secretly benchmarked against.
This Cougar was a genuine milestone for Ford: the first Ford vehicle ever developed using computer-aided design, helping slash its drag coefficient from a boxy 0.50 to a sleek 0.40.
This Cougar XR-7 was so close to its Thunderbird cousin that only the grille, taillamps, trunklid and exposed headlamps told them apart.
The Cougar's signature "cat's head" emblem debuted right here in 1977 — a badge the model line would keep using for the next 25 years.
Moving upmarket for 1974, the Cougar XR-7 abandoned its unibody for a Torino-based body-on-frame chassis — the only time any Cougar was built that way.
The last Cougar convertible from this run, a light blue/white '73 XR-7, was the final convertible Ford Motor Company built for over a decade.
Want a Boss 302 in your Cougar? You had to buy the Eliminator — Mercury made the engine exclusive to that one trim.
Mercury's GT-E launched with a 427 V8 bolted only to an automatic — the 428 Cobra Jet that replaced it mid-year was the only GT-E engine ever offered with a manual, and just 37 of the 394 GT-Es built got that combination.
In its debut year, the Cougar won the 1967 Motor Trend Car of the Year award — the only time any Mercury-badged car would ever take that honor.
For 1968, Mercury handed a Cougar performance package to Carroll Shelby's own shop to build — the XR7-G, just 619 made, the only time Shelby's name touched a Mercury.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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