Mercury Cougar

The Cougar was a sports car marketed by Mercury from 1968 until 2002. Initially a twin of the Ford Mustang, it later became a twin of the Ford Thunderbird until the T-Bird was discontinued in 1997, after which it was switched back to the Mustang until the model's discontinuation. When switched to the Thunderbird, the Cougar changed from a sports car to a fullsize sedan. The return to the Mustang platform was welcomed by many as a return to the model's roots. The Cougar had a special Eliminator edition. The model is especially known for competing in the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-American Sedan Championship. After becoming a fullsize sedan, the Cougar began competing in the International Motorsports Association's Grand Touring Championship, specifically the high-performance IMSA GTO category. These Cougars were also used in Trans Am and the Winston Cup Series until the Thunderbird was replaced in NASCAR with the Taurus. The Cougar had its own logo, but several generations used the Mercury logo. Early models used a full-bodied cougar, but the final generations featured simply a cougar head roaring. The Cougar is popular in drag racing.