Featured is a nice looking 1970 Mercury Cougar muscle car. The Lincoln-Mercury Division introduced the Mercury Cougar for the 1967 model year The 1970 Cougar represented the first model year of the second generation. The first two generations saw the Cougar being very much like the Mustang but a bit more upscale and longer in length.
The Mercury Cougar, when first produced, gave Mercury its own “pony car”. The Cougar was placed between the Ford Mustang and the Ford Thunderbird. The Cougar took on the performance label for Mercury and eventually the icon for the Mercury name for several decades.
One thing the new Cougar model did do was give those Lincoln-Mercury auto dealers a muscle car so that they could participate in the popularity generated by the Ford Mustang. The Cougar, while balancing both performance and luxury, was available in many different models and configurations from 1967 to 1970. These included the Dan Gurney Special and the Eliminator, the GT, GT-E and XR-7. Cougar Eliminator collector cars have sold at auction into the six figures.
1970 Mercury Cougar Styling
There was a mid year restyling of the 1969 Cougar which carried over into 1970. Straight body sides were changed to Coke bottle styling. Vent windows were discontinued and the roof line was little changed. Grille was restyled to horizontally slatted for the 69 model only and then went back to the split electric shaver styling seen in 68. The 1969/70 models had concave tail lights.
1970 Mercury Cougar Specifications
The base engine for the 1970 Cougar was a two-barrel 351 cubic inch V-8. remained the base engine. The optional four-barrel was a Cleveland 351 cubic inch V-8 , producing 300 HP. Other powerful engines available included the Boss 302, 428 CJ, and the 429 Ram Air. The new 351 which took on the nickname “Cleveland” was given that name because the engine was actually produced at Ford’s Engine Plant Number 2 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Transmissions offered were both three and four speed manuals along with three and four speed automatics.
Brakes were four wheel hydraulic drums.
Dimensions included a 111.0 inch wheelbase, 196.1 inch overall length and 74.2 inch height. Weight averaged 3,350 lbs.
New car price in 1970 averaged about $3,400. By model the base Hardtop started at $3,115, the Convertible at $3,380, the XR-7 Hardtop $3,415, and the XR-7 Convertible at $3,700.
1970 Mercury Cougar production came in at 72,300 vehicles.
Related Auto Museum Online articles are found on the links below…
Reference material for this article includes…The Complete Book of Classic Ford and Mercury Muscle Cars: 1961-1973 by author Donald Farr...Mercury Cougar Muscle Portfolio 1967-1973 by R.M.Clarke…Ford Lincoln Mercury Archives.
The 1970 Mercury Cougar Collector Car
In general, all Pony Cars from the late 1960’s into the early 70’s are popular collector cars. That era was truly unique and really only ended due to the government stepping in. These are performance automobiles from an era prior to the Federal environment and safety regulations which changed the landscape significantly.
To point out the popularity of the Mercury Cougar, the model sold just under 3 million units during it’s lifetime in production.
Current collector values for the 1970 Mercury Cougar will not only depend on overall condition, mileage and age of restoration but also on the specific model. The range is quite wide anywhere from $25,000 to $90,000. Convertibles and the bigger engine models will be on the higher side. Your highest priced 1970 Mercury Cougar would most likely be the Eliminator Boss 302. The Eliminator model has sold into the six figures at auction.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)