Mercury Cougar
Every Mercury Cougar generation in the Burbles catalogue — complete specs, rarity tiers, interactive 3D cards, and the collectors who have spotted them on the street.
- Lineage Span
- 1967–2002 11 generations · 44 published trims
- Power Evolution
- 88 → 335 hp Base lead-trim output across eras
- Catalogue Rarity
- 3 Legendary 3 Legendary · 2 Epic · 6 Rare/Common
All 11 Mercury Cougar Generations
Each generation deals in its rarity tier’s alloy with its engine disc, lead specs, and first spotter record. Click into any generation for full trims and market figures.
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.
Collectors Who Spotted the Mercury Cougar
No member has published a public street spot of the Mercury Cougar yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Mercury Cougar Generation-by-Generation Comparison
Lead figures across every published generation, newest to oldest. Select any generation to inspect all trims and engine options.
| Generation | Years | Tier & Rarity | Engine | Power & Torque | 0–60 mph | Weight | Trims | First Spotter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th Gen Cougar6th Gen | 1999–2002 | Rare | 2.0L I4 | 125 hp · 130 lb-ft | — | — | 4 trims → | Unclaimed |
| 5th Gen Cougar5th Gen | 1989–1997 | Uncommon | 3.8L V6 | 140 hp · 215 lb-ft | — | — | 3 trims → | Unclaimed |
| 4th Gen Cougar4th Gen | 1983–1988 | Uncommon | 2.3L I4 | 88 hp · 122 lb-ft | — | — | 10 trims → | Unclaimed |
| Cougar / Cougar XR-7 (1980–1982) | 1980–1982 | Rare | — | — | — | — | 1 trim → | Unclaimed |
| Cougar / Cougar XR-7 (1977–1979) | 1977–1979 | Rare | 4.9L V8 | 134 hp | — | — | 4 trims → | Unclaimed |
| Cougar XR-7 (1974–1976) | 1974–1976 | Rare | — | — | — | — | 1 trim → | Unclaimed |
| Cougar (1971–1973) | 1971–1973 | Epic | 5.8L V8 | 166 hp | — | — | 6 trims → | Unclaimed |
| Cougar Eliminator (1969–1970) | 1969–1970 | Legendary | 5.8L V8 | 290 hp · 385 lb-ft | — | — | 3 trims → | Unclaimed |
| Cougar GT-E (1968) | 1968–1968 | Legendary | 7.0L V8 | 335 hp · 440 lb-ft | — | — | 2 trims → | Unclaimed |
| Cougar (1967–1970) | 1967–1970 | Epic | 4.7L V8 | 200 hp · 285 lb-ft | — | — | 9 trims → | Unclaimed |
| Cougar GT (1967–1968) | 1967–1968 | Legendary | 6.4L V8 | 320 hp · 427 lb-ft | — | — | 1 trim → | Unclaimed |
See a Mercury Cougar on the street, point Burbles at it, and that generation’s card goes in your binder with your own photo and serial number. Own one? Add it to your garage in the app.